Norman Schwartz asks about the VPO:

>Can these two statements be reconciled? Is the VPO so good because the
>audio is good?

No, the VPO is so good because they have a tradition that dates back 140+
years that they adhere to and see no reason to change.

>From my subscription seats in Avery Fisher Hall the sound was *analytical*.
>Down the avenues somewhat in Carnegie Hall if I hear the same orchestra
>from roughly the same location, the sound being more on the *forgiving*
>side, the same personnel produce a VERY different sound (read unified).

Here you're comparing oranges with rotten apples.  While the sound in
Carnegie, thanks to the butchery that went on in the last "renovation",
can be classified as no more than good, Avery Fisher is still an acoustical
disaster albeit far superior to the original hall.  In order for an
orchestra to play well together the musicians have to be able to hear
well what the other members are playing.  The sound on the stage at Fisher
doesn't allow this on a consistent basis, it happens more frequently at
Carnegie and it always happens at the Verein, one of the outstanding halls
in the world.

[log in to unmask]