This section introduces the famous concert hall in the world that Mr. Fischer and Haydn Orchestra had played.

Felsenreitschule (Salzburg, Austria)

 The Felsenreitschule is one of the theater complex of Salzburg Festival, but it is a unique theater.

It is based on the old stable of the archbishop’s cavalry. The building was curved into the mountain Mönchsberg. In 1693 the Archbischop asked the baroque architecht Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build a stable. He designed the building with three floors and many arcades.

Felsenreitschule means “cliff riding school” in English. In those days horses were a symbol of power. The Archbishop’s best horses were trained here in this building and visitor could watch.
Later the Felsenreitschule was used as storage space, but when the Salzburg festival started, the building entered the second life as theater.

In 1933 the legendary production “Faust” by Clemens Holzmeier made the Felsenreitschule famous. Herbert von Karajan conducted Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” in 1948.

In 1969 together with the Festspielhaus large hall and small hall, the Felsenreitschule was renovated. A new roof was installed but it could be removed during hot summer. That makes a very unique theatrical effect. Since it is half outdoor theater, the accoustics is not perfect for orchestral music, but the public loves this theater.

The building shares the entrance with the Haus für Mozart and hosts 1412 seats and 25 standing places. The stage is 40 meters wide but only four meters under the stage. That makes difficulties for directors.   (11/01/2009)

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The Royal Albert Hall (London, UK)

 The Royal Albert Hall is one of the best known London arts venues. Located just south of Kensinton Garden, the Royal Albert Hall hosts more than 350 performances per year, including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet, opera, even tennis and award ceremonies.

The hall was originally supposed to have been called "The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences", but Queen Victoria changed the name as a dedication to her deceased husband Prince Albert.
It is a dome-stype hall with the roof made of glass. The hall was designed to host up to 9,000 people, but under current safety regulation, the maximum is around 5,500 including standing.
The Royal Albert Hall was opened officially on 29 March, 1871 by Queeen Victoria. Initially the accoustic was problematic. Until 1969 when a series of large fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs was installed, the hall was famous because of its strong echo.

More recently there were several renovation programms. Although thee exterior of the building is mostly unchanged, the underground entrance was improved to accept modern large vehicles.

Since 1941 the Royal Albert Hall hosts the famous summer concert series known as "The Proms". During eight weeks of the festival, more than 100 concert are scheduled in 2009. Classical lovers came here early every day during the festival, and stand in the line to get the promenade standing ticket in the stalls and gallery.

Adam Fischer and the Haydn Orchestra was appeared in the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on 7th September, 1993.   (08/01/2009)

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La Monnaie, (Brussels, Belgium)

 “La Monnaie” in French, “De Mund “ in Dutch means coins in English. The name of theater is based on the fact that it was build on the site of former mint. The first theater was built in 1700. Later in 1800s Napoleon decided to build a new theater. The neo-classical building was designed by the French architect Louis Damesme, and inaugurated in 1819.

In 1830 the King of the Netherlands lifted the prohibition on the staging of Auber’s opera The Mute of Portici. After the premier at the La Monnaie, a riot broke out and signalled a Belgium revolution, which led to independence from the Netherlands.

After the fire of January 1855, the theater was rebuilt to the design of Joseph Polaert, but façade of the theatre dates from 1819. The auditorium hosts 1152 seats, conbines French and Italian features. It is a magnificent example of Europe theater.

During 1985-86, the theater was under major renovation. The orchestra pit and the stage was totally altered by the latest theater technology, but the size of the stage was left unchanged; it is 12.6 m long (41.3 ft) and 11 m (36.1 ft) high.

The beautiful interior decoration of the grand foyer dates from 1856, designed by Poelaert. During the intermission, this space is used to serve refreshments for guests. Sometimes guests can enjoy a chamber music concert or lecture before the performance.
The theater “La Monnaie / De Munt” represents Belgium as the protector of the arts.  (05/01/2009)

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The Koncerthuset, (Copenhagen, Denmark)

This Januaryy the new venue of rock, pop, jazz and classical music opened at Copenhagen. The Koncerthuset is a part of an ambitious DR Byen project by Danish Radio.

