The local fare of classical music in New York City is a breeding ground for new material. Of this pool is Sung Jin Hong and One World Symphony--an organization boasting heartfelt and original material, from a Breaking Bad opera to their most recent Hannibal, a blend of Stravinsky, Bach and Sung Jin.
They have been featured on Classicalite before and are among the orchestral elite that perform in New York City. When I was invited to attend the premiere of Breaking Bad-Ozymandias last year I was floored at the deftness of their conductor, Sung Jin Hong, and his ensemble.
But that was a year ago and their new production, Hannibal, is a 2015 smash that has been written up extensively by the media. A thoughtful concerto, Classicalite was able to witness the recording of the piece before it hits the floor of the Internet as a full blown single.
Recording the symphony at Church of the Holy Apostles is a massive operation--one equipped with microphones careening over the maestro and his orchestra. The equipment is so sensitive that even a small nuance like a wood block has to be played with with the shallowest timber so as to not drown out the sonic delicacy of the piece.
Even a condensor mic has to be set up on the outskirts of the recording circle and receive no amplification. Soprano Marie Putko channeled Abigail Hobbs through voice alongside tenor Ransom G. Bruce (Will Graham) and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna (Hannibal Lecter).
Roaming around the symphony, too, were colloquial vocals helping drive the narrative. Adrienne Metzinger, One World's manager and behind-the-scenes operator, could be heard milling around with other speakers whispering the inner-monologue of a deranged psychopath.
And as is the case with symphonic recording, too, the dynamic of the piece had to be compressed. Some of the dread-inducing moments had to be reshaped to fit into the production sphere. But, it translates accurately to the format.
Recording can be unnerving especially of this magnitude but the ensemble shared a camaraderie that helped the music translate from a live performance to a recording fit to score.
"You know if you love somebody you've got to give them space," said Sung Jin, coaching the symphony through the moment of impact and the apex of the piece.
"Her father has killed, like, eight girls. C'mon!" he joked.
Before the tune drops the magnificent team at One World has put together a special trailer to rally anticipation for the track.
So without further ado here is One World Symphony premiering the trailer to their newest composition, Hannibal.
