The architect developed the initial version of the project back in 2000, but the construction was delayed by conservationists: in their opinion, the bright white streamlined volume of the building violates the appearance of the coast of the Amalfi region, famous for its picturesqueness.
Niemeyer, for his part, sees his work as a reflection of the surrounding landscape - the rolling hills and white houses of the locals. But it should be noted that the new Oscar Niemeyer Auditorium concert hall is designed in the individual style of the architect and does not differ much from his buildings in Brazil, for example, from the museum in Curitiba in the early 2000s or from the buildings in Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo mid 20th century. Such loyalty to once and for all established principles in our changeable era cannot but amaze, but this feature does not redeem the architect's indifference to the context.
The building with a hall for 400 seats was placed on a narrow terrace high above the seashore: the other buildings of Ravello are located in a similar way, but their more modest scale and general solution better suits the peculiarities of the location. Because of this, the main entrance to the auditorium is a narrow strip of free space leading from the side, while the building itself hangs over the cliff, which does not give it dynamics, but causes a feeling of disorder and even inappropriateness.
With great tact, the architect decided the interior space of the building. A small window opening from the sea façade is a "backdrop" for the stage of the hall, and two panoramic windows on the side facades should visually connect the audience with the surrounding space. The building was ordered by the organizers of the Ravello Music Festival, which until now had no indoor venues, and performances often had to be canceled due to the weather. But the openness to the elements and the acoustics worse than indoors were bathed in the beauty of the landscape, so it was important to preserve this feature of the festival's concerts in the new concert hall.
