By STEVE SMITH [NY Times, 15 May 2008]

Performances of chamber music and song in concert halls too large for the purpose are a fact of life in New York. As listeners we adapt; great performances happen anyway. Still, one historical aspect of the chamber music experience — the social element, in which performers and audience members do more than share space for a time — falls by the wayside. We shuffle into a hall, sit quietly, then head for the door when the last note is sounded.