The major classical music venue for Rome…read more The music that is booked there is a mix. Much of it is outstanding. We have heard magic. We have heard "leave-while-you-cans". * * * Architectually, the complex is an epic fail. Italy has tremendous architecture. The Citta Della Musica most assuredly does not make the A list. * * * The Auditorium Complex was meant to be a cross between London's South Bank and London's Barbican. It is like the South Bank because there are many concert halls involved in related buildings. It is like the Barbican because the complex is Brutalist. Make that failed Brutalist. Brutalism when it works combines two fascinating aspects. 1) An exterior profile that is striking and powerful. You can't get the basic shape out of your mind. 2. Complex interweaving interiors that are non-linear, difficult to manoever, but expose interlinkages of space in non-trivial surprising ways. Rome's Citta della Musica flunks majorly on both counts. 1 Elaborated) The profiles are three egg concrete egg shapes. They look like every basketball stadium you have seen in the United States. Nothing new or exciting in the shape. The architect did not allow for what water would do to the concrete. So what was once new and resplendent and white is now gray and dingy. On a powerful form such as Boston City Hall or the Barbican, Vertical sharp ridges on the walls or other parallel forms draw water away from the concrete allowing the concrete to maintain its original color. Plus the form is bold enough to be interesting regardless of the color of the concrete. Here you just get Cleveland blah. 2 Elaborated) There is no real twisting or turning of forms. Just inconvenience with no spatial discovery. The snack bars for all of the many halls is on the far right of the complex. So for many shows, refreshments are simply too far away to get. There is no great discovery in having to walk through three identical lobbies to get to water when you are thirsty. Most of the halls involve mandatory climbing of endless stairs. And I do mean endless. And I do mean mandatory. Anyone who has been to an old school concert hall like Carnegie Hall and has bought the cheap seats knows all about climbing endless stairs to get to your seat. Nothing new or innovative here. 3) The two plusses - credit where credit is due. 3a) The lobbies are in beautiful red brick. They are high, deep, and expansive. Those are wonderful public spaces. 3b) The acoustics are outstanding. Most of the great European symphony concert halls have great acoustics. So this is not so distinctive. Still, there are some surprisingly dead concert halls in the United States. * * * For the right performance of a Haydn symphony, a Strauss tone poem or a Szymanowski concerto, none of the failed Brutalism will matter. Music assuages the imperfections of architecture.

WOW. This place is just so stunning. What a beautiful hall to listen to music in. I actually had…read morethe honour of performing here once and was wowed by the acoustics. It is probably one of the best concert halls I have ever been in. The architecture is simply amazing. Do take the time to explore around here as there are cafes, stores, etc. that you can look around in prior to the event/concert you are attending. I wish I had more time to stay in the hall and fully soak in how great it was. Do not pass on an opportunity to come here if one comes up.

This is one of the best theatres in Rome: superb programming (I've never been to a bad show in 20…read moreyears!). Excellent comfortable seating and the staff are friendly and professional. And if you arrive too early, the bar next door has a wonderful aperitivo combo that will put you in a good mood!

Waaaah! Amaluna. Ama-was-really bored! Ama want my $126 back too!…read more What a letdown. I've seen four Cirque du Soleil shows and this one doesn't even seem to be good enough to put the Cirque du Soleil name on it. The show isn't cohesive at all. It's just one act after another, all talented, and they all do something interesting and impressive for about a minute or two, and then spend the next ten or fifteen minutes doing it again, and again, and again. Enough already. The music was upbeat and I think it gave the allusion that the show was better than it really was. Oh man, this was bad. I was so glad when the show was finally over. You know it's bad when a show features someone balancing bones for fifteen minutes. I wish I was kidding about that. I was thinking of being generous and giving it three stars but I don't what Cirque du Soleil throwing these sub-par shows at us and knowing we'll still go because of their name. Another thing is they were way too lax with people taking photos during the show They were even using flash! Not good! Not safe either. It's not cheap to see this show, but the Cirque de Soleil shows are usually worth it. Not this one. One good thing about the San Pedro venue where I saw it is that free street parking can easily be found just a five-minute walk away...which is great because I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there.

This show was full of so many talented people. I loved…read moreseeing all the different acts and listening to the rocking band. The reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because of our seats. We were not in the very center, but we weren't in nose bleed seats either. From our seats we could not see the very front part of the stage. It was obstructed by one of the tent poles. It would have been nice if the web site had mentioned this before purchasing our tickets.