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Concert Hall on the Elbe: Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie Opens Its Anniversary Season
🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Concert Hall on the Elbe: Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie Opens Its Anniversary Season

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth From a news agency Context piece
  • Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie begins its anniversary season with pianist Alexandre Kantorow, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and conductor Manfred Honeck performing Brahms and Shostakovich.
  • The concert hall opened in 2017 after a 14-year process marked by rising costs, construction problems, safety concerns and protests.
  • Hamburg officials and the venue’s director say the Elbphilharmonie has broadened access to classical music and strengthened the city’s cultural appeal.

Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie is opening its anniversary season with Brahms and Shostakovich, celebrating a concert hall that took 14 years to move from an architectural idea to a completed landmark.

Pianist Alexandre Kantorow will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Manfred Honeck will conduct. People who could not secure tickets can watch the concert through a livestream in the Elbphilharmonie media library.

The building’s distinctive shape first emerged more than 20 years ago in the ideas of several architects. Herzog & de Meuron presented the first design in 2003, centered on a “Glass Wave” rising above the old Kaispeicher warehouse in Hamburg’s HafenCity. “The design conquered the world. That would not have happened with another one,” Elbphilharmonie General Director Christoph Lieben-Seutter said as the venue began its tenth season.

The design conquered the world. That would not have happened with another one.

— Christoph Lieben-SeutterThe Elbphilharmonie’s general director discussed the impact of the building’s original design.

The path to the opening concert on Jan. 11, 2017, brought major cost increases, disorder at the construction site, safety concerns and protests. Hamburg nevertheless completed the project. With its glass façade and concert hall resting on 362 steel spring assemblies, the Elbphilharmonie became a city landmark and an important destination for musicians from around the world.

Lieben-Seutter and Hamburg Culture Senator Carsten Brosda say the venue was intended to make music accessible to everyone, including people who would not normally attend a classical concert. That openness may mean applause sometimes comes at “inappropriate” moments, and not every visitor arrives in a dark suit, tie or evening dress. Brosda said first-time visitors are often so enthusiastic that they want to return and recommend the hall to friends. “That is the greatest thing one can say about the building,” he said. He also described the Elbphilharmonie as a new hub in Hamburg’s cultural network and a gift that has helped make the city more attractive.

That is the greatest thing one can say about the building.

— Carsten BrosdaHamburg’s culture senator described the enthusiasm of first-time visitors.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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