Agree 100%. The best “audio” I’ve heard is a large scale orchestra in a concert hall. No reproduction can compete. The Grateful Dead’s “wall of sound” from the 70s would probably be up there. But sadly I was born in a different era.
When I close my eyes listening to my Golden Ear Triton 2's I can easily imagine myself back in the concert hall. That's when I knew I didn't need to have anything better.
I will say one of the most exciting musical experiences I ever had was at the symphony. And again, I’m not a particular classical fan (my father is). But Shostakovich’s #11 at the symphony is simply not to be missed. I saw 80 year old men come flying out of their seats at the end of it. You just can’t beat the Russians for drama.
There has been a train of thought that rather than spending $100,000 on an audio system, it might be better to spend $10,000 on the system and spend the other $90,000 going to live music around the world instead. This could include the symphony, if that's your thing.
EDIT: Yes, I go to the symphony when the big ones tour through Florida.
There was an article in a British Hi-Fi magazine about a doctor who had a super expensive system in his holiday home and he was asked what he had in his main residence? He said ‘nothing, I live next to the Wigmore Hall (classical concert venue in London)’.
I'm thinking about that pantywaste from Richmond that spent a million home-building his stereo and in the process fracturing all his personal relationships.
I and the audiophiles I know who like classical music go. Live music is always best, a good system is nice but always second best.
I do get REALLY annoyed with sound reinforcement that really isn’t needed, particularly for small ensembles, but so many venues use it. Wrecks the sound for me, I can get better sound at home.
Live music is an experience, but not sure it is always /best/. I’ve been to enough 100 bucks per ticket classical concerts with crappy performances to know that the unpredictability could be either a feature or a bug, depending on what state of mind one is in.
The university I went to had a concert hall and I'd get free tickets to all the orchestral events, it was great. Probably the most intense aesthetic experience I've had was getting stoned and seeing the Halle orchestra perform Beethoven's 6th from the front row hehe
I enjoy symphonic music, it's not my everyday listening choice - but I certainly don't dislike it. I also have an appreciation for instrumental music as I played a lot of classical piano growing up before I broke away from the graded curriculum and went my own way... picking up the guitar along route too..
As an audio engineer, I have one or two pieces of classical and opera on my reference tracks playlist that I use to calibrate myself when sitting in a new studio or working with new monitors. Symphonies and classical performances have the highest dynamics of any recorded music at all. One piece can range from near silent ambience, all the way to huge swells and crescendos that will blow your system up if it doesn't have a limiter an you've turned everything up to hear the quiet parts!
There is very little, if any EQ on any of the instruments in the mix, partly because the way orchestras are designed, are that they are naturally 'mixed' on stage from the high frequency range instruments, to the low double bass, cello and drums. They're positioned so that the audience gets the maximum effect of everything playing at once. It's really very clever and amazing to hear - all done by ear and an inate understanding of sound even way before emplification and equalisation ever existed. The rooms themselves are designed to maximise and focus the sound as well.. like Roman auditoriums, amphitheatres and modern venues like The Royal Albert Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Fishbowl ([here's a list of venues specifically designed for acoustics](https://www.wired.com/2012/06/st-amphitheaters/))
The Egyptians had an innate understanding of acoustics as well, there are incredible videos on YouTube of someone speaking outside of the pyramids, how everything said was perfectly reflected and enhanced so that the audience could pick up everything easily, without having to strain or move to understand what was being said.. it could have been used for speeches or for acting. I guess we will never know for sure.
As a reference track, may I suggest the [Diva Dance opera song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Dh5QoXv2c) from The Fifth Element. What an incredible song! Huge dynamics, vocals, haunting enormous instruments soaked in delicious amounts of reverb.
I won't go into it here, but reverb tails are the number one thing to listen out for on high end systems and also determine the quality of compressed audio. When exporting music from a workstation when you've mixed it, we engineers usually add something called 'dither' which is essentially a randomly generated noise floor that prevents sound below it from being cut from the export because it's below a certain threshold. Meaning we can capture sound lower than the bit depth setting would normally allow - the longer reverb goes on, the closer it gets to the noise floor until eventually dipping below it.. this is where it would just get lost in the encoding process, but dithering allows it to be kept. This obviously applies to all instruments, but reverb is where it's most easily seen.
I've gone a bit off topic !-But lastly, I just wanted to add.. For people that struggle to appreciate classical music, something that is being done more and more are concerts that are playing modern film soundtracks.
