Live Performances sometimes just clobber recordings

[3db]

I was back at the NAC last night and sat through Beethoven's 9th Symphony. All I can say is wow. I walked out of the concert hall fighting back as many tears as possible. I was truly moved. I've listened to this piece so many times on vinyl and CD and know it by heart but it didn't prepare me for the rush of emotions seeing it live. This is one piece you have to experience live at least once in your lifetime.

 

[Swerd]

… I've listened to this piece so many times on vinyl and CD and know it by heart but it didn't prepare me for the rush of emotions seeing it live. This is one piece you have to experience live at least once in your lifetime.

Amen to that!

Last spring I saw it performed live for my first time, and had the same experience as you.

No audio playback system I've ever heard can come close to the sound in a decent concert hall with a full orchestra and 100+ voice chorus.

What concert hall is the NAC?

 

[3db]

Amen to that!

Last spring I saw it performed live for my first time, and had the same experience as you.

No audio playback system I've ever heard can come close to the sound in a decent concert hall with a full orchestra and 100+ voice chorus.

What concert hall is the NAC?

In Ottawa Canada.

 

[Swerd]

In Ottawa Canada.

In addition to being a speaker junkie, I have become a concert hall junkie.

The NAC looks nice.

I go to a fairly new local concert hall, the Strathmore Music Center.

Both places had the same acoustic designers, Kirkegaard Associates.

 

[its phillip]

I've only been to the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth a couple times. It was always nice though I should go more often.

http://www.basshall.com/seating/thehallseatingnew.jsp
http://www.basshall.com/docs/techspec.pdf

 

[3db]

In addition to being a speaker junkie, I have become a concert hall junkie.

The NAC looks nice.

I go to a fairly new local concert hall, the Strathmore Music Center.

Both places had the same acoustic designers, Kirkegaard Associates.

Very interesting. That's a nice concert hall!!

 

[Irvrobinson]

Any group that won't fit in your listening room will sound a heck of a lot better live than on any audio system.

The two best concert halls I've ever experienced - Cleveland and Cincinnati. Unfortunately, those aren't high on my list of cities to ever visit for business or for pleasure.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

are there any good concert halls around my area? nyc?
Never been in one 'round here

 

[Irvrobinson]

are there any good concert halls around my area? nyc?
Never been in one 'round here

Are you kidding? Haven't you ever heard of Avery Fisher Hall or Carnegie Hall?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Are you kidding? Haven't you ever heard of Avery Fisher Hall or Carnegie Hall?

I heard about Carnegie Hall ... just wasn't sure it's up to snuff

Bear in mind my interest in classical music is very recent barely a year old

 

[Swerd]

are there any good concert halls around my area? nyc?
Never been in one 'round here

I've once been to Avery Fisher Hall years ago, but never been to Carnegie Hall. Others said Avery Fisher was so-so compared to Carnegie.

Here's a tip . Don't ask anyone in NY "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"

The answer: practice .

OK, that's an old joke, but I couldn't resist the set-up.

I've only been to the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth a couple times. It was always nice though I should go more often.

Is there a Treble Performance Hall across the street?

 

[Swerd]

I heard about Carnegie Hall ... just wasn't sure it's up to snuff

Bear in mind my interest in classical music is very recent barely a year old

In the old days (more than 25 years ago) building concert halls with good acoustics was hit or miss. Some were great and others were big disappointments (like the Kennedy Center in DC). On the east coast, Carnegie Hall in NYC and Symphony Hall in Boston were always considered among the better ones in the US.

Since computer-aided concert hall design has become a reality, firms like Kierkegaard Associates have made it a predictable science instead of a matter of luck. Since the early 1990s there has been a boom in building new concert halls both in North America and elsewhere. Most of them have excellent acoustics and have been known to put some of the older concert halls to shame.

 

[its phillip]

Is there a Treble Performance Hall across the street?

I don't think so

 

[jostenmeat]

I heard about Carnegie Hall ... just wasn't sure it's up to snuff

Bear in mind my interest in classical music is very recent barely a year old

(The following is based on limited experiences, from many years ago, and usually from the nosebleed seats, so I apologize if things are different today.) I've been to Carnegie, Avery Fisher, and the Met. The latter two of course are part of Lincoln Center, which is very large with many institutions, including Juilliard. The Met is easily the most pretentious concert hall I have been to in my life, there is no second place. No subtitles for opera either, at least at the time, you know even Sydney does subtitles. I did hear a pretty entertaining tidbit from Kal Rubinson regarding that hall, and that is that there is a theory that it sounded better, more live, in the olden days . . . when . . . all the ladies had very, very low necklines to show off their apparently sound-reflective bosoms!

