Cultural Centre could be so much better
Are we really the city of culture we like to imagine? David Tang's article ('Artistic merit', June 24), prompts me to write about our Cultural Centre, in particular.
Earlier this month, we were blessed with performances by two world-class artists, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Emanuel Ax. They can fill performance halls around the world but, in both cases, our own auditorium was not full. One wonders what they must think of Hong Kong audiences.
I have long felt that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department does a lacklustre job of managing Hong Kong's performance venues and Sir David is right that before we think about West Kowloon we need to invite professionals from abroad to teach us how to manage them in a better way.
Let's look at the Cultural Centre:
Seating behind the stage is usually empty. If these seats are not offered for sale, I would like the department to explain why. Surely they can be offered as standby at cheap prices, half an hour before the performance, or offered free to students. I would like to think there were many people in Hong Kong who would have enjoyed the performances of Mutter and Ax, but could not afford the ticket price;
There is virtually no seating in the lobby, so arriving early is not an option;
