Unspecified/General

The Elbphilharmonie has become the emblem of modern Hamburg, a glittering wave-crested concert hall rising from the harbour that draws visitors whether or not they ever hear a note of music. Designed by the Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, it sets a shimmering glass structure, evoking a hoisted sail, a wave or an iceberg, atop the solid brick mass of the Kaispeicher A, a 1960s warehouse on the tip of the HafenCity district. At 108 metres it is the tallest inhabited building in the city. The project grew from a private initiative in 2003, was taken over by the city, and after years of delays and spiralling costs that became a national talking point, finally opened on 11 January 2017 to acclaim that quickly silenced the controversy. Its heart is the Grand Hall, seating around 2,100 in a vineyard arrangement that wraps tiers of seating steeply around a central stage so that no listener sits far from the music. The acoustics, shaped by the renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, rely on some 10,000 individually milled gypsum-fibre panels lining the walls and ceiling, the so-called white skin that scatters sound evenly, and the hall contains a custom organ. A smaller recital hall and a studio host chamber music, jazz and recitals. Beyond the music, the building offers the Plaza, a public viewing level 37 metres up reached by a long curved escalator, where anyone can step out for a free panorama over the port, the warehouses and the city; it also contains a hotel, restaurants and apartments. Tickets to the Plaza are free though timed, while concerts span classical, contemporary, jazz and world music. Floodlit and reflecting the changing sky by day, the Elbphilharmonie is both a working cultural powerhouse and Hamburg's most photographed landmark, an essential stop even for a quick look from the Plaza. Free timed tickets for the Plaza can be reserved online in advance or, subject to availability, picked up at the box office on the day, and demand is high, so planning ahead helps. Concert tickets for the Grand Hall sell quickly and often well in advance. Guided tours of the building offer a closer look at its engineering and acoustics for those who want more than the view.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, Hamburg, Germany

Website: https://www.elbphilharmonie.de

Capacity: 2100

Opening Date: 11/01/2017