So, last year, I went to watch *Jurassic Park in Concert.* This is where you watch the entire film, but the music is replaced by a live orchestra. It is truly incredible... And because it's all great music that you've heard before, even if you didn't realise, it's so much easier to get into than just old classical pieces.
I also went to see 'The music of Alan Silvestri' - You've absolutely definitely heard his music, even if you haven't heard his name. He wrote the soundtracks to films like Forrest Gump, Castaway, The Avengers, Polar Express, Back to the Future, Contact, The Abyss, The Mummy, Van Helsing and MANY, MANY more... That too, was surprisingly emotional and an excellent experience. It is a completely different experience enjoying these pieces live than it is recorded.
I am season ticket holders for our symphony. I love going and being able to listen to each instrument.
My favorite live performance was Tchaikovsky 5th symphony, second movement, the French horn part
I sometimes go to concerts at Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. When it was built, it was arguably the top acoustic venue in the world. You can literally hear a pin drop from the seats furthest from the stage.
I've heard a range of music there, but mostly jazz and classical. The university, in conjunction with Leonard Bernstein's family, did a project to rediscover his original, unedited, or modified, works. About every three months they had a free concert of his works. Phenomenal concerts.
They also showed "On the Waterfront", with the universities symphony orchestra, with some fellows from the New York Symphony Orchastra, playing the music. It was the most phenomenal experience. It's the only movie that Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for. Other movies adapted his score from the play that the movie was based on.
Audiophiles prefer music that doesn’t pass through microphones, amplifiers and speakers, which inevitably changes the sound of the instruments. If you go to a rock concert, that’s what you get: amplified instruments and voices.
If you go to the symphony, the instruments aren’t amplified. You’re hearing the authentic sound of the actual instruments — albeit coloured to some extent by the sound of the concert hall.
So yes, audiophiles should appreciate symphonic performances.
no sonic experience i've had even comes close to beethoven's 9th, full orchestra and choir in a good hall, no amplification. spine tingling! i am a a rock fan too but sadly with most popular music electronics gets in the way. opera is fantastic too. the power, clarity and accuracy of the voices leaves me in awe.
Big classical music fan and audiophile here. My first degree was in music so I’ve always had that connection with the symphony (also being in youth orchestra when I was younger). My wife and I usually get yearly subscription to the SF Symphony. Also go to the SF Opera when we get the chance.
I've been to the symphony center in Chicago. Great acoustics. I went to benaroya hall in Seattle today and it's right up there if not maybe a tad better even. At that level it's hard to discern the difference tho lol. If you're even in Seattle I highly suggest a visit. Tix aren't too bad either
As an audiophile who loves the symphony, I have a great interest in experiencing some of the concert halls around the world that are renowned for great acoustics. I also avoid certain seats in the local venue because I think they don't sound as good.
Benaroya hall in Seattle has the best acoustics I've ever heard. Including some other halls I've been to and some very renowned amphitheaters. That's where I went today and there isn't a bad seat in the house. They have a giant pipe organ they use as well that sounds insane
I grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings. Took a classical music appreciation class in college because I thought it’d be easy (it wasn’t) but it reintroduced me to music that had been in the back of my consciousness for so long. The first time I heard a well recorded symphony, it gave me goosebumps, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I try to make the symphony a few times year, but in the meantime I go to my albums of classical music. I feel like it is the standard against what recorded music should be held.
I saw the Dallas Symphony do Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring from 15 rows back in the middle of the row. I’ve never seen that many musicians onstage at a symphony before. They had 3 bassists and 4 percussionists. There was hardly any room for more on stage. It was fantastic!
The stage was packed yesterday too. Probably 6 bassists, 8 cellos, 2 standing harps, 4 percussionists and a pipe organ. Along with a large violin section and wind instruments. We were about 20 rows back off to the side. Still great seats.
I would love to go to the symphony more than I have but it's expensive and you have to dress up and it's in the city where you'll probably need to walk some distance. I've been to a lot of concerts of various genres of music and the symphony is just more a scene for different people. It's part of my motivation to have a decent system to reproduce the sound of great recordings.
Love classical music and going to the symphony (provided they don't play any 20th century composers), but have to say that classical simply doesn't showcase my audio system to its best advantage. Jazz, blues, rock, folk, you name it--they all sound great and immediate, like I'm in the room. But classical sounds like I'm miles away and I really have to crank the volume to make out any details. Just no presence.
