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Default America has a great new concert hall


"Robert Morein" wrote in message
.. .
In article ,
"Soundhaspriority"
wrote:


"Jenn" wrote in message
oups.com...

Soundhaspriority wrote:
"Jenn" wrote in message

m...
In article ,
"Soundhaspriority" wrote:

"Jenn" wrote in message
.
com
...
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"Harry Lavo" wrote:

"Soundhaspriority" wrote in message
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"dave weil" wrote in message
...
The Schermerhorn is finally open. It's a stunning hall and it's
reported to have incredible acoustics. It's very similar to both
Boston Symphony Hall and the Concertgeboux in terms of volume,
layout
and seating capacity. The acousticians tried to combine the best
of
both halls, the volume and projection of the Concertgeobux
combined
with the clarity of the Boston. Everything has been factored in,
from
the seat padding to the design of refracting and reflecting
surfaces.
The hall itself is separated from the "outer box" by a three (or
is
it
two?) inch acoustic gap and all of the mechanicals are isolated
in
the
outer box.

Here's the fact sheet:

http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/res/ssc_fact_sheet_10-31.pdf#search=%22
S
che
rmerhorn%20acoustic%20design%22

Compare to Verizon Hall in Philly. Verizon Hall is separated from
the
"outer box" via a 10 foot space. The outer box stands free within
the
Kimmel Center, which also houses the smaller Perelman Theater.
Unfortunately, it appears to have serious problems. See
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15291303.htm for a
description
of
the
problems.

The ambitious design is described by the acoustic architectural
firm
he

http://www.artec-usa.com/03_projects/performing_arts_venues/kimmel_cente
r
/ve
rizon_hall_kimmel_philadelphia.html,

"Verizon Hall may be the only concert hall in the world to be
shaped
as
a
cello, a design proposed by the world-renowned architect, Rafael
Viñoly.
In addition, the hall includes 260,000 cubic feet of coupled
reverberation
space, motorized adjustable acoustical banners, and a three-piece
vertically moving acoustical canopy system, which hangs above the
stage
area. The moving elements can be adjusted to tailor the room,
visually
and
acoustically, to the needs of the performance."

See
http://blogs.ocregister.com/mangan/a...08/post_6.html

Is Boston's Symphony Hall, that plain rectangular box, still
America's
favorite symphony hall?

It is still right up there with the old Carnegie (and some would
argue
also
the new Carnegie) as the best sounding in this country.

I've not had the pleasure of hearing Symphony Hall, but I can testify
that Carnegie is the best hall that I've ever heard, from a variety
of
audience seats and from the conductor podium, bar none. It's not
even
close to anywhere else in my experience.

Jenn, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?

From 17th Ave, turn west on W 57th St. and you're right there!

I just want to point out a slight error forgiveable to any
out-of-towner:
It's 7th Avenue. There is no 17th Avenue.
By subway, from Penn Station:
Exit Penn Station on the east side at 32 Street. Cross 7th Avenue, walk
east
one block, and enter the Herald Square subway station. Take the
N,R,Q,orW
to
57th Street.

Oh, OK.....

Jenn, how do you get to Carnegie Hall?

PRACTICE! (and be very lucky)
and good!


Hey SOUNDHASPRIORITY:
Question to whom I presume is a NYC local:
If I looked down 7th Ave (away from Central Park, Lincoln Center, etc,
toward the Broadway theater area), would the sky there been filled with
the WTC towers? Just trying to get my bearings. I had such a
wonderful NYC trip, but time didn't allow for a "Ground Zero" visit,
regrettably.

Jenn, Soundhaspriority, aka me, aka Bob Morein, actually resides a bit NW
of
Philadelphia, 72.07 miles from the WTC as the crow flies. I consider
myself
a "virtual", cultural resident of the Big Apple, having made it the
center
of my cultural affections many years ago. To compensate for the fact of
not
being an actual NYC resident, I did some research with a mapping program,
DeLorme Topo 6.0. The WTC site is 4.10 miles from the intersection of 7th
&
57th. That's about 21,000 feet. The towers were about 1400 feet high.
From
7th & 57th, the towers reached about 3.6 degrees above the horizon. The
towers were more closely in line with 5th Avenue, two avenues toward the
east. So I doubt, and do not recall, that the towers would have been
visible
from the intersection.

When I come out of Penn Station at 7th & 32nd, the Empire State building
is
only two avenues east on 33rd Street. Yet it cannot be seen, because
nearer,
but shorter buildings take up a much greater vertical angle.

The view of the Towers I remember best is from the New Jersey Transit
train
as it approaches NYC from the south on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor. It
passes over miles of wetlands, of marshes of bullrush barely capable of
supporting a man and his dog (a quote, I can't remember from what), the
same
land described in the beginning of The Great Gatsby. From this vantage,
the
Twin Towers were a glorious symbol for the many foreign tourists who also
take that train. If Chicago is "the city of broad shoulders", NYC was
known
as the city of skyscrapers and fast elevators. It was fun to play tour
guide
on that train.

But now the towers are gone, anemically replaced by the Empire State, the
Chrysler Building, and, I think, one more building in the financial
district
that I can't name. When the Towers stood, I had ambiguous feelings toward
them. I never went inside. Crossing the WTC plaza, they affected me with
inhuman scale, failing to warm the neighborhood, which relied still on
decrepit old buildings on side streets to provide the amenities that make
even a workday existence bearable.

But now they are gone. I miss them the way I miss the other trademark
aspirations to greatness that this country made before encountering the
limits of growth. I'm not sure why. It brings to mind all the
contradictions
of being American: opportunities, some real, some virtual, some
imaginary.
Patriotism that tries to imply kinship with strangers, yet cities full of
neighborhoods in which I cannot walk. Usenet newsgroups of vicious,
hostile
people. Invitations to kindness, or evil. Real heroes who don't know they
are, and people who imagine themselve such.

On a day like this, I define myself by the illusions I choose to keep,
the
hopes I cherish, and willing blindness toward omnipresent evil.

Bob Morein
(215) 646-4894



Sorry guys, forgery.

Robert Morein
Shop "N Bag, Penn



Churches will no doubt be along anytime soon, to correct your mistakes, and
give everyone his expert opinion, on all the above.