Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
It might be “constructive to think of the entire American orchestral scene as one big Research and Development lab for a field that is striving to modernize, redefine its mission, and retain its relevance,” writes Jeremy Eichler in Saturday’s (3/25) Boston Globe (login may be required). The Boston Symphony Orchestra “should not only learn from its own recent challenges but also from innovations that are bearing fruit elsewhere on the orchestral map…. I caught an invigorating double bill at [New York’s] Geffen Hall … not just its splashy new main auditorium but also an intriguing new second space called the Sidewalk Studio. The example and potential of this smaller second space … seemed relevant to the BSO’s own ongoing evolution. Around the country, orchestras large and small have been adding flexible smaller spaces … and opening up a vast range of creative possibilities with the potential to enliven and transform entire seasons. Symphony Hall of course stands at the core of the BSO’s identity, the bespoke jewel-box holding the jewel, and it is one of the acoustic treasures of the world…. Most of its [street frontage] is not currently being put to artistic use, making it very tempting to speculate about what could be possible … to become a stronger, more creative, diverse, and vibrant version of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
