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Has anyone experienced the Elbphilharmonie hall yet?


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The Elbphilharmonie is located in Hamburg, Germany. Since Hamburg is a fairly large city I would expect someone has experienced the hall, maybe not so many Americans, it is Winter and Hamburg is not a primary tourist destination.

In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake ~ Sayre's Law

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I've only been to the open lobby, called Plaza. I just love the place. If you are in Hamburg, it is a must see.

 

The chances of anybody actually having attended a concert are very slim since the concerts started only 3 days ago (and tickets are sold out until summer).

 

I have tickets for end of March and am very much looking forward to that.

 

The very first recording ever made there was just released right now. It is the Elbphilharmonie orchestra (formerly know as NDR Sinfonieorchester) lead by the talented Thomas Hengelbrock, playing, very obviously the most famous local composer, Brahms 3 & 4. I just listened to it this afternoon on Qobuz. Quite a nice recording actually.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

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Been too generous with the zero's.

700m over budget, that's ten times the amount that was originally planned..

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

Ah, it was a Pentagon/NATO project I see. Ah well, what would the American tax payer do if he was not $paying$ for the defense of western europe? :)

Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math!

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rodrigaj:

Thank you very much indeed for letting me to know such an impressive auditorium.

I've been watching and listening to the videos in YouTube. Although the sonic quality is limited in that medium (so no conclussions about hall acoustics), one thing is very evident for me: sadly the NDR Simphonieorchester plays now quite below the musical level it had when conducted by, for example, Günter Wand. A comparison with videos of the Berliner Philarmoniker conducted by various maestros (Karajan, Rattle, Levine, Janssons, etc) makes the NDR SO bite the dust, no matter if the concert hall is out of this world.

I'm affraid that quite a lot of an orchestra's performance relays in the misterious art of conducting.

 

VenturaRV

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Here's an impressive video made with some drones:

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

It looks a bit like a mix of Sidney Opera house and the new Opera house in Oslo Snöhetta for the exterior architecture and the interior seems to have been based on the Philharmonie in Berlin.

There seem to be lots of seating capacity and if they are all sold out for months, there at least seems to be some hope for classical music and concerts at least in Germany.

Another architecture wise interesting hall both exterior and interior with excellent acoustics is the Esplanade theatre and concert hall in Singapore.

They also happen to have a world class orchestra and concerts there are often sold out too.

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rodrigaj:

Thank you very much indeed for letting me to know such an impressive auditorium.

I've been watching and listening to the videos in YouTube. Although the sonic quality is limited in that medium (so no conclussions about hall acoustics), one thing is very evident for me: sadly the NDR Simphonieorchester plays now quite below the musical level it had when conducted by, for example, Günter Wand. A comparison with videos of the Berliner Philarmoniker conducted by various maestros (Karajan, Rattle, Levine, Janssons, etc) makes the NDR SO bite the dust, no matter if the concert hall is out of this world.

I'm affraid that quite a lot of an orchestra's performance relays in the misterious art of conducting.

 

VenturaRV

 

The NDR never was an orchestra that was at the same level than let's say the BPO, even in the Wand days. Wand just really worked his magic (and I've seen him live with this orchestra several times).

.

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Here are some thoughts about some of the comments:

 

First the lack of worldwide awe, wonderment and "news" about such a fabulous hall: in this day of modern pop venues, where little cities are temporarily constructed to house light shows, mega amplification, cloud burst, moving stages, etc... really good concert halls are no longer big news. The critical masses view them as wasted taxpayer money. Good luck to Simon Rattle as he heads back to the UK.

 

Over budget concerns: good acoustics always runs into overage. Better to do it right from the beginning than to disappoint and tear down (Avery Fisher Hall / David Geffen Hall) and still not get it right.

 

Acoustics: What little I could find indicates that they got it right.

 

Regarding the NDR: If you build it they will come. Gunter Wand showed it can be done. Wait and see what talent this hall will attract. I have great hopes.

 

Finally, if you live in Germany consider yourself lucky, on so many levels. Great orchestras and halls being just one.

 

These are just the comments of a classical music lover, that has subscriptions to Medici TV and Digital Concert Hall. I am by no means an expert.

 

"The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought", Sir Thomas Beecham. 

 

 

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The NDR never was an orchestra that was at the same level than let's say the BPO, even in the Wand days. Wand just really worked his magic (and I've seen him live with this orchestra several times).

.

I agree with you.

So, let's compare the NDR SO with itself: now and before.

The result will be quite the same, as far as I can see and hear HOW the musicians play.

A clue: find out how many times they look to their scores and how frequently look to the conductor.

 

VenturaRV

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I agree with you.

So, let's compare the NDR SO with itself: now and before.

The result will be quite the same, as far as I can see and hear HOW the musicians play.

A clue: find out how many times they look to their scores and how frequently look to the conductor.

 

VenturaRV

You may be right. In the last 20 years, in the region Bremen under Paavo Järvi developed much better than the Hamburg orchestra.

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Build a wall?

 

I don't think so...such a thing would not an order of magnitude over budget like a proper Pentagon project...no, much better to build a few fighters/ships/missiles that cost billions and billions and billions each ;)

 

Just to be clear, I meant nothing other than sarcastic humor in my OP! :) Of course, it did rest on the very real fact that more and more Americans are tiring of $paying$ for the defense of Western Europe - such things are part of what drove Trump to victory (whom I did not vote for)...

Hey MQA, if it is not all $voodoo$, show us the math!

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I don't think so...such a thing would not an order of magnitude over budget like a proper Pentagon project...no, much better to build a few fighters/ships/missiles that cost billions and billions and billions each ;)

 

Just to be clear, I meant nothing other than sarcastic humor in my OP! :) Of course, it did rest on the very real fact that more and more Americans are tiring of $paying$ for the defense of Western Europe - such things are part of what drove Trump to victory (whom I did not vote for)...

 

Probably, but isn't west Europe paying for america's failing foreign policies? Iraq comes to mind, Isis too

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

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