Handel’s triumphant Hallelujah chorus provided the first musical notes to be heard in the newest addition to Melbourne’s cultural infrastructure, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, which was lit for the first time recently at Melbourne Recital Centre at Southbank.
A significant project of the Victorian Government, through Arts Victoria and Major Projects Victoria, Melbourne Recital Centre is scheduled to open to the public in the first quarter of 2009.
Lighting this prestigious event was Paul Jackson who chose Clearlight Shows to supply, install and operate the lighting for the reveal on March 26th of the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. John McKissock, Clearlight’s managing director, recommended his recently acquired Martin MAC TW1 tungsten moving lights for the event.
“I can say I love the TW1 and everyone that has used them has the same response,” he commented.
“I needed a fixture with high colour rendering in a tungsten format,” added Paul. “It also needed a good colour mix that had a really good fade curve on it. Because we were revealing the roof of the Recital Hall we needed to come up out of black very gradually, smoothly and evenly with complete control. We also needed a fixture that was very, very quiet given the acoustic context we were in.
“I thought the TW1’s were excellent. I wasn’t using them as a moving fixture rather as a colour wash unit. I’ve never worked with a tungsten-based, moving head unit as punchy or as clean as the TW1.”
As well as the twelve Martin MAC TW1 fixtures Paul used one Martin MAC700, twelve Pixel Par 90, two Selecon 5.5-13 Pacifics, twelve Selecon 14-35 Pacifics and eight 2kw Selecon Fresnels. All was controlled with the Clealright’s new Zero 88 LeapFrog 96.
Now just past the half-way mark in its construction, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is the centrepiece of the purpose-built Melbourne Recital Centre. Destined to become home to Melbourne fine music when it opens, it is a 1000-seat modified shoebox-shaped hall based on the classic proportions of the Vienna Musikvereinsaal. It is named in honour of Victoria’s most generous and longest serving philanthropist, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, in recognition of her legacy, and to pay homage to her passion for music and for nurturing Australia’s finest young artists.
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