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That's obviously crazy. It's where you SIT in the hall that is critical (yes, technical measurements must be taken pre-performance WITH the full cooperation of the orchestra and, need I mention, the conductor?) and also how carefully one has cleaned one's ear canals (well, better clean both---and equally well); need I also mention the impact of the humidity (or dryness!) of the hall, and the apparel of the audience? What is the audience, after all, but baffling?
I don't know about others here, but I'd much prefer hearing my local high school band in BPO's hall than the BPO in the high school gym.
It is apparent that, should a community set out to have a wonderful orchestra, they place most emphasis on the hall-- THAT must be first rate.
The musicians and the leader?
Hell, second-rate will do.
If the managers fail to provide ear swabs or clothing recommendations, however, all is lost. The seating problem, alas, seems insurmountable.
Follow Ups:
hearing the Cleveland Orch. in Kansas City and they sounded great, whereas the native orchestra sounded much thinner and less adept but only adequate there at its subscription concerts. Not bad, but not Cleveland.and at church, a well known quartet based locally came, using our Bose system with their own mikes and we were shocked how good it sounded! Shocked. I did some of the mixing in those days, and was happy indeed.
...great no matter where they play.The better the hall, the better they will sound.
A mediocre orchestra will still sound mediocre in the finest hall.
Same with your seats in the hall - the quality of the orchestra matters much more.
Lincoln Center AF hall. I sat in about row J/orchestra on the far right side -- not ideal seats, but certainly not the worst. Judging from the tumultuous applause (I've literally never seen/heard more appreciative audience response) nobody who attended left bitching about the bad sound in AF hall rather than raving about the performance. Somehow I doubt you or anybody else would have preferred hearing your local High School band playing in Boston's Symh. Hall.
that I stayed away, but only a couple and they were both overhauled. I can think of more conductors who would keep me away than halls! :-)
I don't know about others here, but I'd much prefer hearing my local high school band in BPO's hall than the BPO in the high school gym.The acoustics of the Philharmonie are fair at best. And thus, lots of great orchestras play in not so great halls.
Unlike you I would vastly prefer to hear the BPO in the high school gym than vice-versa. (And I've *played* in a number of high school gyms! ;-) )I'm going to hear the music. If the sound is good, so much the better. That goes for recordings, too.
"It is apparent that, should a community set out to have a wonderful orchestra, they place most emphasis on the hall-- THAT must be first rate."
---This is by no means apparent. Said community might invest in a wonderful hall and end up with Avery Fischer. Then what? They'll still have a fine orchestra--or not. See point one.
The music comes first. All else is gravy.
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I really dumbed it down as much as possible.
Go back, read. Understand.
Repeat if necessary ad infinitum (tell us you're not so thick as to believe someone actually would only evaluate an orchestra from a particular seat and with a suitably attired audience).
I will supply a dunce hat to your hat size upon request.
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The whole audiophile obsession with "sound" (as opposed to, say, "music") really gets ridiculous when it's applied to live performance of acoustic instruments. Sure, it can be frustrating if you're in a hall that muddles the sound, but I think it's important to approach live performances with the understanding that they are *never* perfect. There are always going to be chipped notes, audience coughs, etc, and the idiosyncracies of the hall's sound is just part of that. Expecting a live performance to have the sonic "perfection" of your favorite recording is like expecting your wife to look like the airbrushed models in a magazine.
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