Barbican Cheap Seats tips

[Thropplenoggin]

Where's the best place to sit in the Barbican that doesn't cost the earth?

What are the circle and balcony seats like?

Any tips?

I'm not bothered about a good view, as long as the acoustics are good enough for me to enjoy the performance.

[teamsaint]

Where's the best place to sit in the Barbican that doesn't cost the earth?

What are the circle and balcony seats like?

Any tips?

I'm not bothered about a good view, as long as the acoustics are good enough for me to enjoy the performance.

You do know it's in London, don't you, @Noggo?

Anyway, great question.
And as a rider, did you find the balcony acoustic /sonorities to your liking at the Peoples Festival Hall? (if that is where you camped out).

[Thropplenoggin]

You do know it's in London, don't you, @Noggo?

Anyway, great question.
And as a rider, did you find the balcony acoustic /sonorities to your liking at the Peoples Festival Hall? (if that is where you camped out).

Yes. I'm sure it would have been better closer, but I was still greatly moved by the music. For £15 a pop, not bad. Recommended. What have you got your eye on?

[teamsaint]

Yes. I'm sure it would have been better closer, but I was still greatly moved by the music. For £15 a pop, not bad. Recommended. What have you got your eye on?

at the RFH 2013/2014?
An embarrassment of riches.
The Brahms (nearly sold out).
The Reich
The Gorecki premiere, just because it might be fun.
DSCH 5 in a years time.
Mahler 6 in January (Birthday night out?)
lord knows.
I could be there twice a week if time and money allowed.

you?

[Thropplenoggin]

at the RFH 2013/2014?
An embarrassment of riches.
The Brahms (nearly sold out).
The Reich
The Gorecki premiere, just because it might be fun.
DSCH 5 in a years time.
Mahler 6 in January (Birthday night out?)
lord knows.
I could be there twice a week if time and money allowed.

you?

I've got my eye on the Brahms and Mahler, too. Mahler 4 this December (Sokhiev), Mahler 3 (MTT - very expensive), and am mulling over Mahler 9, conducted by Nezet-Seguin, not a conductor I know, which makes me dubious for this symphony. Plus lots at the Wigmore Hall (also a venue I recommend you see). There are tickets to be had for £10-12 there and at LSO St Luke's (a venue I've yet to try).

[teamsaint]

all of those on my radar also, need to sit down with the year planner. (as if......!!)

monday Lunchtimes at Wiggers probably a no no for me at this time .....Soton Uni do some nice free concerts though, which I occasionally pop into.

[Thropplenoggin]

all of those on my radar also, need to sit down with the year planner. (as if......!!)

monday Lunchtimes at Wiggers probably a no no for me at this time .....Soton Uni do some nice free concerts though, which I occasionally pop into.

They have concerts in the evenings every day of the week, and Sunday mornings - £12 inc. coffee/sherry/orange juice.

[Veronika]

Ooh, Mahler's 6th, I'm definitely going. Thanks for posting this, teamsaint.

[Dave2002]

Where's the best place to sit in the Barbican that doesn't cost the earth?

What are the circle and balcony seats like?

Any tips?

I'm not bothered about a good view, as long as the acoustics are good enough for me to enjoy the performance.

Thanks for reminding me of this - there are some concerts in October I'd hoped to go to. I'm not sure about the pricing though. We used to go at the back of the circle, or sometimes got seats closer to the front in the circle. The prices seemed affordable at the time. The sound is definitely louder and more involving nearer the front of the circle, but it's OK at the back.

I have been in the balcony area very occasionally. The musicians seem a long way away, though sometimes one has no choice. It's years since I sat in the stalls - I think the last time was for George Crumb immersion. In the middle of the stalls or slightly off centre in the centre block, area - not right at the back - the sound is very good. The problem is the pricing - which is probably reasonable if you consider the effort involved, but I still find the thought of having to pay £50 or so (sometimes more) for a seat rather frightening. I also thoroughly detest the online ticket "booking fee" charges which most London halls and theatres now impose, and some even charge an iniquitous per ticket charge, rather than a fee which applies to all the tickets ordered at the same time. I'm not sure whether the Barbican does that. However, last time I looked, the Barbican does have a reasonable returns policy - though one does have to take the tickets back to them - did last year anyway.

Prices this year for reasonably decent seats do seem quite high to me but perhaps that's because of the concerts I might be interested in. I don't even have Yorkshire blood in me, but so far we've not bought any tickets for the coming seasons, whereas in the past we have had tickets covering the whole year ahead. When the RFH was closed we went to quite a lot of concerts at the Barbican, but now the RFH is open we seem to have given up going to concerts at either!

I can't comment well enough on comparisons with the RFH after it was updated. Possibly, in the best seats - if you can find them - the sound has more impact in the Barbican, though perhaps a lot also depends on the musicians and conductor, as the way the sound is balanced can make a big difference. Perhaps this is more critical in the Barbican.

I always preferred the RFH in the past, and the logistics of getting to the Barbican from Waterloo are another thing in RFH's favour. Having said that, sometimes there are more interesting concerts at the Barbican, and the number 4 bus helps.

Years ago I sat through the Rite of Spring conducted by Rhozdestvensky at the Barbican - very close to the front of the stalls. That was loud! There was also a performance of Satie's Parade in the same concert, complete with gun shots, which was also a somewhat OTT experience.

[Dave2002]

I've got my eye on the Brahms and Mahler, too. Mahler 4 this December (Sokhiev), Mahler 3 (MTT - very expensive), and am mulling over Mahler 9, conducted by Nezet-Seguin, not a conductor I know, which makes me dubious for this symphony. Plus lots at the Wigmore Hall (also a venue I recommend you see). There are tickets to be had for £10-12 there and at LSO St Luke's (a venue I've yet to try).

I agree about Wigmore Hall - though small scale music is a different experience. LSO St Lukes is fairly small, but can take an orchestra. Acoustically it's pretty good, though I've not been there for a few years. The BBC used to have invitation concerts and Discovering Music events there. Such events are usually free with advance reservation. Looking at the BBC's ticket web site, suggests that opportunities for free concerts have swung away to the North West, with several worthwhile concerts in Salford by the BBC Philharmonic - see http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/tickets/radio

Nothing coming up soon in London - the Maida Vale studios used to be a good place for BBC SO invitation concerts.