New York is waking up to the concert hall of the future

In my essay in the new issue of The Critic, I outline the prospects for the transformed David Geffen Hall, which the New York Philharmonic will reoccupy in the fall.

Here’s what I have seen recently in a virtual tour of the site:

‘… The old Avery Fisher Hall used to look as inviting from the outside as Sing-Sing or Fort Knox. If you found a way in through a chink in the fortifications, you faced a row of box-office windows that nullified human interaction. There was little in the lobby to refresh body or soul.

‘The new lobby is something else — twice as big and walled from floor to ceiling by glass so that everything inside can be seen invitingly from the street. The space will be dotted with coffee stations and relaxed seating is provided all around. A giant video screen will show all concerts live and free to anyone who cares to drop in, or watch from Seventh Avenue or 66th Street. This looks like being the world’s first concert hall without walls, and the opportunities are limitless….’

Read on here.