The French architect Jean Nouvel’s large cube buiding stands beside the new Danish Radio headquarters. The cobalt-blue frontage is actually a screen. Before the evening performance, huge projections of the artists welcomes the audience.
There are four concert halls inside the building. Studio 1 hosts 1800 searts, Studio 2 has 540 seat. The capacity of Studio 3 and 4 are less than 200. In addition it is possible to have a small Jazz concert in the foyer.

Acoustic designer is Mr. Yasuhisa Toyota. His prior works include Suntory Hall, Tokyo and the Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. As the picture above shows, the largest Studio 1 is “vinyard" shaped sections completely surround the stage. With an excellent acoustic and visuals, audiences experience intimate feeling during a concert. Except the lowest stalls section, most of audience hear reflected sound. This makes ideal balance for orchestral music.

This concert hall is designed not only for performance, but also live broadcasting. The wide aisle makes easy for large TV cameras to operate. There is a director’s room under the auditorium, where the broadcasting crew can control the audio and visuals. The hall is connected to Danish Radio building with a bridge. Therefore even heavy broadcasting equipment can easily transported.

The DR Byen project was originally aimed to finish in 2006. Due to technical difficulties the project was delayed and exceeded the budget. In the end the Koncerthuset cost nearly 300 million dollars, close to the cost of Disney Hall in Los Angeles which still narrowly holds the record for being the most expensive.  (02/01/2009)

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The Brucknerhaus, (Linz, Austria)

Anton Bruckner is the most famous cultural figure from the city of Linz. The concert hall named after the late Romantic composer is also the center of Linz’s cultual life

Designed by the Finnish archetect Heikki Siren, the Brucknerhaus, Linz was opened on 24th March 1974. It is known as the home of the annual Bruckner Festival and Linz Bruckner Orchestra.

The building has three halls, all named after a famous person who lived in Linz. The largest Bruckner hall hosts 1420 seats and 150 standing place, is suitable for orchestral concerts or conferences. The mid-sized Stifter hall, named after Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter, has 350 seats good for chamber music. The smallest hall of 150 seats is called Kepler hall, named after the astronomer Johannes Kepler who lived and worked in Linz.

The Brucknerhaus is located on the bank of the beautiful Danube river. Visitor can strol the promnade in the park. There is a boat service to Vienna or Passau leaving from near by the Brucknerhaus. Since Linz will be the Europen capital of culture 2009, important events will be taken place in Brucknerhaus through out the year.   (11/01/2008)

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The Royal Opera House, (London, UK)

 The world-famous opera house in London, the Royal Opra House is sometimes called “Covent Garden” because of its location. The current ROH is the third building on the Covent Garden site. The first was opened in December 1732, but the theater was mainly for spoken drama and pantomime.

Händel is the first major composer who performed at the Royal Opera. From 1735 to his death, he visited there frequently and gave the premier of many of his operas and oratorios.

During its history, the building burnt down twice. The present building was opened on 15 May 1858 with a performance of Meyerbeer's “Les Huguenots” In those days it was called the Royal Italian Opera. Since the French and German repertoire increased, the theather changed it name to the Royal Opera House in 1892.

During the two World Wars, the theater was used as a furniture repository or dance hall. But the Royal Opera survived and re-opened on 20 Februray 1946 with the Ballet “Sleeping Beauty”.

In order to follow EU regulation, a major renewal was needed late last century. The house was closed for two and half years and just a few weeks before the EU deadline in December 1999, it was re-opened. Before the renewal the house was only for the ticket holders, now visitors can walk around and enjoy lunch at the theater restaurant. If you take a part in the informative back stage tour, you may be able to see ballet dancers practicing.

