Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In this chapter, the orchestration of two excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor (“Pathétique”) is analyzed from the perspectives of the different actors of a large-scale recording project created jointly by members of the Université de Montréal, McGill University, and Hochschule für Musik Detmold in fall 2018. Titled ODESSA—for “Orchestral Distribution Effects in Sound, Space and Acoustics”—this project aims to study orchestral effects, examining how instrumental sounds are sculpted by the conductor, the orchestra’s musicians, and the hall acoustics, and how the sound changes when heard and recorded from different points in space. For this study, we are examining the orchestration of the excerpts from various disciplinary perspectives, from the point of view of the composer (techniques and desired effects), from the point of view of the conductor (his interpretation of the work and the sonic image he wished to convey), the point of view of the recording artist (the different auditory perspectives she engaged, from close microphones to ambient room microphones), and the point of view of the acoustic and psychoacoustic analyst (highlighting in the sound itself the perceptual effects that characterize the orchestration of the piece). Through this interdisciplinary approach, we attempt to provide a more complete view of the art of orchestration by shedding light on the crucial contributions to the creation of orchestral sound by conductors, performers, and recording artists.</jats:p>