First of all, don't base your decision on the venue, but the act. It might sound obvious, but I have to say that. If you don't know what you like yet, well, I guess I could give you my opinion if you link me the schedule(s). Better yet is to find what you really enjoy yourself of course, and then look for that on the programming schedules.

That said, of the above, go to Carnegie. It is more intimate, decorative, and more "live" in sound. Avery Fisher is more somber, very wide comparatively.

I remember seeing the (conductor-less) Orpheus Chamber Orchestra play at Carnegie, and I remember remarking from the balcony above the cello section, how it was apparent their pizzicati were choreographed (something I never even heard of before or since, but wth do I know). Dumb story, but wanted to share that bit.

Also, in my limited experiences, closer is not always better; in the opinions of some pro musicans I have spoken with, it's typically closer to the rear of whichever lesser known hall we were speaking of that it sounded best. This is admittedly anecdotal, but I haven't yet heard anyone say that the opposite is true.

A tip for you (if things haven't changed) is that you can go sit in on the open rehearsals at Carnegie Hall for dirt cheap. They'll tape off so many rows, I dunno, say a dozen(?), and it's obviously not a performance, but at least you can check out how it sounds with pro musicians in there for very cheap. If you are more fortunate than I am, you will have an English speaking ensemble in there. Because what I remember of some Eastern European orchestra practicing in there, it went something like:

Blah blah blah dolcissimo blah blah. Blah blah?! Blah blah blah molto allegro blah. Blah? Blah blah fortissimo blah BLAH. BLAH! BLAH!

 

[Adam]

This thread is about music?!

That title is almost false advertising ...at least around here.

 

[PENG]

Last time I experienced that one live was in a smaller concert hall with fewer people but it was still very impressive and enjoyable. Years ago, I would have to refrain from listening to any home audio systems that I could go to. Now I could go home and play my BR, SACD right away without feeling too disappointed, thanks to technological advance.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Ok, guys you convinced me - I got tickets to see MET Orchestra at Carnegie
The MET Orchestra - Sunday, October 14, 2012 | Carnegie Hall

Lets get some culture

 

[GO-NAD!]

This thread prompted me to check on Symphony Nova Scotia's performances for this season. Lo and behold, they're performing the 9th next May! I think I'll book tickets. They're performing The 3rd Symphony in March. I might do that one as well. I haven't gone to see them in such a long time. For a small orchestra (40ish?) in a small market such as this, they punch above their weight. Thanks 3db, for giving me some incentive.

 

[3db]

This thread prompted me to check on Symphony Nova Scotia's performances for this season. Lo and behold, they're performing the 9th next May! I think I'll book tickets. They're performing The 3rd Symphony in March. I might do that one as well. I haven't gone to see them in such a long time. For a small orchestra (40ish?) in a small market such as this, they punch above their weight. Thanks 3db, for giving me some incentive.

Beethoven is by far my favourite composer. I have most of his works....not all. The 9th Symphony is something to behold in real life. I also really like his third symphony as well.

 

[woofersus]

Any group that won't fit in your listening room will sound a heck of a lot better live than on any audio system.

The two best concert halls I've ever experienced - Cleveland and Cincinnati. Unfortunately, those aren't high on my list of cities to ever visit for business or for pleasure.

The Cleveland Orchestra is absolutely world class, and Severence Hall is a fantastic venue. One of the remnants of the city's golden age. I wish I could go more often, but it's a bit expensive.

Side note: I always tell people, you have to look past the lack of glamor in Cleveland. There is actually an awful lot to do there. Way more than here near Columbus, which is much larger and wealthier. Aside from the Orchestra, there's an excellent theater district, a top notch art museum, three professional sports franchises, one of the bigger zoos in the country, the Rock and Roll hall of fame, a science center, a recently opened casino, a thriving music scene with lots of concerts, lake related activities, cedar point an hour away, and tons of great food. (the food scene in Cleveland is seriously underrated - it's a lot more than the one iron chef) It's true there's hardly any nightlife, but I think if you came in the summer it'd be a pretty fun place for a family vacation.

Back on topic though: It's true there's nothing quite like a large orchestra. I've seen/heard some impressive scale from very large audio systems, but nothing quite compares to that many instruments all in one place working together. It's stunning.