Letter: TRAC is no place to appreciate symphony
Recently, for the first time since I moved to the Tri-Cities, I was disappointed by a performance of the normally excellent Mid-Columbia Symphony.
It may have been excellent, but I couldn’t hear it — at least not the way symphonic music should be heard.
From my seat slightly to the right of center in the TRAC arena, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony had no loud or soft passages, no left or right instruments, no front or back. The promised thunder and lightning of the second movement timpani was overwhelmed by what should have been soft passages around the loud.
All was lost in the blasting, level, monophonic sound of the right speaker tower. I can only assume that had I been seated to the left of center I would have heard only the left tower.
There could be an upside if the symphony finds renewed appreciation for the usual venue at the Richland High School Auditorium.
Whatever its perceived limitations, I have been delighted by concerts there.
Melvin McElroy, Richland
This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Letter: TRAC is no place to appreciate symphony."