National Concert Hall

Burgerman55

As a long-time fan of the NCH, i feel obliged to comment on the continued decline in the standard/variety of programmes being compiled and delivered
by international standards, the NCH is rather poor
i am certain there is a vibrant market for top quality productions in ireland but the NCH is failing to grasp this
it seems as if they lack a grand plan, or indeed a vision for the organisation

Any comments?

fonpokno

What kind of things would you rather they show? Are you talking about musicals specifically or just the NCH itself?

I love the concert hall and I go as often as I can afford it. Plenty of it I wouldn't be interested in. For instance I wouldn't be interested in trad music or a few particular composers and performers but I go to what I like.

Also by international standards, the vast majority of professional musicals performed in Ireland are desperately bad.

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say tbh.

Burgerman55

fonpokno wrote: »

Also by international standards, the vast majority of professional musicals performed in Ireland are desperately bad.

is that some form of excuse for the NCH?

my comments are more NCH general than musical specific on reflection

fonpokno

So what would you rather the NCH have on?

star-pants

So you just don't like the place or don't like what they show?

Burgerman55

i think they're caught in a time warp to be honest
programmes are very dated, therefore the typical customer is at least mid 40's +
this is an exception to most comparative services in europe, Aus and the US
they've been plodding along for the last 15 / 20 years IMO

fonpokno

Ah I see what you mean yes. Indeed they could really expand the type of people they have there.

I saw Duke Special in concert there with the NSO and it was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. It's such a perfect venue for artists like him, intimate but spacious. It was something else.

Having said that I think most young people wouldn't really rate the NCH anyway, they would associate it with classical "fuddy duddy" stuff and therefore wouldn't even think to check what's on there. It's a vicious circle of sorts.

I still love the Concert Hall though. I've never been to a concert that I didn't enjoy, I've performed there and the staff are always so helpful. Overall I think it works but they could do with some more modern concerts I guess.

paulkellypix

I think I might shed some light on things!

The National Symphony and Concert Orchestras are run and managed by RTE. http://www.rte.ie/performinggroups/index.html

The music choice is made by the Orchestras and not the NCH.

You could hire the NCH yourself for a lot less than you think and sit on stage ranting like a lunatic for hours.

The NCH have to sell the place as a venue - and are competing with Helix, UL, Cork Opera House etc. for the BIG names.

Sure, we would all like to see Berlin Phil, New York Symphony etc. every month, but is the NCH attractive enough for them to come?

Paul