The State Hermitage informs about the results of the sound level measurements during the concert of Madonna

3 August 2009, the press service of the State Hermitage informed:

August 2, 2009 a two-hour concert by Madonna took place on Palace Square.

The staff of the Technical Department of the State Hermitage and XXI Century LLC, a specialized laboratory having state accreditation, measured the sound and vibration levels on Palace Square, in the halls of the General Staff building and the Winter Palace during the rehearsal and the concert itself.

The measurements showed that the sound level did not exceed the normal level in the halls of the museum during the rehearsal; however, on Palace square the level of sound exceeded the limits at times, the maximum sound level reaching 98.5 dB.

During the concert the maximum sound level on Palace Square reached 106.4 dB. This is the maximum deviation from the standard sound level in the last 5 years of measurements; the sanitary norms (85 dB) have been exceeded by 25%. In the halls of the Winter Palace the sound level ranged from 71 to 101 dB depending on whether the ventilation windows were closed or opened, while the norm is 85 dB.

The vibration level measurements in the halls of the General Staff building showed no violations. The range from 59 to 70 dB is well within the sanitary norms for industrial vibration, vibration in residential and public buildings.

The vibration level measurements carried out in the halls of the Winter Palace showed that the norms had been observed. The maximum level of 84 dB could be regarded as a substantial violation.