David Geffen buys naming rights to Avery Fisher Hall for $100 million

Take THAT Kochs!

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Will there be a Cher coatcheck?

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Why not just condense both names? The Fisher Geffen Hall.

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I will personally get on my knees and service Mr. Geffen if the renovation actually leads to half-way decent acoustics. I HATE seeing all those wonderful concert stagings of musicals in a hall that makes all those extraordinary voices sound as if they are performing in a dunk tank.

That is its stated purpose. Hopefully, it will all turn out well, and I'll be happy to go to the David Geffen Hall.

I still sometimes call it Philharmonic Hall.

#Old #ButOldEnoughtoHaveSeentheOriginalFollies

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Geffen may be a creepy ego-maniac, but he's also undoubtedly, a very committed philanthropist of the arts. I have zero issue with this - especially given that the Fisher family obviously anticipated this eventuality by putting in a $15MM buy-out clause into their contract with Lincoln Center. Renaming Lincoln Center would be one thing, but just the concert hall? I think we'll all survive. And, yeah, it probably will happen to Geffen, too when, in 2065, they bulldoze the whole hall and build the new Blue Ivy Carter Concert Hall. And down at Parsons, 103-year old Tim Gunn will be telling the newest season of designers to choose carefully from the TJ Maxx accessory wall and send their models to the Del Taco makeup studio and the Waffle House haircare salon. Money talks.

To me it just seems laughable. Wasn't the point of redoing the hall back in the day to fix these issues? But now it still sucks? So much money wasted.

Well for $100 million dollars I'd hope it's fixable. That's a crap ton of money.

I'm very much hoping, but not expecting, that this renovation will include the installation of an actual pipe organ, which is required for some pieces (for example, the Organ Symphonies of Franck and Saint-Saëns). The Hall opened with a very fine instrument which was removed during the Avery Fisher renovation and sold to the Crystal Cathedral in California. [major, major facepalm!] Since then, when a work has required an organ, the Philharmonic has used an electronic instrument. NOT THE SAME!!!

Updated On: 3/6/15 at 03:02 AM

"Where will the NY Phil perform when Geffen is being renovated? Carnegie Hall?"

Carnegie for the most part. Other venues possible and TBA. They are estimating two years for the renovation once it starts.

"Dudamel's contract with the LA Phil runs through the 2018-19 season, so I assume we're safe and NY won't be able to snatch him away."

Your mouth to God's ears. Can't stand him. I'd still like to know the real reasons Muti turned them down during their last search, saying he wouldn't leave Italy for a long-term commitment again, and then barely a year later accepting the position in Chicago.

And I've heard -- but this is only gossip -- that the Phil Board is pulling their hair out over Gilbert's refusal to extend his contract for a year or two to cover the transition. They thought he'd take the crumbs offer but he knew they weren't going to make a long-term renewal offer on his current contract and effectively told them to shove it. In the current financial climate for the arts, no major conductor is going to commit to an orchestra that doesn't even have a home. Look at what happened to City Opera right across the plaza. I suspect they'll end up with someone like Slatkin or Dutoit coming in on a strictly interim basis while they keep searching. Or maybe not. JUST GOSSIP.

Updated On: 3/6/15 at 03:44 AM

"Aw. I'd ask what you don't like about Dudamel, but it would probably go over my head."

I generally find Dudamel slow, plodding, prone to underlining the obvious and never finding the real pulse in the music. Sort of like Solti on quaaludes. For me, he gets by on his alleged good looks and publicity machine -- but I'm an amateur musician and a dilettante and I've never heard him live, so I won't defend my opinion. If you enjoyed the performances you heard, I think that's fine and I'm glad they were good for you.

"The chances of a superstar conductor being free and willing to commit for several seasons might be slim, right?"

See the gossip I added to my post.

Updated On: 3/6/15 at 04:19 AM