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Post by MartinT on Feb 19, 2021 20:31:42 GMT
Sad, but London continues to play down the importance of a new concert hall appropriate to its standing in Europe, and therefore erodes that very standing.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 19, 2021 22:44:55 GMT
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 20, 2021 7:07:17 GMT
It's a very tricky and complex subject.
But overall, I think the basic premise of a centralised mega-music-complex at mega cost is out of date in more than one way.
Location. London. Again.
This sort of complex has got to go somewhere.
Anywhere turns it into a pretty much local proposition, which makes it irrelevant for 90% of the country.
The cost for the defunct London project, some 200+ million. I'm sure no-one actually thinks it would eventually come in at under half a billion. Probably a billion.
The target audience, the 'liberal elite'. Nuff said.
Pandemics. I suspect CV19 has changed the way we think about hopefully-crowded mega complexes. Especially after CV24 turns up. Time will tell.
A more modern vision, recognising the interconnectability of all things via the Internet, and the capability for near instantaneous high rate data transmission, and the advances in laser holography.....
.. . . . Hey, why not have a dozen or two high tech, smaller scale concert halls around the country capable of live and recorded presentation in full multi channel sound and holographic visuals of concerts/opera/ballet - not just classical, but any sound/vision type event which is actually performed in, well, wherever you like! Sports events, too. Probably others. Subscriptions for home reception. Etcetera. Using modern high tech to make it seem real, not just cinematic.
Just an off the cuff idea, but I wonder if that sort of thing has ever been considered?
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Post by jandl100 on Feb 20, 2021 9:11:06 GMT
Forget holography - here is Volumetric Imaging! This could do the job, genuinely 3D and visible from any angle. It just needs to be scaled up a bit.  phys.org/news/2018-01-holograms-d-thin-air.htmlWhat we need is the Holodeck from the Starship Enterprise. |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 20, 2021 13:47:07 GMT
Who said the target audience is 'liberal elite'?
There's nothing elite about the vast majority of classical music concert goers in London. Apart from me of course. 
I actually think it should be built in London as an international arts and commercial venue for all the reasons I've talked about previously. There are technically better concert halls in other parts of the country. Manchester's excellent £42m Bridgewater Hall would be one.
In addition to the tourist market there are plenty of people who would travel into London for the right event. Try stopping my mother travelling from Manchester if there's a new production of The Ring Cycle! |
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Post by julesd68 on May 7, 2023 18:49:55 GMT
The ever excellent Nicola Benedetti speaks out on the state of classical music in this country. This quote resonated particularly with me - “There has got to be scope for maintaining a central classical music environment, a space for Beethoven, for music like that, which should still be at the core of what people play and hear" Yes! It's so obvious - by all means innovate but don't forget the core audience! What would be the point of gaining one audience and losing another? www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/07/nicola-benedetti-battle-to-save-classical-music-from-funding-cuts |
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Post by MartinT on May 7, 2023 20:04:55 GMT
Agreed. Where is government and lottery funding in all of this? I am rather tired of hearing about opera and theatre getting funding. What about a proper London venue? What about subsidised classical tickets? How about other interesting seasons rather than the lone Proms - and I'm not talking about simply orchestral seasons that have little thematic continuity. What about the big orchestras travelling more to the provincial concert halls?
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Post by julesd68 on May 7, 2023 21:59:52 GMT
Classical tickets for the Barbican and Festival Hall are already excellent value IMO - you can get a perfectly good seat for under 20 quid in either. Interestingly enough I found it more difficult to find such value in Manchester at the Bridgewater where you have a narrower range of prices - not as expensive as the top end but not the cheaper prices at the bottom. In London I guess the top tickets subsidise the cheap ones ...
In terms of touring I really don't know who does what outside of London, it's a good point. I did notice that the BBC Phil have a season of concerts in Mcr.
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