Acoustics defended

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 3

Acoustics defended

I z I i H. The chairman of the Christchurch Town! Hall-Board has dismissed recent criticisms of acoustics in the hall. 3 . Sir| Hamish Hay said the hall had drawn praise from international musicianslsuch as Leonard Bernstein and Sir Yehudi Menuhin. 1T ;am fed up with comments and remarks by someone who has only been here [for five minutes and wasn’t even conducting in the hall,” Sir Hamish said of Erich Bergel, the judge at last Saturday's National Concerto Competition final. Mr Bergel criticised the acoustics of the hall after the final. |

Sir Hamish said some improvements were made a fewiyears after the opening of the hall in 197£. In 1978 a saucershaped reflector was installed above the stage. | “Since then we have not had criticisms. This one comes out of the blue,” Sir Hamish said. I ■ , j The board had no plans td do anything more to the auditorium because it had not received criticism of it} “But if there is some modification at not too great a cost we wotjld look at it. We A would be guided by; experts in rather than anyone else.”