What first impressed me about the Boston Symphony Orchestra was the acoustics of its famous Symphony Hall. Located within a monumental and ornate building, the Hall gives each note a chance to resonate in all 2,625 of its seats. There is a single set of speakers above the orchestra and 20 or so microphones reach down from the ceiling like long, black vines, yet hardly any amplification is used during the concert. Listening from the orchestra section of the Hall, I felt the sound of the strings and horns encompassing me, rather than bombarding me. In any other large venue, such as a gymnasium, a violin's sound would either be swallowed up by the empty space or have so many echoes that notes would lose their precision. Neither is true in this hall, which has remained largely unchanged since it was built in 1900.

I couldn't help but look around and marvel at the intricate golden decorations and the 16 Greek and Roman statues surrounding me, not to mention the humbling 4,800-pipe organ behind the musicians. Musical attractions aside, students should visit Symphony Hall just to look at the architecture, either before a show or during one of its many tours, and see current exhibitions such as the tribute to BSO Music Director Laureate Seiji Ozawa.

Every sound was precise in last week's Underscore Friday program, which featured Korean composer Unsuk Chin's "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra" and Finnish conductor Susanna MNlkki. Sounds ranged from the soft string sections to the loud brass arrangements, from the jovial chords in Haydn's "Symphony No. 59 in A," which is also known as the Fire Symphony, to the dissonant punches in Chin's pieces.

My band teacher once told me that the best measure of an orchestra's caliber is the effectiveness of its crescendos. If this is true, then the BSO excelled last Friday, particularly in Chin's unnerving and enigmatic pieces. In fact, a man in front of me jumped in his seat during a jarring climax of Chin's second movement, "Energico."

Solo cellist Alban Gerhardt-the virtuoso for whom the concerto was written-had built up tension in the piece with jittery runs and strained phrases and was interrupted by a loud clash of notes from the percussion and brass sections. The effect was not cheap; these sudden moments, when placed in the context of the four 30-minute movements, fit into a musical narrative with clear structural statements. While the 2008 piece lacked an easily discernible harmonic or rhythmic structure-Chin employs many unfamiliar compositional techniques-the essential elements, which are the beginning, middle and end, are all present.

The night concluded with a triumphant rendition of Jean Sibelius' "Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82." Malkki's interpretation was impressive and her small, forceful frame helped the orchestra accentuate the bell-like tolling motif of the three movements. The conclusion-a return to the same joyous figure with the call of trumpets-ascended with drama until Malkki raised her arms high to signal the six final hits, ending the night with a strong and definite E-flat.