malik@star.DEC (Karl Malik ZK01-1/F22 1-1440) (02/12/85)
subj; going to concerts Someone recently asked about our concert going habits. In high school and college I went often (several times a week); both orchestral and chamber groups. These days, I rarely go. Perhaps once a year and only if it is a performance of a composer I really like, and is not available on records (usually premiers). Well, one of the reasons is that I no longer live in a big city. Boston is 50 minutes away and driving/parking is a pain. The last three performances I saw were Berio conducting 'Points on the Curve to Find' (amazing piece!), the Kontarsky brothers playing Stockhausen's 'Mantra' for two pianos, and Steve Reich & Ensemble (did 'Drumming' among other things). Summary - for me, the excitement of live performance is offset by practicalities (driving, parking, crowds, price), no guarantee of a good performance, possible bad seating and/or acoustics, and the fact that I can't hear it again whenever I want to. I prefer recordings. - Karl
mgh@hou5h.UUCP (Marcus Hand) (02/19/85)
How often do I go to concerts? Almost never these days because it costs so much to get in. When I lived within reach of London (with an hour and a half, say) I used to go to quite a few concerts, especially in the Proms Season. About 5 bucks for a seat a couple of rows above the brass section seems excellent value, and a buck to stand is amazing.