Take a look at most major cities and they will all have one thing in common; they all benefit from grand concert halls that are visually incredible.
Even though the “magic” takes place within the four walls, it’s outside which tends to capture just as much attention. Many of these buildings have stood for decades, if not longer, and won countless awards for the way they are both designed and eventually preserved.
Today’s post is going to take a look at some of these concert halls, honing in on some of the best in the world to travel to. However, we’re not going to look at them from their exterior, but more from what happens inside. In other words, which concert halls allow for the best music to be played within them via the use of acoustics. This is clearly something that’s an important trait, and perhaps defines the good architects from the greats when it comes to this niche.
One man who has vast experience when it comes to this type of building is Abraham Cababie Daniel. Bearing this in mind, we have asked his opinion on the best concert halls, and here are the ones that he thought were worthy of a mention.
Musikverein, Vienna, Austria
At this point, most people will have probably been expecting the Sydney Opera House. Like we alluded to previously, this post is all about design by acoustics and there’s no doubt that Musikverein in Vienna ticks so many boxes in this regard.
This is something which can even turn ordinary music into something utterly beautiful, just through the way the chords react with the whole interior. Experts believe that the shape of the Musikverein (it’s a rectangle) and the fact that it’s small really contribute this, with the hall having 1,744 seats. However, something that further sets it apart from the rest is the high ceiling and the internal surfaces which are anything but orthodox. This means that music reacts much more differently than most other halls in the world.
Symphony Hall, Boston, United States
Next on the list is one which might be slightly more renowned than the previous suggestion, but it’s still no Sydney Opera House.
Symphony Hall is somewhat larger, having 2,625 seats. The design of this is particularly interesting though and while it might have been designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was through the help of a Harvard professor where the hall has really excelled. Professor Wallace Clement Sabine implemented new building techniques which were able to increase the reverberation time within the environment. These steps have seemingly transformed it into one of the best centers for acoustics in the world today.
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
We are going to conclude today’s piece by heading over to Germany. The Elbphilharmonie may have only opened in 2017, but its design has certainly raised a few eyebrows and it’s going to be interesting to see how it compares against traditional halls that are based through the world. Whilst small in size, it has still managed to include 2,100 seats, in a design which can only be classed as unique.