Verdi's opera was performed against the backdrop of Mount Masada by the Israel Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Oren, with the Tel Aviv Philharmonic Choir. At front of house was engineer Richard Sharratt, veteran of many classical and operatic concerts, and a fan of the XL8 for his productions. "I always enjoy using the XL8 as the sound quality next to none, the EQ and dynamics are powerful and natural, and there is great versatility of control by using POP(ulation) groups," he says.
BRP's system tech Josh Lloyd has also worked with the XL8 on many gigs and festivals, and found the system's flexibility came into its own for the five Masada performances, which required a different way of working. "The automation is fantastic on the XL8, and we were using it to far more of its potential than in the past," he says. "We were reassigning VCA groups from scene to scene, always keeping the appropriate principles from a section of the opera in front of us on the surface, as well as using the automation to update audio parameters between scenes.
"Opera goers are very particular about audio quality and are traditionally used to hearing it unamplified, so it needed to sound as natural as possible. The XL8 was also a good choice for the harsh environment of the desert, being extremely reliable and able to survive with the heat and dust. A good decision all round."
(Jim Evans)
