tbg@apollo.uucp (Tom Gross) (02/13/85)
> Amidst all this talk of new releases and "why my CD doesn't reproduce a > 44kHz square wave" and "who cares if your CD doesn't ...", everybody seems > to have forgotten the incomparably greater thrill of being where the > music is made. Or maybe those who do are too busy going to concerts to > post news... Boston has a good symphony orchestra. Front row seats at symphony hall can usually be bought on the day of the concert for less than the cost of a CD. Overall tonal balance under these conditions is less than ideal; however there may be a choice of which section of the orchestra to sit in FRONT of. Violins seem to always be to the left of the podium: I don't know what's in the right half of an orchestra; I've never seen or heard one. Generally I only go to the symphony when I am entertaining friends from out-of-town. It's part of the grand tour. On the whole I do prefer CD to BSO reproduction techniques. There are advantages to both of course, but in the CD's favor I note the following: 1.) My CD player is programmable and has remote control. The BSO's schedule is planned months in advice and there is no remote control option that I am aware of. 2.) I can move around while listening to a CD performance. During a BSO performance it is generally considered rude to leave one's seat except during the intermissions, when thousands of other people are doing it. 3.) Seiji Ozawa does not currently conduct on any CDs I own. He frequently conducts the BSO. 4.) Two people can enjoy their choice of a "Stouffer's Lean Cuisine" and purchase about four CDs (at $12 each) for about the cost of dinner for two with parking near symphony hall and tickets to the BSO, and the four CDs will last a lifetime. And you don't have to go when it's snowing. On the other hand, the BSO does have the advantage of being disposable: you don't have to pack up an evening at the BSO everytime you move or straighten it out when you're having friends over. I would be interested to hear other's feelings about CDs vs. human sound reproduction techniques. I have some thoughts on Opera productions which I generally enjoy in concert form better than on CDs. Tom Gross Apollo Computer, Inc.
winkg@vice.UUCP (Wink Gross) (02/19/85)
> On the whole I do prefer CD to BSO reproduction > techniques. There are advantages to both of course, but in the CD's favor > I note the following: > > [etc.] > > Tom Gross > Apollo Computer, Inc. > You Bostonians make me sick. You have one of the world's top five (?) orchestras in one of the world's top three (?) concert halls and you'd rather sit home eating TV dinners listening to your CDs. I'll bet you have the TV on watching the Celtics at the same time. Live music does have a few advantages: 1. The visual impression is an important part of the experience. That's why I like to sit near the front. Not to mention, Ofra Harnoy makes a much bigger impression "on stage" than "in speaker". 2. Watching the orchestra (or whatever) lets you pick up on "bits" in the music that might otherwise be missed. 3. You get to hear stuff you wouldn't dream of buying. That has to be good for you. 4. In Boston's Symphony Hall (alas, in few others) the vibrations coming from the armrests through your hands and from the floor through the soles of your feet add an extra sensation you don't usually get in your home. On the other hand, for me, live opera is a drag. I much prefer opera on film, with subtitles. The last act of most live opera is strictly eyelid-prop time. Especially if they've had 3 half-hour intermissions before. Now that everyone's heard from the Gross brothers, anybody else care to comment? Wink Gross Tektronix, Inc.