In the last couple of months I’ve gotten to discover a couple of the nicer (and non-food related) spots in Worcester: namely, Mechanics Hall (located downtown) and Tuckerman Hall (which is a little closer to home). Mechanics, where I heard Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra in November, is one of the finer concert venues I’ve been to in New England, even if the concert hall serves as an all-purpose meeting place (and I almost knocked my seat over a couple of times trying to lean back). Tuckerman, where I caught Trio con Brio Copenhagen on Wednesday night, is a gem – its intimate size makes it particularly ideal for chamber music performances like the one I heard. Aside from great acoustics, one of the other nice perks of these halls is the fact that ample free parking is to be found all around them. Now, if only we could get the Chicago Symphony, New York Phil, International Contemporary Ensemble, and others to come through Worcester we’d really have something to get worked up about. (And this isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem: in the ’50s and ’60s, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra were annual inhabitants at Mechanics – though I can’t imagine anything too exciting like that happening in the next year or so while Becca and I are still sure to be here.) At any rate, both the performances I’ve caught so far in Worcester were excellent, and, if you’re ever in the area, the venues are more than worth checking out; my review to Trio con Brio’s offering can be found here.
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