Martin Audio fielded a large Line Array system at this year’s Festspiele Eröffnungfeier — the opening event of the Salzburg Festival season.
The system was supplied by Technik Design, Martin Audio’s Austrian distributor, to LTV-Markus Schwenter, the Salzburg-based hire company who were awarded the contract to provide the Festspiele sound system.
A large part of the city centre was commandeered to stage
a spectacular, consisting of concerts and fireworks. However, the main
system was set up on the banks of the Salzach River where powerful classics
were broadcast to the audience via
16 x W8LM Mini Line Array enclosures and eight WSX subs, choreographed
to an impressive firework display.
Hung in Layher towers, eight W8LM’s (per side) provided
even coverage to the entire crowd, gathered along the banks of
the river.
Elsewhere, in the area of the Mirabell Palace (the residence
of Salzburg’s mayor) four Layher towers (two W8LM’s per tower)
fulfilled the requirement for classical and esoteric music, while on yet
another stage a further eight W8LM’s and eight WSX subs were used
to reinforce famous acapella
group, Bauchklang.
Martin Audio also provided the sound for the auxiliary stages. In the location of Chiemseehof a concert by Sabine Hank and Künstlerfreund took place on a small stage, reinforced by four Wavefront W1’s and two Blackline S15, while in Domplatz — the most important location for Hugo von Hoffmannsthal´s play,
Jedermann (Everyman) — a concert was given by the
band Seesaw on the Jedermann-stage (where the Jedermann performers also
signed autographs). Four Wavefront W2’s and a pair of WS2 subs provided
high-quality sound.
On the Reitsamerplatz several string quartets performed through four further
W2’s and a pair of Blackline S15’s, while on Residenzplatz
a huge video screen (measuring 33m x 9.5m) was mounted on two cranes,
while below, two towers of four W8LM’s per side (plus WSX) provided
cinema sound for the audience.
According to Technik Design’s Klaus Teufel, the promoter was so happy with the performance of the Martin Audio systems that he immediately rebooked next year’s sound system for all shows on the Jedermann main stage (comprising 16 x W8LM’s and eight WSX subs).
