Berlin is already fortunate to possess numerous wonderful concert venues; yet the new Pierre Boulez Saal – conceived by Daniel Barenboim, designed by Frank Gehry and named for the titan of twentieth-century music who passed away at the beginning of last year – fills the need for a space where solo recitals, Liederabende and smaller chamber concerts can take place on a more intimate scale. In the course of its opening concert this past weekend – a three and a half hour programme spanning from Mozart to the present day – the Boulez Saal established itself as an essential addition to the city’s musical life.
Located in the centre of Berlin, next to St Hedwig’s and Knobelsdorff’s iconic Staatsoper, the outside of the hall bears traces of a neoclassical past, but has been completely gutted and remodelled over the past half-decade. Yet the…
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