Adam Fischer has conducted several new productions here in the Royal Opera House, including “Il turco in Italia” with Cecilia Bartoli in 2005.  (08/01/2008)

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Palau de la Musica Catalana, (Barcelona, Spain)

The Palau de la Musica is an art nouveau style concert hall designed by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montane. It was built for the Orfeó Catalá chorus and was inaugurated 9th February 1908.
The concert hall, with the capacity of 2200, is the only auditorium in Europe that is illuminated during daylight hours entirely by natural light- Overhead is an enormous skylight of stained glass designed by Antoni Rigalt.
There are many sculptures above the stage. The dominant theme is choral music, which indicates that the Palau de la Musica is built for a choral society.
In 1997, the Palau de la Música Catalana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Hospital de Sant Pau. Today, more than half a million people a year attend musical performances. Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra were invited to celebrate the centenary of the Hall and performed Haydn’s masterpiece “The Creation”.  (05/01/2008)

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The Royal Festival Hall, (London, UK)

Sutuated on the South Bank of the river Thames, the Royal Festival Hall is one of the important venues of classical music scene in London. It is within the South Bank Centre close to Hungerford Bridge.
The Royal Festival Hall was built for the Festival of Britain for the London County Council and officially opened on 3 May 1951. The original designer Leslie Martin’s idea was an 'egg in a box'. Later the famous conductor Sir Thomas Beecham called the building a 'giant chicken coop'.

During 2005-2007 the building was a substancially renovated, in order to improve the accoustics. The hall officially reopened to the public in June 2007 with a concert by the heavy metal band Motorhead.

Since it hosts 2900 seats, which is good enough for Rock band, the Royal Festival Hall is a shrine of British Rock, not only the home of famous London Philharmonic Orchestra. The hall opens up the substantial foyer spaces to the public throughout the day, even if there are no performances. There is a nice café and sometimes there are free exibitions or free performances. Since London is an expensive city, the South Bank Center, to which the Royal Festival Hall belongs, is one of popular spots for tourists who looks for inexpensive entertaiment. (02/01/2008)

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Tonhalle, (Düsseldorf, Germany)

If you walk the promnade along Rhein river in Düsseldorf, you will notice the round dome building near old city. The Tonhalle in Düsseldorf was build as a Planetarium in 1926.

In the 1970s the city of Düsseldorf decided to convert the building to the concert hall. Since then, the Tonhalle is the cultural center of the city. In the last twenty five years, more than 4800 performances have been given there. In 2005 the city invested 26 milion Euros to renovate the building. Since then, the accoustics are much improved. But the original round shape and high celling still remain.

The large hall has a capacity of 1933 seats. Because of the round shape, the auditorium has many enterences and each section uses a different starcase. Audience must know which section to sit in before going up.

Due to the high celling, the sound first goes up and is reflected by the celling. That sometimes presents a challenge for performers, but when the audience clap, it sounds like shower of applause. (11/01/2007)

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Philharmonic Hall, (Berlin, Germany)

The Berlin Philharmonic Hall is one of the most important cultural venues for Berliner, which is the home of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

The building was designed by the German architect Hans Schauroun. Since he was born in the harbour city Bremen, the foyer was inspired by a ship design. Against the concept of traditional theater building, which has several stairways to separate boxes from the common people, he built only one large staircase. This indicates that the building is for everybody.

It was opened on 15th October, 1963 with the performance of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The Chamber Music Hall was built later.

The Philharmonic Hall has a capacity of 2240 and is good for a large orchestra, and the Chamber Music Hall seats 1180. The Haydn Orchestra had appeared there for the first time in this April.

The shape of the Philharmonic Hall is a pentagon. The Vineyard style auditorium has a very good view from any seat but it makes it very difficult for good acoustics. There is a special wall construction which made acoustics one of the best in the world.

Near the building there is a big entertainment and shopping place, Potsdamer Platz, however, the entrance of the building is opposite side, facing the park. That’s because when the hall was constructed, it was the end of West Berlin. The huge commercial center was built in just 15 years. If you don’ want to walk, the city bus line No. 200 will take you to the entrance, (08/01/2007)

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Laeiszhalle, (Hamburg, Germany)

The harbour city Hamburg has many places of entertainment. The Laeiszhalle is the centre of classical music life as well as pop music in Hamburg.

Construction of the Laeiszhalle was started in 1908 and took four years to complete. It was opened to public on 04. June, 1908. Therefore, next year will be its 100th anniversary.

The Hamburg ship owner Carl Laeisz had given his money to the city to build a music hall. Under the direction of the architects Martin Haller and Emil Meerwein, it was built in neo-baroque style at the centre of the city.

