 The technical
tour of the S$600 million The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay attracted a
huge crowd. A total of 98 members and guests attended this event held on
Sept. 11, 2002.
The seminar kicked off with a brief introduction of the
1,600 seat concert hall by Mr. Jeffrey Yeo, an integral and indispensable
member of the Esplanade sound team, who started off by observing that, “I
didn’t know there are so many audio engineers in Singapore.” He went on to
explain that the Concert Hall is equipped with reverberation chambers and an
acoustic canopy for varying the acoustic qualities of the Hall. As opposed
to the usual digital simulation of these characteristics, such a physically
configurable setup allows the acoustic qualities of the hall to be varied
naturally. One application would be for solo vocal recital, where a shorter
reverberation time can give a dry and more intimate quality to the singing
voice. Of particular interest is the acoustic canopy with has 3
independently adjustable segments. Its height can be adjusted via computer
control as well. The ceiling of the Hall is very high and beautifully
decorated with lots of woody embellishments. Surrounding the rows of seats,
are tracks for acoustic curtains should further acoustic damping be
required. Right behind the stage is a Klais pipe organ with 4,889
pipes and 63 stops. There will be several organ recitals in the opening
programmes for the audience to experience the rich timbre of this monstrous
instrument. Apart from symphonic and choral music, the hall can also be used
for live recording and broadcast.
The session was followed by a half hour Q & A where the
enthusiastic audience had a chance to ask Jeffrey questions that varied
from, “What is the gain that can be applied to the microphone preamp before
feedback occurs?” to “How much of the $600 million goes into the sound
system?” The answer for the latter was estimated as S$3-4 million. The Q & A
session was so well received that the section chairman had to step in to
nudge the audience on to the next venue, which was the theatre.
It was a lucky day for the audience as there was an
on-going Chinese Opera rehearsal in the theatre. The operatic voice of the
performer cuts through the space like a sharp knife. The clarity of it was
uncanny. The 2000-seat Theatre is an adaptation of the traditional horseshoe
form of European opera houses. It is designed for the presentation of
traditional Asian and Western performing arts as well as the most advanced
multi-media presentations. It has a main stage with an adjustable proscenium
arch, two full-sized ancillary stages, a 30m high fly tower, and an
adjustable orchestra pit that can hold up to 95 musicians.
The event ended with the usual group photo taking session
of all the attendees, with the photographer almost standing at the edge of
the entrance to capture the big crowd.
| Pictures |
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Attendees
comprising of AES members and guests with the speaker, Mr. Jeffrey Yeo
(front row, right of centre in khaki shorts) standing a group
photo shoot in the lobby of the Esplanade |
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