Finland builds yet another concert hall
NewsThe town of Turku has commissioned a new orchestral hall, despite the old one having exemplary acoustics.
The Turku Philharmonic, Leif Segerstam’s former orchestra, was founded in 1790. Its present 1000-seat concert hall was built in 1952 with Swedish money after Turku suffered Soviet air raids during the second world war.
The new building will have two performance spaces, one with 1,300 seats, the other 300.
Here’s how it will look.
The population of Turku is 194,244.
No doubts that it will be good; I came once in the new Helsinki concert hall it’s a big sucess. it seems that it will be like in Helsinki a wineyard concert hall in Turku
Helsinki hall is not good. Weak sound. No bass. Funny balances depending on where you sit.
Hopefully they build something better in Turku.
Didn’t have this feeling. I was just behind the orchestra
Tapio Lokki (professor, Aalto Acoustics Lab, Aalto University) in the Finnish Music Quarterly in 31 Mar 2019:
https://fmq.fi/articles/concert-hall-acoustics
[…]
“The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Music Centre in Helsinki share not only sold-out concerts but also the awkward fact that the acoustics in their main concert halls are not quite what was promised, and both have been criticised ever since their inauguration. Both were designed by the same acoustic designer, and both have the same shape: the stage is in the middle of the bowl-like hall around which the audience is seated in raked tiers like at an ice rink, many audience members being seated beside and behind the orchestra. In these seats, the balance of the orchestra is very different than out front, and it is sometimes really difficult to hear the soloists.”
“The aforementioned experiences of audiences and critics alike are corroborated by the most recent research findings: modern concert halls are unsatisfactory for symphonic music. The bass register lacks warmth and power, the strings and brass lack brilliance, and nowhere in the auditorium does the music embrace and envelop the listener. These circumstances serve to make the listening experience somewhat flatter, since the dynamics of the music played on stage is not conveyed to the listeners. The acoustic designer may talk as much as he pleases about the visually intimate space created by the audience gathering around the orchestra, but on the whole the feel of the hall is anything but intimate.”
“There are several arena-type concert halls like the Elbphilharmonie and the Helsinki Music Centre out in the world: in Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Shenzhen, Miami and Paris, and a new one is being designed for London. They all share the same acoustical problems, which begs the question: have we not learned anything? Why do we keep building halls like this if they do not serve the music performed in them and provide listeners with powerful auditory experiences? How is it possible that no one can design a better acoustic, even though concert hall acoustics have been scientifically studied for more than a century?”
[…]
I wonder how much acoustics are a psychological matter, and whether making the audience feel involved through proximity has a greater impact on the experience.
I like the look of the Helsinki call because it feels like the audience is part of the show. I had the same feeling the few shows I heard in the Berlin Philharmonie.
OTOH, the times I was the vaunted Symphony Hall in Boston, I often felt very distanced and detached from the goings-on on stage.
And as NY Times critics pointed out on occasion, a truly great performance could make you forget about the shortcomings of Fisher/Geffen Hall.
Sorry, no, horns blaring directly in your face, singers you can’t hear well, solo cellos that disappear… those – to name just a few – are not “psychological” effects.
Those common treats of arena ‘vineyard’ halls are just killing the music. It’s the ultimate narcissism, sacrificing the music for the proximity to the visual show.
I can see though, how many in the audience attend concerts primarily for the narcissistic gratification, less so for the music.
They don’t care much that they can’t hear Jonas Kaufmann singing in the other direction, but his cute curly hair!!! OMG! So cute!
Leif, who looks like you would imagine Santa to look, deserves this. Name the new hall after him.
when it comes to classical music the Finns are always one step ahead.
A good education system helps
I understand that all teachers in Finland are required to have a master’s degree. This doesn’t guarantee an ability to teach, but it’s not a bad start.
“I understand that all teachers in Finland are required to have a master’s degree.”
Duh. And not only there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staatsexamen
Why “Duh”? And why so rude? I thought we were talking about Finland.
“Why ‘Duh’?”
Because it is normal for developed countries that teachers have studied whatever they are teaching. It would be insane otherwise.
“And why so rude?”
Rude? This was a perfectly normal legitimate discourse. Jeez, I didn’t even threaten to hang people…
“I thought we were talking about Finland.”
And yet you found it important to point out that IN FINLAND teachers need a master’s degree.
The difference is teachers in Finland are well compensated, are highly valued members of society and have to earn the right through demonstrated academic excellence to have the privilege of a career as an educator. Not to mention the schools are well funded.
Compare that with the US where the average teacher is grossly underpaid, has amassed large sums of debt to get their degree(s) and are held in contempt by the government, the parents and their administration as the root of all that is wrong with society.
Add to that, many school districts are badly underfunded because US’s priority is to hand over any excess monies to billionaire and corporations though unnecessary tax cuts and funding is distributed and determined at the local level. Needless to say, poorer districts had less funding and much worse outcomes.
Those same underpaid teachers often have to spend their own money, without any compensation, for basic supplies so they can do their thankless job.
The US literally has teachers diving for money in what amounts to a hunger games entertainment for the masses to get funding for their schools while the fat cats laugh and the parents complain the teachers have it too easy.
https://youtu.be/qVGjEBiAr9g
Mouth-watering architecture and commitment to the arts. How nice to hear some unadulterated good news.
This was announced back in October: https://www.themayor.eu/en/a/view/turku-reveals-design-plans-for-new-concert-hall-9142
Putting aside the debate on the best use of public funds, looking at pictures of the current hall, it appears to be a notch above a high school auditorium.
Those were just preliminary plans then. The city council approved and signed the documents just some days ago…
Two of my complaints of Chicago are we don’t receive enough snow and the acoustics of Orchestra Hall are terribly disappointing. Next lifetime I’m going to put in a request to live in Finland.
Anyone notice that the Scandinavians seem to be dominating classical music?
Not really? Music is not sports. Also Finland is not in Scandinavia.
Certainly the Nordic countries are boxing above their weight in classical music. But dominating? Don’t think so.
Finland is not in Scandinavia
I look forward to visiting once the hall is completed… Tampere (Finland’s “second city”) already has a fantastic performance venue (including the Moomin Museum!).