“I’ll never forget the first sounds I heard in the Meyerson Symphony Center,” writes Scott Cantrell in Thursday’s (5/23) Dallas Morning News. In September 1989, “I was part of an international contingent of music, architecture and travel writers at the opening of architect I.M. Pei’s first—and ultimately only—symphony hall. Pei’s death on May 16, at age 102, brings back those memories. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for one of the Meyerson’s inaugural concerts…. Even through the construction clatter, the musical sound was almost unimaginably rich and spacious. It was immediate in impact, but with a glorious glow of reverberation. Thirty years later, week after week, I still marvel at the acoustics…. The interior of the lobby is an elegant—dare one say musical?—counterpoint of curves…. The Meyerson’s spectacular sonic success is thanks to an equal partnership between Pei and his colleagues and Artec Consultants, the acoustical-design firm headed by the late Russell Johnson.… Sadly, extensive water damage visible on the Meyerson’s lobby ceilings is only the most obvious evidence of years of inadequate maintenance by the city. Let’s hope this landmark building gets far better care now that the DSO is taking over its management.”
Posted May 29, 2019
