Germany’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall celebrates fifth anniversary
Florence Lockheart
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
Tonight's live-streamed gala concert will celebrate the anniversary as part of a nine-day festival.
(c) Philip Loeper / Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
The Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg’s acclaimed concert hall, celebrates its fifth anniversary today with a gala concert and nine-day festival. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, the hall was opened in 2017 by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the then Mayor of Hamburg.
Since then, the Elbphilharmonie has attracted over three million audience members, trebling the number of concertgoers in Hamburg and boosting the city’s cultural reputation. The hall has also hosted more than 2,900 concerts, contributing to an annual combined audience of 1.25 million between the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle.
Dr Carsten Brosda, the city’s minister for Culture and Media, said: ‘Thanks to the Elbphilharmonie with its inspiring architecture and its varied, high-quality programme, Hamburg’s image as a city of art and culture has become much more pronounced both nationally and internationally.’
The Elbphilharmonie is located on the River Elbe at the western tip of Hamburg’s HafenCity development project. It’s viewing platform, which gives panoramic view of the city has attracted 14.5 million visitors to date and the hall’s construction has had a positive effect on Hamburg’s wider tourist industry.
At tonight’s gala concert (11 January), the hall’s resident orchestra NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (conducted by Alan Gilbert) will perform a programme of contemporary music by John Adams, Thomas Adès and Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The concert is part of a nine-day anniversary festival which started on Sunday (9–17 January) and will be live-streamed worldwide for free on the Elbphilharmonie website at 8pm tonight.
Christoph Lieben-Seutter, general and artistic director of the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted that, after a long period of uncertainty, the 5th anniversary concerts can actually take place with only a few cutbacks and in front of a full house.’
You can find out more about the Elbphilharmonie on the concert hall's website.