Excellent post, Frogman, and good luck with your singing, I presume, Sugarbrie. I'll put in a plug for the NJ Symphony Orchestra, Zdenek Macaal does not let them give anything but a fully committed performance. There are plenty of smaller ensembles and soloists performing in localities around the NYC area who give fine performances, that's one of the best things about this area. BTW, Frogman, unfortunately the Brooklyn Phil is losing/has lost Maestro Spano to the Atlanta Symphony, so it's clear others noticed his considerable talent as well.
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...