Simon Rattle and the new London concert hall...

[Tony Halstead]

No idea who Kenchington is but Phillips ( if indeed 'it is he') is ( or was) a regular contributor to 'The Spectator' and is the conductor of a vocal ensemble called 'the Tallis Scholars'.
BTW, just because I made the posting doesn't mean that I agree with the views and opinions of the people who are quoted ( Kenchington and Phillips)!
'Confession time': I am ( and have been for about 40 years) a 'Rattle fan' and have played under him with great pleasure with e.g. the London Sinfonietta ( I'll never forget his Schoenberg Chamber Symphony #1 in the 1977 Proms), the English Chamber Orchestra and ( last but not least) the OAE in Mozart's 'Idomeneo' at the QEH in the 1980s in the early days of the OAE.

[pastoralguy]

Good! I'm can appreciate that there's bound to be a bit of a Rattle 'backlash' but it seems a shame to pour scorn on a musician who has raised the profile of classical music in this country. How many other top ranking conductors would deign to conduct a children's orchestra prior to a major engagement? How many other conductors have been on the cover of the Radio Times?

And let's face it, one doesn't get to be Principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic without having SOMETHING going for them!

[Tony Halstead]

I'm sorry, but who are Robert Kenchington and Peter Phillips?

Hmmm... this has just emerged from a 'Googling':
"Robert Kenchington
@DrKencho
Journalist, biographer, music and arts critic, actor, author, musician & raconteur. Something of a Renaissance man!"

and

https://twitter.com/drkencho

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Anyone who describes himself as a "raconteur" is using two superfluous syllables.

[Tony Halstead]

Hmmm... this has just emerged from a 'Googling':
"Robert Kenchington
@DrKencho
Journalist, biographer, music and arts critic, actor, author, musician & raconteur. Something of a Renaissance man!"

and
https://twitter.com/drkencho

Having now actually 'looked at' that last 'twitter' link I can now recommend any 'reading boarders' to ignore it... as it leads to a very puerile and shallow 'twitter' account that can't possibly have any connection to the person ( 'Robert Kenchington') who so acidly criticised Sir Simon Rattle on Norman Lebrecht's 'Slipped Disc' blog!

[pastoralguy]

Having now actually 'looked at' that last 'twitter' link I can now recommend any 'reading boarders' to ignore it... as it leads to a very puerile and shallow 'twitter' account that can't possibly have any connection to the person ( 'Robert Kenchington') who so acidly criticised Sir Simon Rattle on Norman Lebrecht's 'Slipped Disc' blog!

Perhaps he and Peter Phillips are in the frame to replace Sir Simon when he steps down from Die Berliner Philharmoniker...

[MrGongGong]

Wasn't there permanent electronic enhancement in the RFH, installed in the 1950s?

You mean the Helmholtz resonators in the ceiling?

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=5262396

AFAIK they hadn't been working for several years

[MrGongGong]

THSH (Performances Birmingham Ltd) produced a very fine booklet about Symphony Hall entitled "Hearing is Believing" which explains all manner of detail as well as the overall conception. The pages on the influence of shape on acoustics and the great reverberation chamber are fascinating. If of interest and if you ask nicely and copies are still available, the offer to pay postage (essential) or bung them a fiver might get you one. Or try Marketing at the CBSO...

I have this, it's interesting to compare Symphony Hall with the Esplanade in Singapore (the one in the photo upthread) both have the Klais organ and reverberation chambers (ARTEC did the acoustics http://www.artecconsultants.com/index.html).

[Petrushka]

If you can put up with the change of perspective I still think an orchestra sounds more exciting in the RFH choir seats than anywhere else in my experience!

The Barbican is regularly disappointing acoustically though a few recordings and broadcasts don't sound so bad.

In the Festival Hall I now greatly prefer sitting in the boxes to the right of the stage as you look at it, the higher up the better. At Saturday's BPO concert I was in Box 10 on the Green Side and I had an unrivalled aural and visual perspective.

I've few complaints about the Barbican from my preferred seat in the front row of the Circle. Recordings made there, though, can be a different matter entirely.

[Warlock]

The BBC has had something of a Rattle Festival. Is it possible that he will be going to the BBC Symphony Orchestra when he leaves The Berlin Philharmonic? They play a lot of new music.
Sir Malcolm Sargeant was once on the front cover of Radio Times.

[duncan]

... the Barbican Hall was designed to fulfil a multitude of functions, including conferences etc ...

I've been on stage at the Barbican once - briefly - to collect my degree certificate. I can confirm it is ideal for this purpose. I've also been to dozens (possibly hundreds) of concerts there.

[Nick Armstrong]

Anyone who describes himself as a "raconteur" is using two superfluous syllables.

Zap! Pow! Love it, ferney!

Phillips ( if indeed 'it is he') is ( or was) a regular contributor to 'The Spectator' and is the conductor of a vocal ensemble called 'the Tallis Scholars'.

Bam! Enjoyed that one too, Tony!

[Petrushka]

Listening to the BPO on Saturday in the RFH one has to ask again the question posed by Ferney upthread: Why is Rattle leaving the Berliners? He's had a Rolls Royce amongst orchestras, would he want to swap that for a Ford Mondeo? Rattle must be looking for a fresh challenge and the LSO, in the long term, isn't it. My thoughts have centred on him doing a Claudio Abbado by picking his own players and assembling his own orchestra in this country with a new hall. A post with the LSO might just be a short term way of eventually transforming the performance of classical music in the UK as a long term goal.

[Alison]

To drop in a new idea: How about the fresh challenge of going to a top opera house for Sir Simon?

[Flosshilde]

at least the time when some folks were serious about pulling down the QEH has now passed

(from another thread, some time ago ...)

Are you sure about that, GG? If Sir S. gets his way, won't the RFH become a little redundant?