Opinion: Does an orchestra’s home hall define its sound?

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Clearly, many factors contribute to the sound of an orchestral string section: the resident culture and language, the influence of the music director, even the temporary influence of a guest conductor on a specific performance. However, something in the acoustic underpinnings of the ensemble’s sonic character remains intact. I am convinced that a major symphony orchestra’s sonic identity, its characteristic DNA, is determined by its association with its home acoustical environment.

My orchestra, the Boston Symphony, is regarded as one of the more ‘European’-sounding American orchestras. Its home venue, Symphony Hall, has a ‘shoebox’ design – a rectangular space with a raised stage at one end. Symphony Hall’s acoustics have a powerful influence on the elegant and rich sound of the orchestra’s string section, and other shoebox concert halls, such as the Musikverein in Vienna and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, have forged similar sound identities in their resident orchestras. I have noticed strong similarities in the way the Vienna and Boston orchestras sound in Symphony Hall, in comparison with other American orchestras, such as Los Angeles and Chicago…