'The Symphonic Boom'

The Wall Street Journal has published an enlightening review of the book "Site and Sound," a history of symphonic concert halls that is to music geeks what stadium histories are to baseball aficionados. 

And like so many cities that overspend to keep or attract sports teams, author Victoria Newhouse tells us that a recent spate of exotic concert halls were the result of similar civic dreams. 

The book's formal title -- "Site and Sound: The Architecture and Acoustics of New Opera Houses and Concert Halls" -- comes across as stilted but Ada Louise Huxtable's review would suggest there's more than a few fascinating stories about how audio quality -- so critical to classical performances -- sometimes takes a back seat to architectural priorities as desperate locales go for form over function in pursuit of love, attention and, ultimately, revenue.