In addition to the Congo (the first installed in the UK) Ironside also chose a SmartFade from ETC as a compact backup console, a further eight Source Four Revolutions, 20 Source Four Junior zooms, eight Source Four 10ยบ profile spotlights and 80 Source Four PARs, all supplied by A.C. Lighting.
"We can use the Revolutions as specials if necessary for the soloist, without the orchestra complaining about the noise from the lights," adds Ironside, "and we were aware that for the desk, simplicity is key. We have a lot of visiting lighting operators, and they need to be able to get lights up and running easily and quickly. The Congo allows them to do that, yet it still has a huge amount of programming power.
"We had a tight schedule for getting in the equipment. The desk, which was shipped from Germany, arrived after a children's orchestral concert at 1.30pm, and Jeremy Roberts, ETC's field project manager for UK and Ireland, had it up and running by 3.15pm. We hosted the Scottish Power Proms from the following day for the next two and a half weeks, so it really was a baptism of fire."
The ETC equipment was purchased as part of a larger order to bring the hall into the 21st century, according to Graeme, which included major investments in upgrading the sound system, stage lifts and auditorium acoustics.
Meanwhile, demonstrating Congo's truly pan-European popularity, David Gray, ETC's Field Project Manager for southern Europe, has recently commissioned the continent's first Congo console at the brand new Teatro Municipal de Faro on Portugal's south coast. The opening of the 800-seat theatre at the beginning of July, which was celebrated with a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra, hailed the city's status as National Capital of Culture 2005.
(Lee Baldock)
