Last night in Miami Beach, the New World Symphony inaugurated its new concert hall with a short program under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, its founder and artistic director. The architect is Frank Gehry. One notable feature of the complex is the Soundscape, an outdoor auditorium that allows passersby to see and hear performances from within the hall. A network of 167 speakers transfers the sound; live footage is projected on one wall of the building. The first simulcast will take place on Friday night, with a program of Wagner, Adès, and Copland. The amateur video above gives you a rough sense of what it's like to walk into the Soundscape from the street. The orchestra is rehearsing the Copland Third Symphony while technicians fine-tune the system outside.
