Seats and Symphonies

I used to think I just listened to the music at a concert. Maybe at a rock concert there would be interesting enough stage antics that weren't simply foolish to make the watching worthwhile. At most folk concerts, we could sing along. But at a classical concert, I sat and I listened.

Then I sat in really good seats, and I was hooked to an entire new experience at the symphony. And it was more than just the obvious of being able to see the individual performers and the conductor better.

By sitting close, the sound changes. From the back of an Orchestra section or from the balconies, the orchestra is so far away that it becomes a point source. Up close, there's magnificent spatial separation: the basses are there, and the cellos are here, and the clarinet and oboe and English horn are there, there, and there.

By sitting close, you get to see the emotions play over the faces and bodies and mannerisms of the musicians and the conductor. (At Davies, in the Chorus Benches section, you're behind the orchestra, so, yes, you can see the conductor's face!)

By sitting close, you get to become almost part of the performance. From my usual row G center, and from the row E near-center for the Dvořák the other night, the emotional experience of the concert changes. I can begin to engage with the performers in a manner beyond the audio, even beyond the visual.

I like sitting close!