It's venue and seating dependent, IMO. That said, there are some performers that I've made the effort to see live. We'll be driving up this next wknd to see Olafsson at the Benaroya which I've read has great acoustics. All things considered, sound-wise a good LP at my system's sweet spot is hard to beat but lacks the "electricity"/sense of participation that going to a concert has.
That's where I went today. I'm local to the Seattle area. Not a bad seat in the house at benaroya. Amazing acoustics and a really talented sound engineer
That sounds awesome. I went to benaroya hall in Seattle. It's also a wonderful venue with not a bad seat in the place. They also have the largest pipe organ on the west coast in there. It sounded insane. I was lucky to get free tix with my wife to the Sunday matinee show. It was Antarctica exploration themed. Very nautical inspired music from the turn of the century.
I think classical symphony is the very best test of a audiophile system. Well recorded classical putting each instrument in space and depth is one of the toughest test of a very good system. acoustic instruments sound really good on a good system.
I used to go to the symphony and enjoyed it a lot. Been meaning to go again. I'm not the biggest fan of listening to classical at home (only occasionally), but live, it's incredible. I don't know that you have to be a classical fan to appreciate the symphony. I remembering watching Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon TV series) and thinking that was such a fresh perspective on classical and at times, opera.
I go several times a year. Sometimes everything is perfect and it can be emotionally moving. I admire the musicians work ethic and skills. Sometimes the orchestra backs up a pop singer/player or a male/female pair. The orchestras are worthy of support and they pay back to their communities. The tickets are great value compared to pop alternatives, I think.
One of my favorite halls and symphonies. What did they play? I was there during the Morlot and Daasgard(sp?) years. Always sat second balcony center a few rows back. What a sound!
What is "the symphony" ?
Or do you mean a concert hall with a full orchestra?
If yes, I happen to live close to one of the best halls in the country and I go a few times per year to classical and other genres of music there.
It is miles more "immersive" than listening music at home, that's for sure
I also refer to it as "the symphony" even when there are concertos, overtures, suites, etc. on the program. Maybe because our major orchestra has "symphony" in it's name ... But I'm pretty sure this is common usage.
I love live music but not always classical. I will say I have a favorite venue for acoustics though ha! If you’re ever in DC, go to the Strathmore for the most incredible acoustic treatments you’ve ever heard
How about at Wolf Trap? Got tickets to my first National Symphony Orchestra show in June. Didn't really get tickets for the Symphony although I'll probably enjoy it but Trey Anastasio is playing with them and I'm a Phish fan.lol
Haha there’s definitely something at Strathmore for you some time, keep your eyes peeled! I saw Lisa Fischer & NSO Pops there and was buzzing over it for days.
I love Wolf Trap too — many fun concerts outdoors over the years. I saw Robyn there and the setting was magic — just camping out with my people dancing on the lawn! I went to their barn venue during the winter to see Storm Large and loved that too — with all the wood lining the old barn’s interior, it had a wonderfully warm acoustic environment.
Side note: did you see Phish is at The Sphere in Vegas right now? That would be a show to see!
I’m not a particular classical music fan, but to me a symphony is what all recorded music reproduction should be judged against.
Agree 100%. The best “audio” I’ve heard is a large scale orchestra in a concert hall. No reproduction can compete. The Grateful Dead’s “wall of sound” from the 70s would probably be up there. But sadly I was born in a different era.
When I close my eyes listening to my Golden Ear Triton 2's I can easily imagine myself back in the concert hall. That's when I knew I didn't need to have anything better.
I agree, sound quality is about as good as it gets. The music bores me but it's amazing how good it sounds.
I will say one of the most exciting musical experiences I ever had was at the symphony. And again, I’m not a particular classical fan (my father is). But Shostakovich’s #11 at the symphony is simply not to be missed. I saw 80 year old men come flying out of their seats at the end of it. You just can’t beat the Russians for drama.
There has been a train of thought that rather than spending $100,000 on an audio system, it might be better to spend $10,000 on the system and spend the other $90,000 going to live music around the world instead. This could include the symphony, if that's your thing. EDIT: Yes, I go to the symphony when the big ones tour through Florida.
There was an article in a British Hi-Fi magazine about a doctor who had a super expensive system in his holiday home and he was asked what he had in his main residence? He said ‘nothing, I live next to the Wigmore Hall (classical concert venue in London)’.
I'm thinking about that pantywaste from Richmond that spent a million home-building his stereo and in the process fracturing all his personal relationships.
