Hamburg and Paris: let music flow along rivers
Europe sees boom of concert halls
Over the past few years the world witnessed a boom in the construction of concert halls in a few European capitals and major cities. If this meant the popularity of music had reached its peak and that the concerned authorities and the societies had dug themselves in, I would be only extremely happy.
However, if there was a competition between cities it would build something more special, even phenomenal just like a year or a few months ago. This is a reward for music, for music lovers, for musicians and development of culture in societies.
Since everybody likes to be unique and some projects even work on parallel ideas I was excited about one such project — the one built in Paris.
Nobody had expected Paris with its rich history for music suffering from the shortage of concert halls. However, finally we saw the construction of two halls; one is the Philharmonie de Paris which was completed in 2015 with a capacity of 1,900 seats, a large music museum, etc, in the North District, near the City Centre but the anxiety of music lovers could do harm to the frequency.
The sound of music of the opening season had hardly died down; and we were awaiting the opening of another concert hall — La Seine Musicale, built on the Seguin Island, west of Paris.
It is being built in place of the old Renault car factory, where at one time 23,000 people worked for 63 years. It looks like an egg shaped ship on the river but with industrial reminiscences.
The auditorium has a 1,150 seats capacity in addition to 6,000 seats for fans of pop and rock. There are also recording studios, exhibition halls and shops. The construction cost is believed to be around 170 million Euros and built by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and Frenchman Jean de Gastines.
The manager of the project, is Jean-Luc Choplin (name sounds symbolically like Chopin+Joplin, isn’t it?) says every kind of music ‘from Handel to Jimmy Hendrix’ will be presented there. ‘Nobody will be excluded. All treated equally.’
Simultaneously Hamburg, in Germany saw the construction of the world icon and national architecture Elbphilharmonie also built on the River Elbe. The Germans lovingly call it ‘Elphie’. The project to everyone’s expectations has exceeded time and the cost factor. The completion was delayed by seven years and has reportedly cost 886 (instead of 50) million Euros. This is how it all began.
At the end of 20th century the city authorities decided to transform Speicherstadt, the largest warehouse district in the world which has been awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015 into a modern habitableoffice district Hafen City.
In an attempt to revitalize the inner city area, the Hamburg government initiated the development of the Hafen City area, for example with the construction of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall.
Today in the modernized area there are the most expensive apartments in the whole town. On the West corner of the peninsula there is the huge Caesar Granary — red brick block storage for cocoa, tobacco and tea. The giant storage facility would have been turned into a corporation office but for New Yorker, architect and developer, Alexander Gerard and Austrian historian of art, Jana Marko it got transformed it into a concert hall.
At first their idea was rejected as too much extravagant. However, the project took off on the recommendation of Swiss Winners of Pritzker Prize (architectonic Nobel!), Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, authors of Allianz Arena in Munich and Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Herzog took the Granary picture and scribbled something on the roof, looking like a lie detector graph.
The project is 110 meters high glass skyscraper in the port, with the shape of huge sails or waves built on the old red block conquered the mind of Lord Mayor who convinced the city parliament.
The project started in 2007 and the plan was to complete it in 2010 but at that time only the sketch was ready. Then there was the difficulty of building it, because it is covered on three sides by river extension. There were huge expectations to have everything the best, most unique, exceptional — so it cost much time and money.
One window which can withstand 600 C cost 20,000 Euros. The edifice takes the appearance of a chameleon. In the morning it changes to blue color which it derives from the morning blue sky. In the evening it looks orange to go with the dusk and in the night it is bright taking the effect of the interior lighting.
The acoustic of the concert hall is in the shape of vineyard and was built by the famous Japanese Yasuhisa Toyota. Yasuhisa is known for creating such masterpieces — masterpieces such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, the abovementioned Paris Philharmonic and Concert Hall of National Symphonic Orchestra of Radio and TV in Katowice, Poland.
I was there for the opening ceremony and I’ve personally met the guru of the modern acoustic. He covered the walls with ‘white leather’ and 11,000 irregular panels costing 15 million Euros instead the original 3.5 million.
The effect is so great that it is impossible to prevent people from gossiping with the neighbors. Everything what is said is contrary to the truth about the huge hall.
Seven years after the idea was born, the project was completed in 2017. No wonder: the new Berlin Airport is still under construction for the past 11 years, not to mention the legendary cathedral of Antonio Gaudi and Sagrada Familia in my favorite Barcelona which is being continuously renovated since 1882.
Even the escalators are the longest in Western Europe — 82 meters long (it takes 2 minutes 37 seconds) to reach from one end to the other. This is in addition to the 10,000 white silver aluminum panels (one by one meter long) which forms the wave-like roof.
The main Concert Hall has 2,100 seats, in addition to the chamber halls, rehearsals rooms, hotel, luxury apartments, restaurants, parking lots and shops. Because of its really unique character and combining all world records this is the most expected concert hall in Europe.
This season all the tickets for the concerts have been sold out. The ‘Desperados’ try to buy tickets on the black market: tickets for one of the inauguration concerts — piano recital by Chinese star and world pianist, Lang Lang has shot up to 3,240 Euros each (data from tickets auction).
The tickets were put up for sale on Feb 15 for 2017/2018 season. The demand has increased a few times more. When the press Director Christoph Lieben-Seutter asked ‘When do you expect to have the first concert the tickets for which have not been sold yet,’ the answer was prompt, ‘In Spring 2019’.
A crowd of Hamburg citizens and tourists are trying to buy tickets even for the Plaza. This is the point connecting the granary with the new building — an exceptional place the same like the philharmonic reception hall, hotel’s lobby, restaurant and open terrace from where it is possible to see the controversial St Pauli District and people walking on the Elbe river boulevards.
Crash test
One of the inauguration concerts was performed by the ensemble of a German legend of alternative scene, ‘Einsturzende Neubauten’, a pioneer of industrial rock, playing on historical instruments.
They were the first performers out of the classical music stars who were invited for the opening gala. (NB: They had to repeat the concert the same day by public demand!) The next day the Hamburger Morgenpost daily wrote jokingly with much pride: ‘Elphie’ passed the test!’ The Philharmonic Director commented: ‘I suggested to myself to invite for the first concerts the ensemble which takes the name ‘Crashed New Buildings’ (this exactly is the translation of the name of ensemble).
Let the music flow along all the rivers not only in Paris, Hamburg and other part of old Europe. Music and rivers have something in common — always flowing, once slow and once rough but always different even at the same ... Just like life.
Editor’s Note: Cezary Owerkowicz is the chairman of the Kuwait Chamber of Philharmonia and talented pianist. He regularly organises concerts by well-known musicians for the benefit of music lovers and to widen the knowledge of music in Kuwait. His e-mail address is: cowerkowicz @ yahoo.com and cowerkowicz@hotmail.com