De Duif, Amsterdam

Concert: PORTICO QUARTET. Seated concert in this incredible church building. The acoustics helped convert their immersive sounds. It was hard to stay seated during the climax passages of the music. A single performer performance was something I have not experienced. This format worked well for music which contains long and wandering segments. The only downside was a hiccup with the sound. A couple of times there was a loud bang before the concert started which sounded like a cable being disconnected. Another issue I had was the size and position of the sound reinforcement, It needed to be higher so offer better coverage of the whole audience. I am not sure that the small floor standing arrays were enough for the size of venue. That said, live sound always comes with restraints, maybe they had limited access to system or mounting ability. I am a tough critic in this field. A brilliant evening. Thanks to the staff, sound engineers and Portico Quartet.

Amazing venue, breathtakingly beautiful with great acoustics. Based in a former church, this has all the splendour you can expect! Watch out for very small steps around the place though, it can be very easy to miss and then trip.