11/01/05

A gorgeous shrine to classical music sits right on Michigan Avenue's main drag.

by Contributor

Overview
The refurbished and expanded Symphony Center opened in fall 1997. Originally built in 1904, Daniel Burnham's 2,500-seat beaux-arts hall was the hub of classical music in the city as the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Its $110 million renovation added a pedestrian arcade and six-floor atrium with winding staircase, as well as an interactive learning center and a 250-seat restaurant; all of which have a dignified yet unstuffy and inviting ambiance.

The Appeal
There's no doubt a warmer, richer sound to the post-renovation hall, with a greater bass response in particular. Yet there appears to have been an overcorrection, resulting in a trade-off in brilliance and impact at the high end of the spectrum. The renovation efforts geared toward increasing resonance and bass response have also sheared off the top frequencies, with the result that the higher strings, especially violins, now sound thin and wiry, bleached of body, sonority and color.