I live just outside of Cleveland, home to what many people consider to be one of the finest orchestras in the country, but I only get to about one or two concerts each year. Not because of scheduling, but because of the lack of decent programming. I love a great piece of music, but the Cleveland Orchestra, for all its strengths, tends to play the same old warhorses over and over and over again. I firmly believe that this is one of the reasons that "classical" music is so quickly becoming less and less popular. Cleveland's got an audience of 70 and 80 year olds who will walk out if anything that was written in the past 75 years is played, and that's the audience for which Dohnanyi programs. One way to draw in new faces might be to draw in new(er) material. I, personally, would certainly attend more concerts if more new music were played.
I also find listening to my home system much more enjoyable than going to an orchestra concert because of the audience (or, in my home, the lack thereof). There's such an elitist atmosphere of snobbery at these concerts. Besides, staying at home is more comfortable. I can't go to Severence Hall to see the Cleveland Orchestra in my underwear while eating ice cream.
One thing that I have wondered, though: how does one compare a rock and roll concert to a recording of a rock and roll band. If one were to go to see Rush or Pearl Jam at the local stadium, I can't imagine that any of the audiophile "buzzwords" would apply. With all of the screaming and the enormous, bass-heavy PA speakers, there really wouldn't be much of a soundstage or any clarity to speak of, would there? Wouldn't a good recording of rock music always be superior to a concert?
I also find listening to my home system much more enjoyable than going to an orchestra concert because of the audience (or, in my home, the lack thereof). There's such an elitist atmosphere of snobbery at these concerts. Besides, staying at home is more comfortable. I can't go to Severence Hall to see the Cleveland Orchestra in my underwear while eating ice cream.
One thing that I have wondered, though: how does one compare a rock and roll concert to a recording of a rock and roll band. If one were to go to see Rush or Pearl Jam at the local stadium, I can't imagine that any of the audiophile "buzzwords" would apply. With all of the screaming and the enormous, bass-heavy PA speakers, there really wouldn't be much of a soundstage or any clarity to speak of, would there? Wouldn't a good recording of rock music always be superior to a concert?