Siena’s ‘Concerto per l'Italia is an annual classical music event held in the city’s iconic Piazza del Campo each July. With its 102-metre-tall bell tower, and 2,500 seat-capacity, Piazza del Campo plays host to all manner of events, from seasonal initiatives to music festivals, throughout the year. The Piazza also serves as a cultural hub for Siena and the wider Tuscan region, drawing visitors from across the world.
For the past three summers, the square has been the outdoor setting for the 'Concerto per l'Italia', featuring classical orchestras and soloists from around the world. In 2023, the concert was directed by Daniele Gatti, and featured renowned musicians such as pianist Lilya Zilberstein, and the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, who opened the show.
Given the challenging open-air setting and the wide area to cover, a sound system that was capable of providing comprehensive coverage was crucial. As such, Sound D-Light, a recent addition to L-Acoustics L-ISA Rental Network, was tasked with designing and installing the sound system. This assignment was facilitated by Sound D-Light's existing professional relationship with Sisme, L-Acoustics’ long-standing Certified Provider Distributor in Italy.
The main objective was to deliver clear sound all along the 333-metre, U-shaped square, not only for the 2,500 seated audience, but also for the patrons in nearby bars and restaurants. According to Sound D-Light, L-ISA spatial sound technology was the ideal choice to provide a more realistic listening experience, while maintaining the highest possible quality, and at the same time, minimising sound reflections from the surrounding buildings.
The L-ISA immersive sound design required over 100 Kara II loudspeakers. A Scene system of seven hangs of 12 Kara II was spread above the stage area, with two hangs of four KS28 subwoofers flown in the centre. An additional two hangs of 12 Kara II provided out-fill. Spatial fill was accomplished via five 12XT coaxial loudspeakers spread across the stage lip and providing detailed immersive sound to the front rows. The system was powered by eight LA-RAKII Milan AVB amplifier racks.
"We achieved an impressive sound image, offering the audience genuine and natural spatial sound,” said Davide ‘Red Battistelli, the FOH engineer who managed the spatial sound mix via L-ISA Controller, supporting production sound engineer, Giacomo De Caterini during the symphony orchestra performance.
“L-ISA immersive audio technology enabled Sound D-Light to deliver outstanding coverage throughout the square, while solving several potential difficulties normally encountered with a classic LR or LCR system such as interference, and visual-to-audio mis-localisation of the real sources on stage,” commented Andrea Flamini PA engineer. “It was a challenging and rewarding experience with an outstanding result, achieved through the collaboration between Sound D-Light engineers and L-Acoustics application engineers Tom Laveuf and Martin Wurmnest.”