Bbc Hoddinot Hall

Hoddinot hall Cardiff was named after one of Wales’s outstanding composers Alan Hoddinot .It was opened on January 22^nd 2009 It is the long awaited new home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Previously the orchestra rehearsed and recorded in studio one at the BBC at Llandaf. This studio was originally designed for the then BBC Welsh orchestra a much smaller orchestra and there was sufficient space also to accommodate a small audience .
When the orchestra was enlarged to full symphony size the hall became unsuitable as it was much too small there was not longer space for an audience, additionally it was acoustically dead Many of the players found difficulty in playing in these conditions. In the broadcasts some reverberation had to be added electronically to add a little ‘life’ to the performance, some keen listeners could detect this addition and found it unpleasant.
The move to the new hall was a great success both to the orchestra and the fact it could not only accommodate audience of 350 .but operate as a well designed large recording studio .The attractive interior concept of the design of the hall is based on the traditional Welsh chapel.
The orchestra also continues to use the much larger St. David’s hall as the ‘orchestra in residence’