I've sat in every possible spot for various classical concerts over the decades and, yeah, I got to say that being in the front few rows in the center two-thirds of a hall is just wonderful. To heck with missing the proper synthesis/amalgamation of tone. You feel like a part of the orchestra. Inside the machine. You feel the individual efforts. You both forgive and appreciate the minor glitches. The occasional squeak of a chair. The cough. The turning of the pages. All in Super Technorama One Zillion. True, all told the sound is better several rows back. But I never turn down a chance at being at Ground Zero. It's even fun being being on the far left or right.
Sat front row at the symphony...
Yesterday, I got to sit in the front row to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony do Beethoven's Piano Concerto no 1 and the Shostakovich Symphony no 10. I know we all talk about audio gear here, but I have to tell you, sitting in the best seat in the house (Heinz Hall) was an amazing audio experience. I'm not sure the best audio gear in the world can quite match it. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was mesmerized by the acoustics of the hall and the dynamics of one of the world's best orchestras.
Showing 5 responses by edcyn
I'm not sure I'm being accurate as to what fleschler is saying here, but to me he's saying there are a whole bunch of absolute sounds. There's no "the" in TAS. I have to agree, too. In any case, the question is now whether your sound system can grant you at least a glimmer of actually hearing those many Absolute Sounds. If the system does get satisfyingly close to this, then stop beating yourself up over it for a while.😂 |
I’m pretty mellow when it comes to what I consider acceptable fidelity in a live context. I figure it’s all real. Just different versions of real. Even when everything is electrified or sound-reinforced. By the same token, though, some of the best sound I’ve ever heard came from listening to and playing acoustic guitar(s) and other acoustic instruments in the tiny upscale guitar room at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica CA. There’s also the sound I’d hear while playing with my buddies in my or their living rooms. The sound of pianos played at the piano store or the stringed instruments being played at the violin store. The Romani violin & accordion I heard at a joint in Budapest. Or was it somewhere in the Czech Republic? |
viber6 -- Oh yeah. A long, long time ago I saw the Preservation Hall Band at Preservation Hall. Truly excellent. It didn't hurt that I was maybe 16 at the time and was able to get a beer (my let's-have-fun older cousin headed up the trip, not my parents). I later saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Band at a slightly different locale, the tony Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. Thanks for jogging my memory! |
@viber6 Great post. It all rings true for this acoustic music junkie. No matter how much punishment my ears have taken through the decades.😁 |