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 The Importance of acoustics |
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STtLG was always on after COPS on Saturday nights way way back in the day when Fox was just a regular TV channel. Anyway I used to always get pizza with my dad at the local place and we’d watch both. The pizza was not good but the company was. |
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hitting a impossible note by Jussi Bjorling |
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stalhandske 22-Nov-20, 21:17 |
Here it is done (same aria) by Pavarotti...at about 3:40. The comparison is very interesting, especially considering that we are probably comparing two of the very best tenors..... www.youtube.com |
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stalhandske 22-Nov-20, 22:33 |
www.youtube.com Interesting comparisons: remember also the tech advancement over the years...... |
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stalhandske 25-Nov-20, 04:04 |
Sibelius violin concerto www.youtube.com |
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Since 1994 the quality of the presentations has deteriorated steadily. There are several reasons for it, many of them political. However, let me start by listing some of the reasons in the order that I believe is the most to the least important: 1. The State Theater in Pretoria is built in the city center. Since 1994 crime has risen, and the city center has deteriorated into little more than a slum. Gentle people cannot afford to go to the State Theater- by the time the performance is concluded it is late, and people are waylaid and robbed, raped, killed and tortured. The once grand institution is now almost abandoned except for very specific performances. 2. Grand, classic and internationally acclaimed European performances have been replaced by indigenous African performances. I made a valiant effort to attend two of them. It is not my idea of entertainment to beat drums for 4 hours and watch half naked people stamp their feet constantly. Some indigenous performances try to emulate classical theater. However, I speak four of the local African languages fairly fluently or at least well, and understand 5 more well enough. The attempt at poetry, rhythm and rhyme, a good story and art falls woefully short of my own standards- and I must admit that my standards cannot be exacting. I have seen on TV some performances, and I realize that my education in the theater falls very short in terms of really good international standards. That should speak to how low the standards really are. 3. Most of the performances we have in the State Theater now are politically inspired and tells the same old story of how the early settlers committed genocide on the poor local indigenous tribes, who were unarmed and peace loving. I am really getting bored being told how my ancestors were bloodthirsty killers with no other goals than to steal land and kill natives. 4. The State Theater was always subsidized by the State. With the total collapse of government under the reign of ex-president Jacob Zuma, and the chaos that ensued during the state capture, all funding to the State Theater has been cut off. The building does not have working airconditioning, electricity bills aren't being paid, and even toilets aren't being cleaned. Since Jacob Zuma left, we have not yet had time to recover our economy, and to top it off the COVID-19 pandemic now has our performance arts community almost destitute. That includes actors, technical personnel, musicians, artists, artisans and thousands of others. 5. The buildings themselves are systematically being stripped of valuables. Paintings, sculptures, even chandeliers, wooden doors and door handles and wooden floors are stripped out and replaced with cheap materials. Wood paneling, that had been fitted 4 decades ago are removed from the walls, and bare walls remain. This will affect the acoustics negatively, of course. We now have some private theaters that try to emulate the glory of the old State Theater. They are not up to standard yet, but I see them improving steadily every year. An illustrious Russian Ballet Troupe performed in the one theater last year. I can't remember which troupe it was- I do remember that I was impressed. Once Emperor's Palace, Monte Casino or one of the other theaters are up to high standards again, I'll gladly spend the time to travel there and pay the high prices to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes. Then I'll report back on acoustics, and how I enjoy the glamor and splendor of the performing arts. |
