Down with the ridiculous experiment of placing the second violins on the right! I refer, of course, to Daniel Barenboim’s new arrangement of the string sections of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Maestro Barenboim may be a great conductor, but an acoustician he is not. The new layout may sound good from the podium, but from out in the hall the second violins are almost totally inaudible, which is not surprising since their sound boards are facing away from the audience.
At a recent performance of Beethoven symphonies (which I heard from the middle of the main floor), the second violins became apparent only when the first violins were silent– and then they stood forth with almost comic-book clarity.
Another suggestion: For chamber music, abandon the terrace seating and place reflector screens behind the musicians. In the ongoing Symphony Center Beethoven Quartets series, the hall’s tendency to swallow strings (even when facing the right way) has defeated all but the hardiest performers.
