I think the quest for louder and louder musical instruments is inevitable. With larger concert halls more musical volume is needed. And as listeners experience more and more noise in their daily environments, they become less sensitive to lower volume music. And - in addition to the larger concert venues - as the ambient noise level in the halls increases due to rustling programs, coughing, talking and now ringing cell phones and beepers, more musical volume is needed to be heard. Sigh. . . But happily I can sit in my listening room at home and listen to recordings with the volume turned as low as I like.
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