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I agree, except I would really hope an architect or acoustician spends many, many hours in a hall listening to music (not a recording of the hall and its infinite variations), before deciding on any alterations. Most often complaints about a hall come from the patrons who attend concerts there. Of course, there is also the issue of what constitutes "good" or "better", versus what one is used to. Marcos --On Friday, April 07, 2006 9:52 PM -0400 Steven Smolian <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Even as a non-profit, an orchestra has a financial responsibilty toward > those supporting it if it wishes to survive. It can't be built along > side a bottomless pit or it will fall into it during bad economic times > when its supporters may be under pressure. > > The CSO owns the hall. On days when it is not performing, the hall is > rented as a concert theater. That is a non-monopolistic booking > situation in which it competes for attractions. Othe venues with air > conditioning have a distinct advantage. Air conditioning is necessary. > > The true issue is how the need for a/c was met. I think it is safe to > say that more concert hall alterations are unsuccessful than neutral, > much less an improvement. This is particularly so for older buildings. > A big cause of these failures is that rebuilding cancels some > grandfathered in code violations. Different materials, with different > acoustical properties- densisties, etc., replace older, more > confligration-dangerous ones. Air conditioning removes cubic volume from > resonant spaces. etc. > > The art is applying science to accomodate these changes. Even with the > latest computer technology to assist the architect, most new and rebulit > halls flunk. > > In addition, the audience's expectations are partially derived from > listening to records on various levels of equipment, made by engineers > who have to accomodate a conductor who often wants the record to sound > more as he hears it from the podium rather from the audience's > perspective. What recording does the architect use as a model? > > Complex is an understatement > > Steve Smolian > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Don Tait" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 7:27 PM > Subject: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] Fwd: [ARSCLIST] The waltz (was Which > U.S. orchestra recorded ... > > >> Brenda is correct. It's true that air conditioning was added to >> Orchestra Hall during the 1966 renovation, but the project was >> undertaken for far bigger >> reasons. The majority were calamities, above all the idea that the sound >> of >> the hall could be improved, whereas it was wrecked. But another was the >> practical one of giving the CSO members a reasonably comfortable >> backstage space for >> themselves, which they'd never had. I remember standing on Michigan >> Avenue during the summer of 1966 and looking through the glass on >> Orchestra Hall's doors. >> I could see traffic on Wabash Avenue, a block behind the building. >> Everything >> in Orchestra Hall, including its stage and back wall, was gone. All was >> rebuilt and reconfigured during the renovation. >> >> Don Tait >> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- > > > "A sad tale of greed" ?????? With all due respect, let's get real here. > We're talking about a venue that seats over 2500 people and has over 100 > musicians on stage in suits under hot lights. Any modernization efforts > would obviously include the installation of air conditioning. > > Brenda > > -----Original Message----- > From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marcos Sueiro > Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 9:30 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Fwd: [ARSCLIST] The waltz (was Which U.S. orchestra > recorded first and Arthur... > > Chicago's Orchestra Hall when empty. The latter changed with the >> disastrous renovation of 1966, which essentially wrecked Orchestra > Hall >> as a listening or recording venue.) > > I find it particularly poignant that they did it to add A/C so that they > > could extend their season. A sad tale of greed. > > Marcos > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------- > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.5/303 - Release Date: 4/6/2006 Marcos