AES Milan 2018
Technical Tour Details
Wednesday, May 23, 15:00 — 18:00 (off-site 1)
TT01 - Sforza Castle and the Organ of San Maurizio
The Sforza Castle in the very heart of Milan was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later renovated and enlarged, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was one of the largest citadels in Europe. Now it houses several of the city's museums and art collections, including a large collection of musical instruments on which the restored equipment of the RAI Studio di fonologia musicale, established in 1955 in Milan by Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna, the third European facility for experimental electronic contemporary classical music after the Studio für elektronische Musik des WDR in Cologne and the Groupe de Recherches Musicales in Paris.
Nearby is the church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. This 16th-century royal chapel and one-time Benedictine convent is Milan's hidden crown jewel, every inch of it covered in breathtaking frescoes, most of them executed by Bernardino Luini, who worked with Leonardo da Vinci. San Maurizio hosts the oldest Milanese pipe organ, built in 1554 by Gian Giacomo Antegnati and located in the choir loft above the choir stalls, on the right side. It is contained in a wooden, richly carved case, and decorated by Francesco and Girolamo de’ Medici da Seregno. The present organ is a partial reconstruction made by the famous italian organ builder Famiglia Artigiana Vincenzo Mascioni of the original instrument by Gian Giacomo Antegnati.
The facade pipes are “Antegnati” and belong to the stop “Principale”. About 60% of the internal pipes are “Antegnati” with the exception of the “Voce Umana” and “Flauto in dodicesima” which are not original, dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth century.
Capacity limited to 20 people.
These times reflect the tours, not travel times. Maps and directions will be available when you sign up. No buses will be provided.
Technical Tours are made available on a first come, first served basis to anyone with an All Access badge. Tickets can be purchased during normal registration hours at the convention center.
Thursday, May 24, 09:30 — 11:30 (off-site 1)
TT02 - Teatro Alla Scala
La Scala, in full Teatro alla Scala, is one of the principal opera houses of the world and the leading Italian house. La Scala was founded under the auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria in order to replace the Royal Ducal Theatre which was destroyed by fire on 26 February 1776 and had until then been the home of opera in Milan. The cost of building the new theatre was borne by the owners of the boxes at the Ducal, in exchange for possession of the land on which stood the church of Santa Maria alla Scala (hence the name) and for renewed ownership of their boxes. Designed by the great neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, La Scala opened on 3 August 1778 with Antonio Salieri's opera L'Europa riconosciuta, to a libretto by Mattia Verazi. Today, it continues to be a unique opera house, with its architecture drawing from both modern and traditional influences. It is also noted for its tremendous acoustics, which can in part be attributed to the concave channel-tunnel beneath the wooden floor of the orchestra. There are few opera houses in the world, and perhaps none, that can match the historical legacy and beauty of this opera house in Milan. The guided tour will focus not only to the artistic beauties of the location but also on the technical infrastructure and the acoustics.
Capacity limited to 15 people. These times reflect the tours, not travel times. Maps and directions will be available when you sign up. No buses will be provided.
Technical Tours are made available on a first come, first served basis to anyone with an All Access badge. Tickets can be purchased during normal registration hours at the convention center.
Thursday, May 24, 13:30 — 18:30 (off-site 1)
TT03 - Violin Museum and the Electroacoustic Laboratory
At the Violin Museum visitors can explore five centuries of violin making in Cremona directly through the great master violin makers – Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri – and their outstanding instruments by following the well-balanced blend of art and craftsmanship, tradition and innovation which flows from late Renaissance to contemporary violinmaking workshops. The visit includes the "Giovanni Arvedi" Auditorium, the Sound and Music Computing Lab and the Musical Acoustics Lab of the Politecnico di Milano.
Capacity limited to 30 people. These times include travel times. Bus will leave from and arrive to NH Hotel.
Friday, May 25, 09:30 — 12:00 (off-site 1)
TT04 - Sky TV
A visit to the Italian headquarters of the European broadcaster. The tour begins with a visit to the TV studios, control rooms, and everything related to production. Then we will explore the post production workflow, MCR up to the final play-out. Different experts will guide participants to the various departments and there will be room for technical questions on cutting edge broadcast technologies.
Space is limited to 20 people. These times reflect the tours, not travel times. Maps and directions will be available when you sign up. No buses will be provided. Technical Tours are made available on a first come, first served basis. As some of the locations are working environments, we may be obliged to cancel a visit at short notice. To participate, please purchase tickets at the AES Special Events Desk.
Friday, May 25, 13:00 — 20:00 (off-site 2)
TT05 - INRIM Institute and the RAI Auditorium
INRIM is a public research center acting as Italy's national metrology institute, maintaining and developing the national reference standards of the measurement units of the International System. The tour includes the Electroacoustic Institute "Galileo Ferraris," a visit to its anechoic and a reverberating chambers, and the electroacoustic laboratory where acoustic experiments are conducted.
Then we will tour the RAI (Italian Radio Television) Centre for Research and Technological Innovation (CRIT), born in Turin in 1930 as “Research Laboratory” for the national TV broadcaster, with a special focus on audio technologies.
We will complete the tour at the RAI auditorium "Arturo Toscanini". The Auditorium was built in 1856 and worked under the name Teatro Vittorio until 1952 when RAI rebuilt it and made it the house of the RAI Symphonic Orchestra of Turin and from 1994 the house of the unified RAI National Symphonic Orchestra. Since 1958 it is equipped with a complete audio-video recording facility. The tour will include the control room with a description of the audio and video facilities used for live and recorded transmissions.
Capacity limited to 30 people. These times include travel times. Bus will leave from and arrive to NH Hotel. Technical Tours are made available on a first come, first served basis to anyone with an All Access badge. Tickets can be purchased during normal registration hours at the convention center.