"the typical person going to the symphony to be seen"....I think I might throw up! While there seem to be many different suggestions for excellent music in the NYC area, is there a consensus on which symphony or venue is most likely to attract the person who is going "to be seen"? I want to make sure I stay as far away as possible. I don't know enough about the ballet to know if the American Ballet Theatre programs and performances are good or bad, but I can warn readers that is has recently been hijacked by lah di dah socialites who may be "tirelessly devoted to charity" (read: wearing expensive clothes, drinking champagne and being photographed) but wouldn't know the difference between Tchaikovsky and Riverdance.
It is frustrating.....
I'm an audiophile because I'm a music lover. Like most of the people on this site, I try cables, equipment, spikes, etc with one goal : to get the best out of 'canned' music, make it as close to life performance as possible. Knowing that 'perfect' reproduction is impossible, I go to live concerts as much as I can - on the average 10 classical music concerts, 2 ~ 3 operas, some jazz concerts per year.
Than it starts to become frustrating. Third time this year, I have left a concert at the break in Lincoln centre (NYC).
The acoustics : great, individual instruments : very palatable (!), no coloration, yadi yada yada...
Performance : miserable. No soul, no urge, no involvement from the orchestra... No pride in their work ?
Give me my 'miserable' listening room, 'coloring' cables, 'imperfect' equipment ... even a 'mono' CD - but a good, involving performance !
I'm not even talking about 'technical / mechanical' performance of the musicians - for me, technical brilliance is important, but secondary. It is the feel, interpretation, the 'soul' which is more important.
And the audience - horrible (see the thread 'cough vigilante). It is actually worse ... May be someday they will sell popcorn in the concert halls...
I have decided that I can save that $50/$60 per person / per concert, plus the trimmings, to buy 'canned' performances.
No wonder that the industry is complaining about less and less concert goers - they've just lost two.
Sorry for the rumblings.... I had to let some steam out...
Than it starts to become frustrating. Third time this year, I have left a concert at the break in Lincoln centre (NYC).
The acoustics : great, individual instruments : very palatable (!), no coloration, yadi yada yada...
Performance : miserable. No soul, no urge, no involvement from the orchestra... No pride in their work ?
Give me my 'miserable' listening room, 'coloring' cables, 'imperfect' equipment ... even a 'mono' CD - but a good, involving performance !
I'm not even talking about 'technical / mechanical' performance of the musicians - for me, technical brilliance is important, but secondary. It is the feel, interpretation, the 'soul' which is more important.
And the audience - horrible (see the thread 'cough vigilante). It is actually worse ... May be someday they will sell popcorn in the concert halls...
I have decided that I can save that $50/$60 per person / per concert, plus the trimmings, to buy 'canned' performances.
No wonder that the industry is complaining about less and less concert goers - they've just lost two.
Sorry for the rumblings.... I had to let some steam out...