Bayern - Restarting plans for a Munich concert hall's construction is underway.
The process for a Munich concert hall is starting from the ground up. This was determined by the Bavarian administration on Tuesday. "The concert hall is in the works, but it will be a million-euro endeavor rather than a billion-euro one," stated Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) following the cabinet meeting. The objective is to achieve success by 2036. "We're creating a brand-new plan instead of simply reworking the existing one." This method is less expensive and quicker. "We've reduced some of the extras. There will be less surrounding it," he said.
Concerning the details, Arts Minister Markus Blume (CSU) revealed that the planning will revolve around a massive concert hall with 1,900 seating places, while the second small hall that was previously designed should not be included. Moreover, savings will be made in terms of office and storage spaces, as well as the underground parking garage. The new construction venture will be around a third smaller in terms of space compared to the previous scheme. "We're concentrating on the fundamentals," said Blume.
Later, Blume provided additional details: "Architecturally, we're beginning afresh, but conceptually, we can utilize the key components of the previous scheme." This includes the main hall with its stage and its technology, as well as other areas like the musicians' dressing rooms, sound and image studios, or workshop rooms. "We don't need to start from scratch with these points; we can build on the previous planning."
Söder ordered a "thinking pause"
The cultural project, which Söder dubbed a "beacon" on Tuesday, has been debated for many years and has frequently been the subject of conflict. The Bavarian state government decided to construct a concert hall in Munich's Werksviertel in 2016. It was intended to serve as the venue for the highly regarded Bavarian Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra (BR). At that time, the costs were estimated to be around 400 million euros. When it became clear that the project would be considerably more expensive, Söder ordered a "thinking break."
This has now ended. The result: "The world has altered completely," said Söder. "Not everything we wanted to realize for ourselves several years ago can be implemented one-by-one," stated Blume regarding the current cost estimate for the previous proposals. It is currently 1.3 billion euros. "A project of this size is not accountable in these times," he stressed. The new plan should only cost half as much.
"The design approach is quite suitable," said Blume. Therefore, there will be a new tendering process, along with a fresh architectural design. "Everything should be overseen by a single entity," said Blume. He guarantees "high planning and particularly high cost certainty."
The taxpayers in the Free State have already spent a substantial amount of money on the previous plans: according to the Konzerthaus Foundation, it was already 27 million euros by 2022.
Conductor Sir Simon Rattle full of excitement
The Intendant of the Bavarian State Opera, Katja Wildermuth, praised the "practical and sustainable approach" of the government on Tuesday and said: "It's great news that the concert hall project is progressing rapidly." Renowned conductor Simon Rattle, who has served as the chief conductor of the BR Symphony Orchestra since the current season, was also thrilled: "How fantastic that the long-planned concert hall is finally underway," he was quoted as saying in BR reports. "We are all aware of the many difficulties of our time. The prospect of a house dedicated to music in the 21st century - with outstanding acoustics as well as a technical setup that satisfies today's and tomorrow's needs - fills me with optimism." He promised assistance in ensuring that the project proceeds quickly, not slowly: "We'll contribute in any way we can: to ensure that Project Presto—and not Andante—moves forward swiftly."
Söder reaffirmed the decision for the concert hall as a "clear statement in favor of high culture." "Now it's time to break ground."
