Choir Seats at the RAH

[parkepr]

Hi Folks,
Interested in going to the Respighi Prom with Charles Dutoit and the RPO... but thinking, for a change, sitting in the choir seats for a different view of the goings on... Does anybody have any advice/comments (good or bad) for these seats?

Thanks in advance.

Pete

[amateur51]

I've sat there only once, for a concert conducted by Berglund in the early 1970s that included Shotakovich symphony no 5. I found it a bit short on leg-room but you get a sense of involvement and the sound was surprisingly good. You get to see the Prommers as the orchestra sees them too, quite an eye-opener

[gingerjon]

Sat there for a late night Prom a few years ago. I had the pleasure of seeing the percussionist put his phone on silent and then spend parts of the performance texting his mates.

Perfectly comfortable and sound was fine.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I sat there on my first two visits to the RAH, because the seats were cheap. It was OK, but I wouldn't do it again.

[parkepr]

I've sat there only once, for a concert conducted by Berglund in the early 1970s that included Shotakovich symphony no 5. I found it a bit short on leg-room but you get a sense of involvement and the sound was surprisingly good. You get to see the Prommers as the orchestra sees them too, quite an eye-opener

Cheers Amatuer51... that's what I'm hoping for... hoping I don't get blown out of my seat by the RAH organ in the Respighi though!!

[Keraulophone]

I sat there for Joshua Rifkin's one-voice-per-part Bach St Matthew Passion, which was just as well, as I probably wouldn't have heard as much of the performance from further away. Not really recommended for big orchestras because the sound is inevitably unbalanced, depending on what section you're sitting behind.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Not really recommended for big orchestras because the sound is inevitably unbalanced, depending on what section you're sitting behind.

One of the virtues of the RAH is that you get a reasonable balance even when close to a particular section. The front row of the stalls (arena during the Proms) sounds fine, whereas in many concert halls, the balance would be horribly skewed. I think of Sheffield City Hall as a particularly good (i.e. bad) of this.

[Oliver]

It's interesting to see the conductor at work and the percussionists' technique. But the sound is not to my taste. If you sit directly behind the brass, be prepared for a noisy evening and, if there are singers projecting out into the auditorium, you will struggle to hear them.
To be blunt, I stopped buying seats there long ago.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... and, if there are singers projecting out into the auditorium, you will struggle to hear them.

I hadn't thought of this. Though in many instances when solo singers are involved, the choir stalls will be unavailable to the audience.

[Keraulophone]

The front row of the stalls (arena during the Proms) sounds fine

I'd agree with this, but we are talking here about sitting behind the orchestra, which is entirely different. Percussion, heavy brass, horns or double basses are likely to sound too strong, eg in relation to the 2nd violins, if you are sitting just behind any particular section. At any rate, that has been my experience, in both the RAH and the [old] RFH.

[Ferretfancy]

I've sat there only once, for a concert conducted by Berglund in the early 1970s that included Shotakovich symphony no 5. I found it a bit short on leg-room but you get a sense of involvement and the sound was surprisingly good. You get to see the Prommers as the orchestra sees them too, quite an eye-opener

Yes ams, I've always been a bit of an eye opener myself, but I'm rather camera shy!

[Ferretfancy]

I once sat quite close to Sir Henry ( the bust, not the conductor!) for a Concertgebouw concert with Chailly conducting. Radu Lupu played Mozart's K595, and the balance was a bit distant on the piano. Later came Bruckner's 3rd, and we were right behind the Wagner tubas. Oddly, they did not overwhelm us at all, in fact the sound was great, but then it's a great orchestra and an ideal hall for this composer.

[mrbouffant]

Mid-choir (i.e. the lower part) are my seats of choice during the season -- you really feel part of the action !

[VodkaDilc]

Those seats would not be my first choice, but I regularly booked them for school parties. Lots to see, even if the sound can be unbalanced. I have good memories of watching Boult from these seats; once in about 1971/2 and again in his final years, when he had to be helped to his seat at the podium.

[mercia]

watching Boult from these seats

yes, I was in the choir seats for the second half of this one

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1970s/1975/august-04/8697