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Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonie de Paris

Usually one goes to a concert hall to hear a concert. But this time, I went to the new Philharmonie de Paris to hear the hall.


The first work was Bruch Violin Concerto (soloist was Renaud Capuçon, Paavo Järvi conducted Orchestre de Paris). The hall delivered Capuçon's playing with clarity and precision, but the orchestral sound was smothered in the too-generous acoustic. One couldn't really hear the interplay between the soloist and the orchestra. The encore solo pieces came across well.

The second work was Mahler 5. The percussion sound lacked punch and the brass was smothered in the opening movement.  The solo cello in the adagietto came across well. In general, the big moments were oddly underpowered and the subtle playing was lost in the acoustic.

Verdict? Disappointing. It is a brand new hall built in the 21st century and to have such poor acoustic quality is unforgiveable. I hope the management will adjust the sound panels and add other devices to make improvements - sooner rather than later. Another disappointing thing was the unfinished building work - scaffolding here, exposed beams there. Come on - get it sorted!
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Location: Paris, France

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