Photo credit: Charles Noble
It’s amazing, how different things can sound just by moving a few feet in any direction.
I was up in the balcony this morning as the Adams Chamber Symphony was being rehearsed. I started in the Dress Circle. Ok sound, nothing super, couldn’t hear the keyboard, any of the lower frequency instruments.
I moved up to the lower balcony. Super muddy sound, no clarity at all.
Up to the upper balcony. Better sound, lower frequencies starting to bloom a bit more.
All the way up to the last row. Great sound! The clarity is astonishing. Good bass response, I can even hear the poor outnumbered string instruments.
If I had a choice, I’d sit in the center section of the last couple rows of the upper balcony, and bring binoculars with me. I think they’re the best seats for hearing what the orchestra actually sounds like in Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
The Chamber Symphony sounds great – it’s a very difficult work, and everyone’s earning their principal pay playing it this week.
4 replies on “acoustic phenomenon”
I agree that the cheapest seats – dead center in the very upper balcony – are the best for sound. It’s sort of ironic.
Those seats are often vacant, too. It’d be nice if the story got around more so we could get more people in those seats!
One of my first days at work, Mark taught me a trick that might be of interest. If you’re sitting in the rear balcony, try cupping your hands behind your ears. This helps ‘collect’ the sound, and illuminates some of the tiny details we obsess over in the orchestra, but that are otherwise lost in the hall. You can hear the difference even while trying at home in front of your computer…
Again, this is an excellent trick that works very well. I’ve done it many times.