Herzog & de Meuron’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany has opened after 16 years of planning and construction, which was held back by financial and legal issues. The grand opening of the concert hall, taking place on January 11 and 12, 2017, features inaugural concerts and a light display on the façade of the building.
As Hamburg’s newest cultural destination, the building was inaugurated by German Federal President Joachim Gauck, Mayor of Hamburg Olaf Scholz, architect Jacques Herzog from Herzog & de Meuron, and General and Artistic Director Christoph Lieben-Seutter.
More than 4,500 guests from Germany and abroad will take part in the opening concerts in the Grand Hall and Recital Hall today and tomorrow, including Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, various high-ranking political and cultural leaders from around the world, and 1,000 visitors who won tickets to the event, out of 220,000 entrants from 73 countries.
On both opening days, music will be made available outside of the building for all to see and hear, accompanied by a projection of colored lights onto the building’s façade.
“With its wavy lines on the warehouse foundation, the first sketches for the concert hall were first put to paper in 2001 by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. In 2003, the Hamburg populace were given their first glimpse of the development plans […] In 2007, the citizens of Hamburg approved the construction, which then began in April 2007. At the end of 2012 and after many challenges, the City of Hamburg concluded an agreement for the complete reorganization of the project with the construction company Hochtief. Since then, the project has progressed according to schedule. On October 31, 2016, Hochtief handed over the completed Elbphilharmonie to the City of Hamburg.”
A 360-degree live stream will be available on the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg YouTube page.
News via the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
