In the fall of 2017, Diller Scofidio + Renfro won a competition to design a new concert hall for the London Symphony Orchestra. The construction was initiated by the recently inaugurated SALO Chief Conductor Simon Rattle. According to the musician, there is no concert hall in the British capital that is fully suitable for the repertoire expected from a leading symphony orchestra at the beginning of the 21st century. The plan was joined by the Barbican (in its hall the SALW is based today) and the Guildhall School of Music and Theater. They were supported by the City of London Corporation (the governing body of this part of the city): it allocated funds for the preparation of a business proposal (it was presented this December) and will now give another 2.49 million pounds for further development of the architectural project, fundraising, creation of a business model and financing schemes. In 2017, the budget of the Center for Music was estimated at 250 million pounds, now we are talking about 288 million "in today's prices": this is the cost of key parts of the building, except for commercial space, which will partially cover the construction and operation of the center, allowing it to do without constant government subsidies.
The purpose of the new concert hall has now become clearer: it should be designed for musical education and training of the widest possible circle, including children and adolescents of all incomes, as well as residents of different districts of London. Digital technologies are included in the project, which will help to broadcast international concerts and educational programs. Simon Rattle emphasized that “a talent for music, love for music has never been associated with the ability to perform, hear or learn it. This is the right of every child from birth. The Center will be managed by the Barbican, which will be able to expand its cultural program (in addition to the mentioned concert hall, it has a theater, cinemas, art galleries). The Guildhall School of Music and Theater will host its new Institute for Social Impact.
The planned construction site is in
the southern corner of the Barbican complex, on the site of the Museum of London, which is moving to the Smithfield area (we wrote about the competition for its new, more spacious building). Now there is a roundabout, which makes this section cut off from the city. Instead, there will be a public space, where the steps of the amphitheater will connect it to the foyer of the Music Center and the pedestrian bridges of the Barbican, now isolated from the surrounding neighborhoods. The "permeable" lobby will be available to everyone without buying a ticket; there are planned cafes and bars, informal spaces for research and performances. Above is a concert hall for 2000 people with a stage in the center; the architects promise that there will be no "unsuccessful" places in acoustics and survey. The main purpose of the hall is to perform symphonic music, but it will host concerts of other, very different genres. A glazed gallery will be located on top: it will let the sunlight into the hall, serve as a recreational space and a platform for events. On the floors above the hall, there will be commercial areas with a restaurant and an open terrace with a panoramic view of the city, and the top of the building will be occupied by "Koda" - a small space for concerts and other events overlooking St. Paul's Cathedral.
The Music Center project is included in the concept
Culture Miles, which has already begun to unite institutionally and physically the Barbican, Guildhall School, SALW and the Museum of London under the leadership of the City of London Corporation. It is planned to create and develop pedestrian zones there, linking them with the axis of St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tate Modern. Already now, various events in the field of art are taking place there, and the commercial potential of such a "cluster" has not been forgotten either.
It should be noted that not everyone is happy with the appearance of a new concert hall in London.
Voices are heard criticizing the project for its vanity and elitism, a desire to compete with Hamburg, Paris and Los Angeles, where such buildings have appeared recently (and not painlessly): the existing halls are quite suitable for use, and 288 million pounds should be spent on the development of the musical education in secondary schools in the UK, which is in deep crisis.