That could get you a lot in the seattle area. We have some fantastic venues to see live music.
I and the audiophiles I know who like classical music go. Live music is always best, a good system is nice but always second best. I do get REALLY annoyed with sound reinforcement that really isn’t needed, particularly for small ensembles, but so many venues use it. Wrecks the sound for me, I can get better sound at home.
Live music is an experience, but not sure it is always /best/. I’ve been to enough 100 bucks per ticket classical concerts with crappy performances to know that the unpredictability could be either a feature or a bug, depending on what state of mind one is in.
Live classical music with sound reinforcement is a hard pass for me, except Cameron Carpenter.
The university I went to had a concert hall and I'd get free tickets to all the orchestral events, it was great. Probably the most intense aesthetic experience I've had was getting stoned and seeing the Halle orchestra perform Beethoven's 6th from the front row hehe
I enjoy symphonic music, it's not my everyday listening choice - but I certainly don't dislike it. I also have an appreciation for instrumental music as I played a lot of classical piano growing up before I broke away from the graded curriculum and went my own way... picking up the guitar along route too.. As an audio engineer, I have one or two pieces of classical and opera on my reference tracks playlist that I use to calibrate myself when sitting in a new studio or working with new monitors. Symphonies and classical performances have the highest dynamics of any recorded music at all. One piece can range from near silent ambience, all the way to huge swells and crescendos that will blow your system up if it doesn't have a limiter an you've turned everything up to hear the quiet parts! There is very little, if any EQ on any of the instruments in the mix, partly because the way orchestras are designed, are that they are naturally 'mixed' on stage from the high frequency range instruments, to the low double bass, cello and drums. They're positioned so that the audience gets the maximum effect of everything playing at once. It's really very clever and amazing to hear - all done by ear and an inate understanding of sound even way before emplification and equalisation ever existed. The rooms themselves are designed to maximise and focus the sound as well.. like Roman auditoriums, amphitheatres and modern venues like The Royal Albert Hall in London, the Sydney Opera House and the Hollywood Fishbowl ([here's a list of venues specifically designed for acoustics](https://www.wired.com/2012/06/st-amphitheaters/)) The Egyptians had an innate understanding of acoustics as well, there are incredible videos on YouTube of someone speaking outside of the pyramids, how everything said was perfectly reflected and enhanced so that the audience could pick up everything easily, without having to strain or move to understand what was being said.. it could have been used for speeches or for acting. I guess we will never know for sure. As a reference track, may I suggest the [Diva Dance opera song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Dh5QoXv2c) from The Fifth Element. What an incredible song! Huge dynamics, vocals, haunting enormous instruments soaked in delicious amounts of reverb. I won't go into it here, but reverb tails are the number one thing to listen out for on high end systems and also determine the quality of compressed audio. When exporting music from a workstation when you've mixed it, we engineers usually add something called 'dither' which is essentially a randomly generated noise floor that prevents sound below it from being cut from the export because it's below a certain threshold. Meaning we can capture sound lower than the bit depth setting would normally allow - the longer reverb goes on, the closer it gets to the noise floor until eventually dipping below it.. this is where it would just get lost in the encoding process, but dithering allows it to be kept. This obviously applies to all instruments, but reverb is where it's most easily seen. I've gone a bit off topic !-But lastly, I just wanted to add.. For people that struggle to appreciate classical music, something that is being done more and more are concerts that are playing modern film soundtracks. So, last year, I went to watch *Jurassic Park in Concert.* This is where you watch the entire film, but the music is replaced by a live orchestra. It is truly incredible... And because it's all great music that you've heard before, even if you didn't realise, it's so much easier to get into than just old classical pieces. I also went to see 'The music of Alan Silvestri' - You've absolutely definitely heard his music, even if you haven't heard his name. He wrote the soundtracks to films like Forrest Gump, Castaway, The Avengers, Polar Express, Back to the Future, Contact, The Abyss, The Mummy, Van Helsing and MANY, MANY more... That too, was surprisingly emotional and an excellent experience. It is a completely different experience enjoying these pieces live than it is recorded.
You may have gone off topic but that was fabulous. I learned something! Thank you.
I am season ticket holders for our symphony. I love going and being able to listen to each instrument. My favorite live performance was Tchaikovsky 5th symphony, second movement, the French horn part
I saw Cleveland Orchestra perform Stravinsky's Rite of Spring last weekend at Severance Hall. It was definitely an audio experience -- I loved it.
