The difference a new concert hall can make

brian says:

And that’s unfortunate for several reasons. In an act of brazen ego by then-governor Nellie Rockefeller, an entire middle-class neighborhood of homes and small businesses was destroyed to make the Plaza upon which the Egg stands — see the PBS special for more on that http://www.wmht.org/blogs/history/the-neighborhood-that-disappeared/

In addition, the interior of the place, the performance spaces, are square and acoustically abysmal; there is no suggestion of the exterior design within them. Thus, classical performers who come to this area tend to prefer the acoustics of the Troy Music Hall: old and traditional though it may be, its acoustics are top-shelf. I saw the violinist Hillary Hahn play there once, and after intermission she spoke to the audience, saying it was her first public performance in the space, though she had been there several times in the middle of the night to make recordings.

The biggest stars of the classical world are drawn to another place, a converted chapel on the campus of Union College in Schenectady. I’ve seen Ax, Uchida, and some of the top quartets there. And the local orchestra, the Albany Symphony, makes its home at the old Palace Theater. It’s a very good orchestra, but I don’t think they’ve ever played at The Egg.

I live half a mile from the abortion that is the Empire State Plaza and its Egg, and I work there. I have no prejudice against modern architecture, but The Egg is not a matter of civic pride, nor should it be; it’s a tourist trap and looks interesting superficially, but there is little more to it than appearance.