Why Does London Need a New Concert Hall?

There is a debate raging in London surrounding Sir Simon Rattle's apparent stipulation that he will only consider the London Symphony Orchestra's invitation to become their new Principal Conductor if the City fathers build him a new concert hall to replace the unpopular Barbican Centre. I use "unpopular" in the sense that the hall's poor acoustics have plagued its credibility since its opening in 1982. The complex has many other shortcomings, but now is not the time to labour the point because s...