LSO and Beatrice Rana under Gianandrea Noseda: Beethoven and Shostakovich
La Philharmonie, Paris, Monday, February 7 2022 Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda. Pianist: Beatrice Rana. London Symphony Orchestra. Beethoven: Piano Concerto N° 5 (Emperor) Shostakovich: Symphony N°15. I don't often go to La Philharmonie because, to be frank, I don't like it. In particular, I don't buy into the hall's PR claims, echoed faithfully by the press, it has outstanding acoustics. After my first evening there, I did some in-depth Googling and found a long but interesting article about acoustic variability , prompted by a visit to the brand-new house by Willem Boning, an acoustical and architectural designer working at Arup in New York, which includes the remark: 'So, when people ask me how the Philharmonie sounded, I don’t know what to say. From the two sections I sat in, it sounded terrible and it sounded amazing.' However, as, apparently, it all depends on where you sit (and even, according to Mr Boning, whether you sit back or lean forward in your seat)...