ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Finest Concert Hall In Britain

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30725, 14 April 1965, Page 10

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Finest Concert Hall In Britain

It was opened in 1939 to replace a famous hall which burned down in 1933, and it seats just under 2000. Although it is not at all a beautiful or architecturally distinguished building, it is described by the “Financial Times” critic, Andrew Porter, as comfortable to sit in and acoustically rewarding. “There is room for your knees, and the focus and ‘feel’ of audience in relation ■ to platform are ideal," he says. “And the sound is excellent. There is little reveri beration, but oddly enough the acoustics are warm and i rich as well as clear. The tone is immediate, yet not ; dry.” ORCHESTRA’S HOME The hall was built by the Liverpool Philharmonic So- ; ciety for its orchestra, which is the oldest in the country. ! When the orchestra became 1 full-time and Sir Malcolm Sargent was appointed its conductor, the ownership of the ’ hall was transferred to the ■ city corporation. Since then the orchestra has enjoyed a system of mingled public and private support and it is the only one in Britain which, like a Dutch or American orchestra, lives and works in its own hall. The Christchurch Harmonic Society will open the Liverpool section of the Commonwealth Festival by singing in the hall. The conductor, William Hawkey, said the choir was changing some of its Christchurch programmes and arranging additional concerts so that as many as possible of the works which would be performed overseas would be heard in Christchurch before the choir left.