We were thrilled that classical pianist Marisa Gupta recently swung by the studio on her way back to Paris to record on our Steinway D Concert Grand. The session was produced by renowned classical producer Marlan Barry.
Here’s a couple samples from the session:
Marlan noted that he used a pair of piano mics Neumann M49 tubes with K49 capsules, as well Coles 4038 Ribbon mic at foot. The room mics were Schoeps 221b Omni’s. The mic pres were GML and Neve.
A bit more about Marissa:
Pianist Marisa Gupta has a versatile musical life, comprised of solo and chamber music performances, ranging from rare repertoire of the past to a deep commitment towards music of today, performed with heartfelt conviction and a deep intellectual engagement. Born in the USA of Thai and Indian parentage, pianist Marisa Gupta made her debut performing Prokofiev’s 1st Piano Concerto with the Houston Symphony. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including top prizes at the Concours Maria Canals (Barcelona), the Viotti Competition (Vercelli, Italy), Corpus Christi and Kingsville International Music Competitions, a Solti Foundation Award, a Fulbright scholarship for study in the UK, and many others. She was an Edison Visiting Fellow at the British Library (for the study of early chamber music recordings and performance styles) and was named a finalist by the BBC for its New Generations Thinkers Scheme, an initiative inviting leading British thinkers to broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Here’s a clip of Marisa performing Haydn, Mompou, and Chopin:
More about Marlan:
Marlan Barry specializes in orchestral, chamber, operatic, electro-acoustic and jazz recordings. In addition to recording and producing acclaimed musicians, chamber groups and orchestras in New York, Marlan served as the head recording engineer and musical producer for Houston Grand Opera for 15 years, producing its commercial releases and national radio broadcasts.
Steve Koester of Two Dark Birds recently spent an afternoon at The Woods sketching out a new song, called “The Song To End It All.” Studio Owner Todd Adelman acted as engineer for the session. Look for release plans on Vfib Recordings in the near future.
Two Dark Birds is a band from the Catskill Mountains formed by singer, songwriter, guitarist Steve Koester. The band has released four critically acclaimed albums.
Here’s a video from their 2017 album “Bow.”
Soren recently visited the studio to spend time on our Steinway D tracking piano and vocals with Producer Danny Danny Blume. Look for a release date soon.
Soren Song (they/them) is a singer/songwriter from New York. Over the past few decades they have gained a reputation as a performer who taps into the human experience and takes their listeners through the highs and lows of it all with startling honesty. There is no difference between the performer and the performance. When you listen to Soren you get all of them – in whatever way it happens to come out.
Soren has worked with Grammy and Juno winning producer Danny Blume on their last two releases, “Beloved (Home)” and “Boundaries (Hell)”, and is currently working on a third album called “Believe (Heal)”.
Here’s a “Be Still My Mind” from Soren’s last full length release: