Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners classical concert

Eh, you copied that straight from our former roommate's grandmother...

bren, i still get the urge to blast aqualung (sp) for college flash backs.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN....

here comes the 20 minute flute solo???

what was that guy thinkin'??

bigjohn

JohnK,

Most amused by your comments on "modern" music. I may have that Eva Marton/Andrew Davis version of Four Last Songs on vinyl, badly warped, if memory serves (the disc, not Eva Marton or Andrew Davis!) It was one of the very few recordings the Toronto Symphony made during my time as a Toronto resident.

Regards,

I got last 4 songs and gave it a listen. It seems more female singing then anything....closer to opera then what I think of as symphony orchestra (with my limited knowledge, addmittedly).

Anyway, I'm still thinking about getting tickets and thought I might be able to get some help. Here's the price chart with a seating chart link off of that page.

http://www.philorch.org/styles/poa02e/www/tixpricechart.html

I'm looking at opening night. How much does it really matter where I sit. I would think you are going for the sound more then neccessarily being as close as you can to see them. As far as close goes, there is the conductors circle, but that's behind them. Are the acoustics of most of these places designed so that it doesn't sound as good from back there? If not that seems like a good way to sit close without paying a ton. As you can see, only tier 2 and 3 remain other then that. I rather not spend a ton for my first one of these, unless the difference is huge enough to warrant it. So, being a first timer, where better to get input then here

Jason, one thought that strikes me is that it's nice to go to opening night, but that's five months off. How about tomorrow night? Nice program with the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Prokofiev 5th Symphony. As to seating, although I've traveled all over the world, I've actually never been in Philadelphia and don't know the hall. I've never sat behind the orchestra and the idea really doesn't appeal to me. The farther and higher from the orchestra that you sit, the higher the proportion of reflected as compared with direct sound, although even up front there's more reflected than direct. Incidentally, this is why the use of DPLII, etc. to reproduce ambience present in a stereo recording from the side and/or back speakers can actually give a more natural effect than hearing everything from the front speakers.

When I was a stoont, of course I couldn't afford to go to many concerts if I would buy tickets up front. That's been fixed, and I now sit a lot closer, but I'd guess that in your situation there'd be little difference between the sound in tier 2 or tier 3.

I was going to wait until September because I have been looking for a concert where Wagner would be played. That piece is the main one I'm interested in hearing. I don't want to go just to go, hoping that I'll like it.

It's one of those things I've been thinking that it would be good to do once (who knows, maybe more if I do end up liking it a lot) but I want to be familiar with the music I'm going to listen to. The Wagner piece that will be played is probably my favorite piece of what I have heard from the classical genre so far, in my addmittedly limited exposure.

Pulling this thread back from the dead....

For whoever is interested, I did get tickets for 9/21 for the orchestra in Philly.

Since this is my first time, any idea on what I should expect, things to know going in, etc?

What do people wear to opening night? I don't know how fancy to expect...will people have tuxes on, or is a suit fine, or (I doubt it) do people not even get that dressed up? What other newb questions that I don't even know about should I have that someone (JohnK I would guess) would have answers to?

Generally speaking, the closer to the front youy sit, the better dressed you want to be. I usually wear something I'd wear for a nice date.

As far as what to expect, don't clap until people around you clap. This ain't no Jazz or Rock show.

Yes, it's bad form to clap between movements of a piece. I usually wait for a significant amount of people to clap before I do.