The world’s newest concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, opened on Jan. 11. The work of architects Pierre de Meuron, Jacques Herzog and
Ascan Mergenthaler, the structure looks like a futuristic sailing vessel – a fitting visual reference for this historic Hanseatic port. The 2,100-seat hall, built on top of an old cocoa warehouse, stands on an island on the city’s waterfront.One of the first English-language reviews, from Rick Fulker of the Deutsche Welle radio service, suggests that while the hall may not be a place for those with a fear of heights – “[t]he rows of seats ascend in wine terrace form so sharply that my knee was higher than the head of the man seated in the row in front of me” – musical sound is “mercilessly clear,” even for those seated far from the stage:
http://www.dw.com/en/space-time-and-the-elbphilharmonie/a-37102138
(via http://www.slippedisc.com)
The New York Times’ Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim reviews the opening-night concert . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/arts/music/review-first-concert-at-elbphilharmonie-hamburg-germany.html
. . . and provides background on the costly, controversial project and its striking results:
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/arts/music/elbphilharmonie-an-architectural-gift-to-gritty-hamburg-germany.html