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??? My First Classical Concert,What Can I Expect ???

 In my 65 years I've been to somewhere around 1000 rock/blues/reggae concerts..I've seen them all at one time or another,Led Zepp,The Stones,The Who,Pink Floyd,Carlos Santanna,SRV,BB King,Marley,Tosh,Cliff & on & on..
 But in all those concerts,I've never been to a Classical Concert..Well I decided to change that & am going to my first one in early June..Nothing big time,our small town symphony performing Bachs Brandenburg  Concerto's  at one of the bigger churches of about 500 seats..
 We'll be 6 rows from the stage,second & third seats in from center isle..In all the concerts I've ever been to,I don't ever recall listening for imaging or staging or micro detail or any of the things I sometimes listen for at home..I'm curious what I can expect regarding the Acoustics & if I get into critical listening mode what to look for as far as the technical aspects of the performance..
 Am I overthinking this adventure,should I just sit back & let the experience flow whatever direction it takes?What are your thoughts?

freediver

Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
7,996 posts
 

OP, 


Glad you enjoyed the concert. I was lucky enough to start going to the symphony about fifteen or so years ago and get season tickets. I was pretty close to 7th row center and over the first years moved closer each year. Having orderly concerts with assigned seats is one of the most wonderful aspects. Not to mention repetitive exposure to the same orchestra and hundreds of pieces of music over years. Definitely one of the great things in life and something that makes being older great. 

We would go out to dinner before each concert... and finally settled on a really nice restaurant close to the theater... white table cloths... the waiters knew our name and reserved our table in the corner with the view over the park. Priceless experiences. 

I traveled to conferences every year that listed some famous rock bands for free... . I usually didn’t last long... rowdy noisy with terrible sound... too loud. 

ghdprentice
7,996 posts
 

@dogearedaudio 

+1

ghdprentice
7,996 posts
 

I would try not to build it up. Try to enjoy it. Attending a classical concert in an acoustically wonderful 1920's concert hall with a world renowned orchestra can be an incredible experience, assuming you like classical music. 

The acoustics in a church will be unusual... so, perhaps look at it as an opportunity to experience very strange acoustics. Placing a small orchestra (early classical pieces are done with small orchestra's as opposed to Beethoven and later) is likely just to sound unusual. Good that you are up front so direct sound is likely to dominate. 

Anyway, if you are interested by this experience, travel to a major city and go to a great symphony hall. In this setting you can experience the very quietest sounds to over 100db in great crescendos of some of the more modern works. 

I've been to hundreds of symphony concerts. I spent many listening to the acoustics as well as the works. I really enjoy them. Hopefully this can be a gateway for you. 

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