Hamburg Mayor: The Elbphilharmonie changed this city

Hamburg Mayor: The Elbphilharmonie changed this city

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norman lebrecht

November 04, 2017

At the anniversary of the concert hall’s real-time opening, the mayor made a strong statement about its impact:

Mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz: ‘The last year significantly changed Hamburg. As of today, a total of 4,235,000 enthusiastic guests have visited the Elbphilharmonie. This proves that the Elbphilharmonie has won a firm place in the hearts of both Hamburg residents and visitors from farther afield. On this day, the first anniversary of the Elbphilharmonie, I want to express my special gratitude to the architects for creating not just an exceptional building, but also one that fits so perfectly into the local landscape that it’s already impossible to imagine life in Hamburg without the Elbphilharmonie!’

Hamburg’s Minister for Culture & Media, Dr Carsten Brosda: ‘With the Elbphilharmonie, culture has gained a permanent location at the heart of the city, and millions of people, Hamburg locals and visitors alike, want to experience this exceptional concert hall. It makes me happy to see just how many people not only wanted to visit the Plaza in recent months, but have also made the entire Elbphilharmonie their own. This immense interest in culture has made its mark on the way the city sees itself, so that Hamburg is rediscovering its status as a cultural centre.’

Elbphilharmonie’s General and Artistic Director, Christoph Lieben-Seutter: »Although the inaugural concert didn’t take place until January 2017, the Elbphilharmonie already took off at the beginning of November 2016, when the Plaza, the Tube, the hotel and the catering services were opened and the Elbphilharmonie team moved into its offices. Since then, the Elbphilharmonie has been the subject of a wave of enthusiasm from visitors both local and international, providing ample recognition for everyone who worked on the project for many years.’

 

 

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    All this is, in fact, very sad.

    http://nccsc.net/essays/new-buildings-among-old

    http://subterraneanreview.blogspot.nl/2016/01/leon-krier-on-modernist-esperanto.html

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/23/exclusive-new-buildings-should-knocked-ugly-government-minister/

    The German town of Münster has been carefully reconstructed after WW II bombing. The Berlin royal palace is being reconstructed, to give something of Berlin’s identity back. In Frankfurt, the bombed city centre is being meticullously reconstructed to compensate for the ugly sky scraper skyline of its bank and business centre. And then, people get wound-up about a silly modernist concert hall where the majority of the music which is to be played there, is from a glorious past, a past which gave humanity the beauties of a superb musical art form and characteristic town scapes, reflecting the inborn aesthetic framework in the human mind.

  • Anon says:

    Good news are in high demand and politicians deliver. The city finance controllers keep asking how to cover for the humonguous budget overruns, which were mostly due to incompetence of the politicians.

  • Martin Furber says:

    A success story indeed and I can’t wait to see it. But wait I will have to. Getting tickets online is well nigh impossible! Any tips?

  • Charles S. Brown says:

    I am a musician and an avid concert goer here in New York, and I can’t wait for an opportunity to experience this marvelous structure in person. However it was achieved, the photos and videos of its startling exterior and the warm elegance of the main hall are, without question, worthy of praise. Congratulations to the people of Germany and the citizens of Hamburg.

  • Analeck Kram-Hammerbauer says:

    A total waste of money.

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