Re-consecration of the House

It is easy to take the concert hall for granted, perhaps because the relationship between music and space is so elusive; and yet, would the Vienna Philharmonic sound the same without the special acoustics of the Musikverein? Would operas at Bayreuth be quite so special if they were performed in an ordinary theatre? While an excellent orchestra will almost certainly sound excellent anywhere, the nature of the concert hall – not merely its acoustic properties, but the cumulative weight of history and the indefinable sensation of being there – can have the power to elevate a performance in ways that are rarely considered. Thus, on the occasion of its 50th birthday, it is worth saying a few words in praise of Hans Scharoun’s Philharmonie. Since its opening in October of 1963 – with an auspicious performance of Beethoven’s Ninth under Herbert…