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

There are many differences between live band classical and rock concerts. First and most important is you will hear music without any distortion in this environment as opposed to amplified rock music.

Since the concert is in a church, pay attention to the long reverberation of sound, i.e., slow decay of musical notes which adds more to your enjoyment. Do you know which Brandenberg concerto they will play? The second concerto has a most unusual solo ensemble consisting of trumpet, flute, oboe, and violin. Pay attention to the trumpet and its long decay of notes unlike you have heard elsewhere. Same goes to other instruments. Bach's third concerto may be the most popular concerto grosso ever written. 

So you are in for a treat. Don't worry about imaging, layering, 3D sound-staging and other crazy stuff we pay attention to in our hi-fi audio systems. This is pure unamplified music. What you hear is the real thing. There is no comparison for this.

Concerts and their venues

l am not a classical music concert goer.

l do love to hear a full 100 piece orchestra with the music l enjoy and collect.

Original film music by the most respected 20th Century composers. Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Ron Goodwin (to a lesser degree as he was not so prolific in his writings)

The Royal Albert Hall is where l have heard all of these……it’s not the venue for great sound. The acoustics are and have been forever bab, bad, bad! The shape and design of the building is like a great big oval bathroom with sound reflections and reverb/echo from all sides.Unless you are sat in the stalls roughly dead centre is the only place to be for the best it gets. You may get a great performance but never the greatest sound. Things have been tried over the years to tame these acoustic failures with those upside down mushroom treatments in the god’s. l can honestly say the only instrument that sounds okay for me in the RAH is the organ……at least it sounds like it is being played in a church.

If you want good acoustics, go to a newer concert hall built with thought and designed for optimum sound delivery. The Barbican London is my favourite and a few of the provincial local theatres dotted around the county.

My most respected film composer who appeared in London (and Scotland) every year before his death, chose The Barbican. He was able to reproduce his film scores on stage without loosing any of the dynamics from the original recordings. He was not afraid to talk to the audience between the pieces injecting humour and personal insights which facilitated a more intimate feel to the evenings. Goldsmith at pre concert talks opened up personal opportunities for direct questions and answers. He was a showman who enjoyed conducting his own music and others when opportunities allowed. IMHO perhaps the only silver age film composer to consistently give his audiences what they craved for year in, year out.

His concerts were always near sell outs even though he reappeared every year, and into his late 70’s which demonstrated his public support. He even carried on composing and conducted while receiving cancer treatments…..Sadly missed R.I.P

Just wear decent clothes. It’s a social event. So at least something properly tailored. 

I love Bach, but the Brandenburgs are not my favorite of his over 1000 compositions.  Still, they are beloved by many and may grab you too.  The delights of Bach, for me, are his sacred works for chorus and orchestra…the Cantatas, the Magnificat, B Minor Mass, the Passions, and his solo instrumental masterpieces for violin, cello, and keyboards, especially the Art of Fugue, The Goldberg Variations, and The Musical Offering.  If this concert doesn’t hook you, try some of the other stuff!