Recent Posts21
Gustav Mahler and Related Discussions / Re: Klaus Mäkelä named Music Director of Chicago Symphony
« Last post by Roland Flessner on April 04, 2024, 01:49:35 AM »We missed an opportunity when Millennium Park was built in the early oughts. At the north end is the Harris Theater, which is a terrific venue for ensembles up to medium size. A hall large enough to accommodate a big orchestra would have been a wonderful addition to the park. But, I'm sure the CSO wants to stay as far as possible from the political leadership of the city, and for good reason.
The Auditorium Theater a few blocks S features really excellent acoustics, but probably has more seats than the CSO would want, and I don't think it has elevators to the upper floors, a nonstarter. As for a new hall, we don't really have a downtown location that would work.
Most good halls are shoeboxes, but Orchestra Hall is egg shaped. Aside from the inherent problems projecting sound, I don't think it has enough cubic feet of air to support a Mahler-size orchestra. It could serve well for theatrical events if the orchestra played somewhere else.
Fun fact: Medinah Temple served as a frequent recording venue for the CSO after the disastrous Orchestra Hall remodel in the late '60s. RCA avoided Orchestra Hall like the plague after that remodel. Decca recorded in Medinah but the unnatural perspective of those Solti recordings has not aged well. (Timpani sound like they're at the front of the stage, for example.) DG managed to get respectable recorded sound from Orchestra Hall for its Boulez recordings, but I don't think other labels have.
Medinah Temple was turned into a Bloomingdale's store but had been empty until recently. Now it's a temporary site for a casino, the permanent site to be built along the river at the former location of the Tribune printing plant. But Bally's, purported builder of the casino, is in financial difficulties and may not be able to complete the project.
I heard a fine community orchestra at Medinah before Bloomingdale's took over. Acoustics were excellent.
At least one Solti/CSO recording--M7--was made at the Great Hall of the Krannert Center at U of I in Champaign. Acoustics there are excellent, too. I should keep a closer eye on their schedule.
The Auditorium Theater a few blocks S features really excellent acoustics, but probably has more seats than the CSO would want, and I don't think it has elevators to the upper floors, a nonstarter. As for a new hall, we don't really have a downtown location that would work.
Most good halls are shoeboxes, but Orchestra Hall is egg shaped. Aside from the inherent problems projecting sound, I don't think it has enough cubic feet of air to support a Mahler-size orchestra. It could serve well for theatrical events if the orchestra played somewhere else.
Fun fact: Medinah Temple served as a frequent recording venue for the CSO after the disastrous Orchestra Hall remodel in the late '60s. RCA avoided Orchestra Hall like the plague after that remodel. Decca recorded in Medinah but the unnatural perspective of those Solti recordings has not aged well. (Timpani sound like they're at the front of the stage, for example.) DG managed to get respectable recorded sound from Orchestra Hall for its Boulez recordings, but I don't think other labels have.
Medinah Temple was turned into a Bloomingdale's store but had been empty until recently. Now it's a temporary site for a casino, the permanent site to be built along the river at the former location of the Tribune printing plant. But Bally's, purported builder of the casino, is in financial difficulties and may not be able to complete the project.
I heard a fine community orchestra at Medinah before Bloomingdale's took over. Acoustics were excellent.
At least one Solti/CSO recording--M7--was made at the Great Hall of the Krannert Center at U of I in Champaign. Acoustics there are excellent, too. I should keep a closer eye on their schedule.