# The Letter I'd Like to Send to My Local Orchestra



## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

"I forgive you for your last minute switches. After all, if Sir I-Can't-Be-Bothered all of a sudden decides he has better things to do than come all the way from England to guest conduct a mid-Western American orchestra, it certainly isn't your fault. And, if your last minute substitute decides he would rather do Faure's Requiem than Brahms' - well, I mean to say - that can't be laid at your doorstep.

No, the reason I'm not renewing my concert subscription this year has nothing to do with these little peeves of mine.

The reason can be summed up in one word - AMPLIFICATION.

It's bad enough that whoever designed your concert hall failed to do any research into the science of acoustics. But, it simply compounds the injury when you "solve" the problem by sticking those huge speakers everywhere. 

When I attend a classical music concert, I want to experience the rich tones of live instruments playing. I do not want my ears to hurt from endless reverb. You turn gold into tin. 

And, that, in a nutshell, is why I'm not coming anymore.

Just thought you might like to know."


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

What I'd send to the Nashville Symphony is, "Sorry I haven't been showing up. Between self-employment tax, income tax, skyrocketing healthcare insurance rates, and a paltry attempt to fund my IRA in an unstable stock market, I haven't been able to scrape together the discretionary funds. But thanks for all the Mahler."


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Vesteralen said:


> "I forgive you for your last minute switches. After all, if Sir I-Can't-Be-Bothered all of a sudden decides he has better things to do than come all the way from England to guest conduct a mid-Western American orchestra, it certainly isn't your fault. And, if your last minute substitute decides he would rather do Faure's Requiem than Brahms' - well, I mean to say - that can't be laid at your doorstep.
> 
> No, the reason I'm not renewing my concert subscription this year has nothing to do with these little peeves of mine.
> 
> ...


Ouch, or, Double Ouch!

I would be very hard pressed to attend a concert of classical acoustic music if I knew it was amplified, with the exception being those pieces written in the 20th century and later which include amplification in their scores.

It sounds, though, like some board spend multiple millions on a hall which was contracted without the usual expected research as to architect and builders with a proven record of building acoustically 'sound' halls... also a huge "Ouch."

My commiserations.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Amplification is a necessary evil in outdoor venues, but it shouldn't be used in concert halls.


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## Andreas (Apr 27, 2012)

Vesteralen said:


> "No, the reason I'm not renewing my concert subscription this year has nothing to do with these little peeves of mine.
> 
> The reason can be summed up in one word - AMPLIFICATION.
> 
> It's bad enough that whoever designed your concert hall failed to do any research into the science of acoustics. But, it simply compounds the injury when you "solve" the problem by sticking those huge speakers everywhere.


So the problem is that the sound is not loud enough? Strange. I usually find orchestral fortissimi uncomfortably loud, wherever I sit. If it's rather a problem of sound distribution throughout the hall, there a things one can do with the ceiling and the walls, even the floor, I'd think.
Setting up a couple of cheap speakers is, of course, the more Cost-Efficient Way.
My condolences.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

If I was so inclined I would write my local orchestra to tell them I do not appreciate those condescending talks about the music I am about to hear, as if we in the audience are a group of 8 year olds. I subscribed for one year and that was it. It's a shame, because I rounded out the group to 12 people when I showed up. 11? 12? What's the difference?


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

How about discrete selective frequency boosting to make a less than perfect hall sound better -- like Royal Festival Hall in London? (I've never been there, but I've heard it's both subtle and effective.)


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## drpraetorus (Aug 9, 2012)

My letter would be a big thank you to the Utah Symphony for programing so many great works. Among others we are getting the Shostakovich 15th. Not to brag, but check it out!
http://www.utahsymphony.org/14-15-season


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

A letter to my local orchestra here in Pretoria:

Dear Pretoria Symphony Orchestra,

I wish you existed. If you did, I may well have attended some concerts. But alas, there is simply not enough of an audience for that kind of music here to justify your existence, it seems. Perhaps I should ask Vesteralen's orchestra to amplify their concerts enough so that I can hear them all the way here.

Anyway, good luck for the non-existent future,

Yours ..."


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