The hall was built as a church in 1823 and designed by Sir Robert Smirke, architect of the British Museum. It would have been built to suit a congregation who needed to clearly hear the spoken word, but the clarity the room provides brings an unexpected benefit to 21st century concertgoers.
Ian Stickland, team leader for Charcoalblue, said he and his colleagues were initially surprised by their acoustic measurements. "Looking at the objective results of our reverberation time measurements, without knowing which room it was, we would not have rated the results very highly. However, digging deeper, we find that the clarity and detail of sound that the hall provides trumps the traditional standards for reverberation."
Byron Harrison, who leads Charcoalblue's acoustics practice, continues, "The hall triumphs in other ways, aside from reverberation time. Musicians are able to explore the full range of dynamics in the hall. Listeners can pinpoint the location of a sound.
"The narrow dimensions of the Georgian building, its modest size, lack of soft furnishings (leather seat-covering rather than fabric), the well-proportioned balcony, and mix of smooth walls and finely textured plasterwork are all contributing factors to this unusually rare acoustic."
"The hall is a favourite venue for internationally acclaimed performers including cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, the OAE, pianist Mitsuko Uchida and classical guitarist John Williams," says Suzanne Rolt, CEO and director of St George's. "They have long praised the building's 'sublime' acoustics. Now acoustic experts have confirmed that the building has qualities that give music a clarity that other concert venues struggle to achieve - putting it on a par with high profile locations such as London's Wigmore Hall, Snape Maltings and the Sage in Gateshead.
"When the musicians perform to this quality our audiences enjoy a special, spine-tingling, experience. We always knew we had something unique in St George's but it's wonderful to have it confirmed by science."
The acoustic testing was part of St George's preparation for a £5.5m redevelopment - Building a Sound Future - which will see the building extended to include new facilities for audiences, visitors and performers. Once work is completed the venue will be a fully accessible concert hall and will provide a concert-going experience to match the special qualities of the hall's acoustics. Thanks to the generous support of Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and many funders and supporters the project has secured £3.5m with a further £2m to be raised for building work to commence in spring 2016.
(Jim Evans)
