By Peggy Taylor
I had heard about it, even written about it, but I had never lived it — the new “in-the-round” or “vineyard” seating (because its rows resemble vineyard terraces) at the New York Philharmonic‘s newly reconfigured David Geffen Hall.
So, in early December, I treated myself to a seat in the steeply raked parterre section on the stage, and found myself so close to the orchestra that I could almost reach out and rub the tuba player’s head.
And given the hall’s superb new acoustics, I could hear every toot of the trumpets, every whine of the oboes, every growl of the double basses, every ping of the triangle, and every roll of the kettle drums. An added bonus was seeing all the expressions and gestures of the conductor.
Through wide, excited eyes, I followed the musicians as they filed onto the stage. I watched pianist Emanuel Ax as he shook hands with the concert master and the conductor before performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2. I could hardly keep my head screwed on as I jerked it right and left to follow the fugal entrances of every section — especially the flutes and the piccolos. I could hardly contain myself when Shostakovich’s fiery Symphony No. 12 ended and the musicians, after having acknowledged the applause of the hall, turned around, bowed to us in-the-rounders, and gave us big smiles. Afterwards, they even chatted with some of us who leaned over the parterre barrier to congratulate them.
“There’s a warmth and envelopment at the parterre level that is really present,” said Gary McCluskie, principal architect of Diamond Schmitt, the firm responsible for the hall’s successful reimagining. “It’s all about giving the audience a more intimate relationship with the music and the musicians. I love that you can zero in and focus aurally and visually on an element of the music. The quality of being inside a musical instrument, that’s our theme.”
Vineyard seating has been around since 1963 when it was first introduced by the Berlin Philharmonic. The New York Philharmonic actually used it as far back as 2005, but only for its summer Mostly Mozart Festival. In winter, it reverted to its original “shoe-box” space, “leaving the audience removed from the musicians and being spectators not participants,” McCluskie said.
If you’re looking for a great way to bring in the New Year, treat yourself to a vineyard seat at the Philharmonic. I suspect you’ll be as pleased as I was and won’t want to experience an orchestra any other way again. Concert schedules and tickets are here.
Great article and pictures!
I go to many NY Phil concerts each season and will definitely get tickets for this section for a concert!
You won’t regret it!
I’m so glad that the acoustics are still good or even improved. I like to sit in the center for acoustical reasons but maybe it’s been improved a lot.
you should’ve rubbed his head! After blowing all that tuba, he’d have loved it!
Ha! Ha! I will next time!
Lovely article, I am going to Geffen on Sunday for a concert, not the Vineyard, but still excited to see it and hear it.
They had bleacher style seating behind the orchestra for the Michael Tilson Thomas’s Young People’s Concerts.
Good to know. Thanks!
Thanks for this fun and informative article! I’ve been wondering what it’s like- haven’t tried it yet, but I will now for sure!
Thank you for this unexpected delightful article; I enjoyed your prose and pictures mightily, especially since I’ve never seen classical music performed except on YouTube, where I’ve watched Hélène Grimaud playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 repeatedly, and not because we’re both fans of wolves, but rather because it’s such a transporting performance that she, the orchestra and Beethoven created the night of 9/11, or I’ve read.
Guilty secret: I live 5 or so blocks from Lincoln Center…
Neither “Vineyard” seating in the those summer years at Avery Fisher Hall nor the Mostly Mozart Festival have anything to do with the NY Philharmonic. The seating was an innovation proposed and implemented by Jane Moss, VP for Programming of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts the producer and presenter of the Mostly Mozart Festival. It was a great success and hailed by critics.
We’ve been attending the NY Philharmonic since we were teens, and so we attended one of several ‘opening nights’ recently. We’ve been lucky to have seen all three iterations of this concert hall. This is definitely the best looking and best sounding.
A real improvement for sure . This latest iteration has been unanimously praised.
Glad to read about your experience. I play with an orchestra (the Park Avenue Chamber Orchestra) that gives what they call “Music from the Inside Out” concerts, that is concerts where the audience sits among the orchestra. Audience members report feeling more involved with the music than ever before. I’m so glad that they redesigned David Geffen Hall that way. Thanks for the report.
You’re welcome. Hope it’ll inspire you to experience it.
I was excited to hear about the improved acoustics! I would have loved to go to the Holiday Brass concert this year with my family. We’ve gone to this and other wonderful concerts in the past and wanted to do it again., But, I was shocked to learn that the lowest ticket price was $149 which means over $600 for one family to go to hear music! I am saddened by this as there are many. musicians in my family and I want our family to experience more of the Philharmonic. But these are definitely prices that most families could never afford.