The Saint Matthew Passion in Bordeaux

One of the disappointing things about Bordeaux is the whole concert-hall thing.

There isn't one.

The Opera House is OK. It has about the same capacity as the New Theatre in Cardiff. We've been there to see the répé générale for Jephtha and it was fine.

But for orchestral concerts they use the Palais des Sports - it's a covered stadium. And this coming weekend they're putting on the Saint Matthew Passion.

The problem is that sports stadia are massive buildings built to accommodate thousands of people but where the acoustic doesn't matter at all. And in that building you put on a long piece of music where some parts are so intimate that you have literally a cello, a harpsichord and a voice - sometimes with shimmering strings... Other parts have two choirs and a (small) orchestra pumping out as much as possible.

Then you charge 30€ a ticket. Frankly it's not on.

They'd be better off using the cathedral. Honestly.
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