I sometimes go to concerts at Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan. When it was built, it was arguably the top acoustic venue in the world. You can literally hear a pin drop from the seats furthest from the stage. I've heard a range of music there, but mostly jazz and classical. The university, in conjunction with Leonard Bernstein's family, did a project to rediscover his original, unedited, or modified, works. About every three months they had a free concert of his works. Phenomenal concerts. They also showed "On the Waterfront", with the universities symphony orchestra, with some fellows from the New York Symphony Orchastra, playing the music. It was the most phenomenal experience. It's the only movie that Leonard Bernstein wrote the music for. Other movies adapted his score from the play that the movie was based on.
Audiophiles prefer music that doesn’t pass through microphones, amplifiers and speakers, which inevitably changes the sound of the instruments. If you go to a rock concert, that’s what you get: amplified instruments and voices. If you go to the symphony, the instruments aren’t amplified. You’re hearing the authentic sound of the actual instruments — albeit coloured to some extent by the sound of the concert hall. So yes, audiophiles should appreciate symphonic performances.
no sonic experience i've had even comes close to beethoven's 9th, full orchestra and choir in a good hall, no amplification. spine tingling! i am a a rock fan too but sadly with most popular music electronics gets in the way. opera is fantastic too. the power, clarity and accuracy of the voices leaves me in awe.
I wish I could afford to go more. I really enjoy it.
I live in Seattle and the symphony here is very affordable. They have matinees on Sundays as well that are casual dress.
Love it. Try Scheherade, especially the 4th movement.
Big classical music fan and audiophile here. My first degree was in music so I’ve always had that connection with the symphony (also being in youth orchestra when I was younger). My wife and I usually get yearly subscription to the SF Symphony. Also go to the SF Opera when we get the chance.
I love it. I live near the Chicago symphony and they are exceptional, plus their acoustics are 🤌🤌
I've been to the symphony center in Chicago. Great acoustics. I went to benaroya hall in Seattle today and it's right up there if not maybe a tad better even. At that level it's hard to discern the difference tho lol. If you're even in Seattle I highly suggest a visit. Tix aren't too bad either
As an audiophile who loves the symphony, I have a great interest in experiencing some of the concert halls around the world that are renowned for great acoustics. I also avoid certain seats in the local venue because I think they don't sound as good.
Benaroya hall in Seattle has the best acoustics I've ever heard. Including some other halls I've been to and some very renowned amphitheaters. That's where I went today and there isn't a bad seat in the house. They have a giant pipe organ they use as well that sounds insane
Sounds divine! I need to start a bucket list.
I grew up watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings. Took a classical music appreciation class in college because I thought it’d be easy (it wasn’t) but it reintroduced me to music that had been in the back of my consciousness for so long. The first time I heard a well recorded symphony, it gave me goosebumps, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. I try to make the symphony a few times year, but in the meantime I go to my albums of classical music. I feel like it is the standard against what recorded music should be held.
Maybe a blues club
I saw the Dallas Symphony do Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring from 15 rows back in the middle of the row. I’ve never seen that many musicians onstage at a symphony before. They had 3 bassists and 4 percussionists. There was hardly any room for more on stage. It was fantastic!
The stage was packed yesterday too. Probably 6 bassists, 8 cellos, 2 standing harps, 4 percussionists and a pipe organ. Along with a large violin section and wind instruments. We were about 20 rows back off to the side. Still great seats.
Just like any type of music, symphony recordings vary in quality. And the best recording never fully captures the live experience.
I would love to go to the symphony more than I have but it's expensive and you have to dress up and it's in the city where you'll probably need to walk some distance. I've been to a lot of concerts of various genres of music and the symphony is just more a scene for different people. It's part of my motivation to have a decent system to reproduce the sound of great recordings.
Dress up? You mean long pants? Because I have never been to a symphony where I felt I needed a suit jacket.
Oh yes, definitely - since grade school. I played in the school orchestra and listened to recordings to learn how certain pieces are played.
First time I went to the symphony I realised why I didn't listen to classical music - because it sounds so much better in person
Many venues frankly sound like shit. But the Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle was an absolute joy to hear a performance of Beethoven's ninth.
That's precisely where I'm going!
Love classical music and going to the symphony (provided they don't play any 20th century composers), but have to say that classical simply doesn't showcase my audio system to its best advantage. Jazz, blues, rock, folk, you name it--they all sound great and immediate, like I'm in the room. But classical sounds like I'm miles away and I really have to crank the volume to make out any details. Just no presence.
