No matter where you sit imagining wikl be crap.
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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?
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Congratulations. The brandenburg concertos are impossible not to like. Acoustics wise, I'm not a fan of churches as they were not designed for ensemble music. Due to all the hard surfaces, and a rectangle, the reverb has a long life. I would suggest listening to the concertos ahead of time, and what you may notice is they may play it slower to allow for the reverb to decrease, otherwise you have a mix of current plus previous. Good luck. |
Sorry to say but churches are very challenging venues acoustically, especially for a “small town symphony”. They are good for choral and organ. I suggest you treat yourself in the future for an experience in a proper concert hall in a big city, and as suggested, try to hear Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. |
If you ever get the chance to hear a Mahler symphony (especially #2) live, grab the experience. Some wag said the Mahler wrote for HiFi! The dynamics (pppp to ffff) and shades of tone run from ethereal to brutal. Incidentally I use Mahler 2 as an audition piece as it tests timbre, dynamics and frequency response. There are also sections with voices. There are many recordings of this (I have about 8) including Solti LSO (1966, London) and Rattle City of Birmingham(2017, Warner). Presto Music (THE best source that I have found for "classical" music - their catalog goes from mediaeval tp present day) lists about 200 recordings of the work. If you go to the site https://www.prestomusic.com/classical you can hear clips. If you want to give your system a work out try this symphony. |
Yeah I was in HS back in the 60s.I was I Arts n Music Class .This teacher would get us free tickets to Lincoln Center,Bway Musicals Shows.I saw Operas ,Classical Music , Is Ballet .I was only 14 a freshman and they were so interesting, hearing Music I really never heard.I was a bubble gum rocker lol...So it was a wonderful experience... |
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