Here are some pictures taken around the building and outside.
Panorama view stitched together of the entire hall - from Orchestra level
You wouldn't doubt that I sat at least for a while in one of the best seats in the house, right? Above the orchestra in one of the Founder's Boxes. The temporary chairs were less than comfortable. The real seats were very nice.
Nashville skyline from the Third floor exterior balcony
Sunset over the Renaissance Hotel. I'm so glad this shot came out. I love it. The night was perfect. The weather was amazing. The view was.. wow. I'll get to the music in a minute.
View of the back of the concert hall from center- Orchestra level. That's an audio testing dummy.
Thanks video capture! Here's the skyline at night. Again, the view was from the third floor exterior balcony
We moved around between each act so that we could experience the sound and visuals from as many different angles as possible. This was the view of the entire hall from the third level (you know, the seats we could actually afford during the year.)
One of the volunteers escorted us into the Founder's level. My jaw dropped, my eyes got big and I let out a gasp with a loud "WOW!" she just started laughing and said "you have the best expression! I think you win." It is reminisent of the great concert halls in Europe without being overly stuffy or formal. It has a very accessible feel to it (meaning that Liz Garrigan's attempt at starting a class war between the Symphony and its downtown neighbor the Sounds stadium is all for naught. Sure, it's upscale but I certainly felt very comfortable there. And their selections for the 2006-07 season will have something for everyone - kids, classical music lovers, Belle Meade folks, movie freaks, gospel fans, and dance geeks like me.)
Let me say this - the sound was amazing. Breathtaking. A feast for your ears. I cannot put into words how good the performance was. You will just have to go. Alot of thought and care was put into the acoustics and there is no bad seat from that perspective. There are some better seats visually (i.e. being able to see the conductor and his expressions), but you go to the symphony to hear the band anyway, right?
Full set of photos can be found here.