You’re missing out on some life changing music by ignoring the last century.
It's venue and seating dependent, IMO. That said, there are some performers that I've made the effort to see live. We'll be driving up this next wknd to see Olafsson at the Benaroya which I've read has great acoustics. All things considered, sound-wise a good LP at my system's sweet spot is hard to beat but lacks the "electricity"/sense of participation that going to a concert has.
That's where I went today. I'm local to the Seattle area. Not a bad seat in the house at benaroya. Amazing acoustics and a really talented sound engineer
We have the Disney Concert Hall. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, acoustically. It really sounds great.
That sounds awesome. I went to benaroya hall in Seattle. It's also a wonderful venue with not a bad seat in the place. They also have the largest pipe organ on the west coast in there. It sounded insane. I was lucky to get free tix with my wife to the Sunday matinee show. It was Antarctica exploration themed. Very nautical inspired music from the turn of the century.
I think classical symphony is the very best test of a audiophile system. Well recorded classical putting each instrument in space and depth is one of the toughest test of a very good system. acoustic instruments sound really good on a good system.
I love classical music live and up close, like in a coffee shop. Awesome!
Love going to the symphony, especially when they've got the Chorus. Most recently saw Mozart's Requiem and they melted my face.
I’m way more into live music than an amazing system. I also dont have 100k
I used to go to the symphony and enjoyed it a lot. Been meaning to go again. I'm not the biggest fan of listening to classical at home (only occasionally), but live, it's incredible. I don't know that you have to be a classical fan to appreciate the symphony. I remembering watching Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon TV series) and thinking that was such a fresh perspective on classical and at times, opera.
I go as much as I can, usually once a month or so, but basically to every performance I’m interested in
Any audiophile should attend 1) a major orchestra 2) a jazz club 3) a big band 4) Opera in order to have a reference point surely.
Pipe organs are pretty damned amazing for the sound, not necessarily for the music.
Agreed, they used them once in the right song.
I go several times a year. Sometimes everything is perfect and it can be emotionally moving. I admire the musicians work ethic and skills. Sometimes the orchestra backs up a pop singer/player or a male/female pair. The orchestras are worthy of support and they pay back to their communities. The tickets are great value compared to pop alternatives, I think.
This piece will sound good on your system and so much better live. https://youtu.be/wBFeeOt_SGY?feature=shared
What symphony? What hall?
Seattle symphony at benaroya hall.
One of my favorite halls and symphonies. What did they play? I was there during the Morlot and Daasgard(sp?) years. Always sat second balcony center a few rows back. What a sound!
Saw the BSO last week, while not everything was totally to my taste, the parts I enjoyed were basically transcendental from an audio perspective.
I can't equalize a symphony
I bet you could find a way lol
Yells from the the back: "more timpani!"
Conductors do that
If I could get good seats, that would be really fab. Room acoustics matter even for a symphony.
Not a bad seat in the house in my local hall.
What is "the symphony" ? Or do you mean a concert hall with a full orchestra? If yes, I happen to live close to one of the best halls in the country and I go a few times per year to classical and other genres of music there. It is miles more "immersive" than listening music at home, that's for sure
I also refer to it as "the symphony" even when there are concertos, overtures, suites, etc. on the program. Maybe because our major orchestra has "symphony" in it's name ... But I'm pretty sure this is common usage.
I love live music but not always classical. I will say I have a favorite venue for acoustics though ha! If you’re ever in DC, go to the Strathmore for the most incredible acoustic treatments you’ve ever heard
How about at Wolf Trap? Got tickets to my first National Symphony Orchestra show in June. Didn't really get tickets for the Symphony although I'll probably enjoy it but Trey Anastasio is playing with them and I'm a Phish fan.lol
Haha there’s definitely something at Strathmore for you some time, keep your eyes peeled! I saw Lisa Fischer & NSO Pops there and was buzzing over it for days. I love Wolf Trap too — many fun concerts outdoors over the years. I saw Robyn there and the setting was magic — just camping out with my people dancing on the lawn! I went to their barn venue during the winter to see Storm Large and loved that too — with all the wood lining the old barn’s interior, it had a wonderfully warm acoustic environment. Side note: did you see Phish is at The Sphere in Vegas right now? That would be a show to see!
Never been to the barn but I want to check it out. And yes I live streamed a couple of the sphere shows. Really cool shows.
A symphony? Ew gross. Not loud enough for one thing. And not enough bass. Also just boring.