NewzNEW YORK (AP) — Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin Philharmonic will be on the move.A renovation is planned for the Philharmonie, its home since 1963, and is likely to displace the orchestra from 2032-40.“It’s a huge challenge to have a different stage for us because the Philharmonie has this unique sound,” Petrenko, the orchestra's chief conductor, said during a recent Zoom news conference ahead of four U.S. concerts and its first South American tour in a quarter century. “It’s really a very difficult time.”The Berlin Philharmonic, which is among the world's top orchestras, plays in a 2,410-seat capacity main hall designed by Hans Scharoun with terraced seating.The orchestra is formulating plans for a temporary facility in hangars at Tempelhof Airport, which closed in 2008.
The cost of the renovation and makeshift hall are estimated at 1.15 billion euros (currently $1.28 billion), and the German federal government has pledged 225 million euros ($251 million).Plans are to relocate from the Philharmonie after celebrating the orchestra's 150th anniversary during the first half of 2032.“First of all, we need to find the venue and build the right acoustic for us, for our big orchestra,” Petrenko said. “It will be quite a challenge in Berlin, but yes, we are already in negotiations and I think very soon we will have a sort of, a preliminary result.”Just 5 chief conductors in 7 decadesPetrenko became chief conductor for the 2019-20 season, following Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle.Berlin opened Carnegie Hall's season last week, its 26th U.S. visit since 1955 and its third with the 54-year-old Petrenko, who has an evergreen contract rather than a fixed term.
The orchestra then headed to South America for the first time since 2000 for performances in Bogotá, Colombia, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, that run through Oct. 23.With more than 45,000 active subscribers to its Digital Concert Hall, Berlin has a worldwide audience.Unlike the Vienna Philharmonic, which has no music director and engages only guest conductors, Berlin is led by a single musician with a distinct personality.“Each of our chief conductors left something behind, which formed the orchestra,” said Andrea Zietzschmann, the general manager since 2017. “After Karajan, Claudio Abbado had much more the — his attitude was: `I’m one of you.
A renovation is planned for the Philharmonie, its home since 1963, and is likely to displace the orchestra from 2032-40. “It’s a huge challenge to have a different stage for us because the Philharmonie has this unique sound,” Petrenko, the orchestra’s chief conductor, said during a recent Zoom news conference ahead of four U.S. The orchestra is formulating plans for a temporary facility in hangars at Tempelhof Airport, which closed in 2008.
Plans are to relocate from the Philharmonie after celebrating the orchestra’s 150th anniversary during the first half of 2032. “First of all, we need to find the venue and build the right acoustic for us, for our big orchestra,” Petrenko said. Berlin opened Carnegie Hall’s season last week, its 26th U.S.
With more than 45,000 active subscribers to its Digital Concert Hall, Berlin has a worldwide audience, Unlike the Vienna Philharmonic, which has no music director and engages only guest conductors, Berlin is led by a single musician with a distinct personality. “Each of our chief conductors left something behind, which formed the orchestra,” said Andrea Zietzschmann, the general manager since 2017.
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