Avery Fisher Hall

Posted by John Marks (M) on May 31, 2012 at 14:40:17

In Reply to: RE: Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles posted by Thornhill on May 31, 2012 at 13:53:21:

Hi-

The cause of the problems in Avery Fisher Hall was not just too many seats. An equally important factor was that the seats were too close together and the rows too close together, and so there was no acoustical contribution from reflections from the wooden floor, and that makes a hall deader.

Take a look at how the seats in Seiji Ozawa Hall are designed and placed... .

But yes, all these factors were driven by Board members worrying about how to pay it off. Unfortunately, Mr. Beranek at the time believed that as long as the ITDG function calculation held, all would be well.

Over the decades, that hall has absorbed far more money in fixes than doing it right in the first place would have cost.

An expensive lesson. But in many ways helpful. By creating problems that could not be ignored or explained away, the NYP Board did the Boards of countless other orchestras a big favor by creating such a warning. E.g., when the worthies of Nashville wanted a hall, they went about it very conservatively and put little faith in "magic number theory." And they got a fantastic-sounding hall.

One could almost say that architectural acoustics would be neither so advanced nor so widely taken seriously, except for NY's Philharmonic Hall.

JM

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles - Brian Cheney 12:53:21 05/31/12 (22)

Just heard a concert there last week - E-Stat 08:48:46 06/13/12 (0)

RE: Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles - Analog Scott 23:16:09 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles - Botanico92007 19:20:41 06/01/12 (0)

I remember the stories of the exterior panels heating up nearby apartments & condos... - Russell 08:46:47 06/01/12 (0)

Bambi's reaction to Disney Hall - Paul_A 17:37:26 05/31/12 (6)

Whatever Happened To Bambi? [nt] - Mike Porper 09:12:38 06/01/12 (2)

Top Ten Possiblities - Mike Porper 11:16:55 06/01/12 (1)

Those are good possibilities! [nt] ;-) - Chris from Lafayette 14:39:44 06/01/12 (0)

RE: Bambi's reaction to Disney Hall - Thornhill 18:58:49 05/31/12 (0)

RE: Bambi's reaction to Disney Hall - Brian Cheney 18:51:55 05/31/12 (0)

RE: Screech and Roar - genungo 18:28:44 05/31/12 (0)

Well, At Least It's Not Amplified - Mike Porper 16:07:10 05/31/12 (1)

RE: Well, At Least It's Not Amplified - Chris from Lafayette 09:47:19 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles - Thornhill 13:53:21 05/31/12 (8)

Some (not all) of the Disney Hall seats. . . - Chris from Lafayette 16:43:44 05/31/12 (0)

Avery Fisher Hall - John Marks 14:40:17 05/31/12 (6)

RE: Avery Fisher Hall - Thornhill 18:51:38 05/31/12 (5)

What you describe is the rationale of The Boston Pops - John Marks 07:31:28 06/01/12 (4)

Not quite on Philadelphia - Thornhill 10:40:03 06/01/12 (3)

RE: Not quite on Philadelphia - Todd Krieger 22:14:37 06/01/12 (2)

"Horses for Courses." - John Marks 13:14:47 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Not quite on Philadelphia - Thornhill 08:34:11 06/02/12 (0)

Follow Ups

Avery Fisher Hall - John Marks 14:40:17 05/31/12 (6)

RE: Avery Fisher Hall - Thornhill 18:51:38 05/31/12 (5)

What you describe is the rationale of The Boston Pops - John Marks 07:31:28 06/01/12 (4)

Not quite on Philadelphia - Thornhill 10:40:03 06/01/12 (3)

RE: Not quite on Philadelphia - Todd Krieger 22:14:37 06/01/12 (2)

"Horses for Courses." - John Marks 13:14:47 06/02/12 (0)

RE: Not quite on Philadelphia - Thornhill 08:34:11 06/02/12 (0)

Avery Fisher Hall

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