Winches and hoists for à-la-carte acoustics The repute of a concert hall stands and falls with its acoustics. In order to advance to the front rank of the classical music scene, the Tbilisi Centre for Music and Culture is undergoing costly modifications. The planning stage for the modifications to the Tbilisi Centre for Music and Culture, in Tiflis, Georgia, whose director is the worldfamous conductor and composer Vakhtang Kakhidze, took about a year and a half, and involved comprehensive acoustical measurements and modification studies. When the modifications are complete, the result will be spectacular. A highly integrated control system will make it possible to adjust the acoustic of the hall at the touch of a button to suit different orchestral situations; a sophisticated live orchestra performance, or a recording of a classical concert with genuine spatial sound quality, for instance. One of the ways to achieve the desired effects is to move a replica of the acoustically functional ceiling ornamentation. This weighty task is accomplished by two electrical rope winches. Suspended under the ceiling of the hall, they move the 30,000 kilogram ceiling element to the correct position and inclination, computer-controlled and fully automatically. Further electrical rope winches and chain hoists in the roof see to it that all the loudspeakers, microphones and spotlights are moved to preprogrammed positions, producing "à la carte" sound and lighting effects. To anchor all the electrical rope winches and chain hoists securely, the Pfaff-silberblau engineers had to completely rework and reinforce the entire supporting steel structure in the roof. They not only had to meet the usual safety standards for stage machinery, but above all they had to take one local peculiarity into consideration: the Georgian capital city, Tiflis, lies on an active tectonic fault, so all structures have to be earthquake-proof by design. To achieve this, some 70,000 kilograms of steel were used in the supporting structure the roof of the Tbilisi Centre for Music and Culture. The drives of the rope winches and chain hoists are controlled either from a central control panel in the control room, or directly from the stage. The control concept allows both the storing of complete sets of arrangements for orchestras, soloists and other types of performance, and the extension of the system to include the underfloor stage machinery. With these modifications, conductor and composer Vakhtang Kakhidze comes close to achieving his ambitious goal of making the "Tbilisi Centre for Music and Culture" one of the ten best-sounding halls worldwide. The centre was opened in 1989 under the guidance of his late father, the internationally known Georgian conductor Djansug Kakhidze. Twenty years on, the reopened Tbilisi Centre for Music and Culture will not only rise in new glory, but will also impress aficionados of classical music with its versatile acoustics. Speed Link InfoService Request more information by e-mail Reader Service No. Reader Number Email Address 01241    Tell a friend about this article:
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