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Good noise, bad noise

Tuesday, 22nd July 2008

A short but thoughtful article about the way decibels are rising all around us. Why try to have an interesting conversation in a bar when you be can bored rigid by Dizzee Rascal? Sam Wollaston speculates that his dislike of ambient noise is a function of middle age. No doubt there's some truth to that, although I've always loathed over-amplified music. Having endured a year of a noisy neighbour twenty years ago, I'm particularly sensitive.

Oddly enough, at Nigel Kennedy's Elgar Prom on Saturday I occasionally found myself fretting that the music wasn't actually loud enough. (My hearing or those dodgy old acoustics?) I doubt that will be a problem when Haitink conducts Mahler's Sixth. I've got my tickets. Can't wait to hear those deafening hammer blows again. Stephen and I were supposed to go to Gergiev's performance at the Barbican last November, but we both cried off with a winter bug. Although I haven't heard the CD yet, the Russian's promo is good stuff - it actually makes classic music sound, er, exciting.