Symphony Hall: The first 100 years

by Boston Symphony Orchestra

Symphony Hall: The First 100 Years, by Boston Symphony Orchestra This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967114829
• ISBN13: 9780967114828
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Length: 119 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An Exceptional Sampling of Symphony Hall for Old and New Fans

When the Boston Symphony brought out this book to celebrate the centenary of Symphony Hall, I intended to buy and read a copy. Somehow I never did either one. Just last week, I happened to stumble across a copy in the library. I'm glad that I finally had a chance to sample this treasure that rightly honors one of the world's great musical venues. Music fans typically know three things about Symphony Hall: It has great acoustics (you can hear a pin dropped on the stage at the back of the second balcony across the hall); the seats are horribly uncomfortable but can't be changed without hurting the acoustics; and that the Boston Symphony and Pops play there. Naturally, the book is filled with information about all three subjects. Symphony Hall's acoustical design benefited from being based on two very successful concert halls and pioneering work in the then-new science of acoustics. The book points out that the leg room is pretty good, even if the leather seats are painful (so why is it that it always seems like someone is pushing their knee right through my back?). You also find out about all of the other kinds of performances in the hall, as well as some of the most historic ones involving the symphony and Pops. I've taken many tours of Symphony Hall and was pleased to see that a few fascinating areas were missed (such as how they change the lights in the chandeliers), but was delighted to see details of things I've wondered about (such as how the floor changes over between the leather seats and the cabaret seating for the Pops). There's a fine history of how the symphony and the hall were founded. The essays are varied and look at the lovely old building from many different perspectives (ushers, office workers, conductors, visitors, and occasional performers). You'll find essays by Steven Ledbetter, Stephen Jay Gould, Keith Lockhart, Harry Ellis Dickson, Steven Spielberg, John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, George Plimpton, Ted Kennedy, and Julia Child. The photographs and illustrations are even more wonderful, evoking great moments of long ago and more recently. Like a good symphony, everything is kept in balance. Last, but not least, I was thrilled to find the answer to a question I've had for years (why do the stair wells have initials in them that don't match the name Symphony Hall?). I'll leave it to you to find the answer when you enjoy this wonderful book about a place where I've spent many happy hours over the last 43 years. Bravo!