The building has two concert calls. The small hall with 639 seats is for chamber music. The large hall with 2023 seats is the home of many large orchestras in Hamburg, for example, Hamburg Philharmonic and NDR Symphony Orchestra. The Hamburg Symphony Orchestra will move to Elbphilharmonie in 2010 after the building is completed.

Inside of the house there are two memorials. One of them is for Brahms by the famous German sculpture Max Klinger in 1909.

Adam Fischer has appeared this hall several times with the Hamburg Philharmonic or Vienna Symphony Orchestra. This April was the first time for the Haydn Orchestra to have a performance here in the Laeiszhalle. (05/01/2007)

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Liederhalle, (Stuttgart, Germany)

The center of Swabia, Stuttgart is a middle-sized city with a population of 600,000. As well as the opera house, the Liederhalle is an important place for the music scene.

The Liederhalle was designed by Rolf Gutbrod and Adolf Abel and built in 1956 on the site where the old concert hall stood, which was destroyed in the war. Although more than 50 years old, it is still one of the masterpieces of German architecture.

The building has three concert halls. The small Mozart hall has 752 seats and is used for chamber music. The Hegel Hall with 1,900 seats is often used for pop concerts or ballet. The largest Beethoven Hall with a capacity of 2,200 is the home of the 3 major orchestras in Stuttgart. Not only local organisations, world famous music orchestra regularly visit this hall.  (02/01/2007)

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Carnegie Hall, (New York, USA)

Located at the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and 57th Street, the Carnegie Hall is one of the most significant venues for music – not just classical - in the world.

This building was erected and named for its principal benefactor, Andrew Carnegie. The chief architect was William Burnet Tuthill, who designed the building in a revivalist brick and brownstone Italian Renaissance style.

There are three distinct structures in this building - the Main Hall, the Chamber Music Hall, and the Recital Hall.
The Main Hall has a capacity of 2804 with a balcony. In 1996 this hall was dedicated as the Isaac Stern Auditorium. The Chamber Music Hall is on the third floor, with a seating capacity of 268, is ideal for chamber music or recitals.

The Recital Hall was leased to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1895 and was used as a theater by various groups until the early 1960s, when it was converted to a cinema. In 1997 it was reclaimed to be used as an auditorium.
The opening concert of the Carnegie Hall was on 5th of May, 1891 was conducted by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Since then, countless numbers of world famous musicians have performed at the hall.

Over more than 100 years of history, the hall survived several crises. In the 1960s the New York Philharmonic moved its home to the Lincoln Center. The privately owned hall was for sale. The famous violinist Isaac Stern and his friends formed the foundation to save this Hall. The City of New York bought the site. (11/01/2006)

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Bartok National Concert Hall, The Palace of Arts (Budapest, Hungary)

For more than 150 years, the Hungarian nation has wished to have a major new cultural venue, where international artists perform regulary. Finally The Palace of Arts in Budapest was opened in early 2005.

The structure of the Palace of Arts covers a ground area of 10,000 square meters on the Pest side of Lágymányos Bridge, next to the National Theatre. All three of its main units, the Ludwig Museum, the National Concert Hall and the Festival Theatre, share the same Foyer which has facilities like CD and book shops, a restaurant, bars and a café.

The Bartók National Concert Hall is located in the heart of the building and its "shoebox" shape defines the architectural character of the building. The hall is 25 metres high above the street, 25 meters wide and 52 meters long – the dimensions of a Gothic cathedral. It has a total capacity of 1699 persons (including 136 standing places) and a further 190 seats can be placed on the stage.

Now the building is completed, they are planning big events suitable for this venue. “The Wagner Days” in which Adam Fischer is strongly involved, is the most important project. Following a big success with this year’s “Parsifal”, the plan is to play all works of Wagner until 2013. The first two works of the Ring cycle are scheduled for next June. The internet cite of the Palace of Arts is http://www.mupa.hu/ (08/01/2006)
 

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Large Concert Hall of the Mozarteum (Salzburg, Austria)

 The international Mozarteum foundation is a non profit organization founded in 1880 in Salzburg. Its aims and objectives include organizing concerts, Mozart museum, and academic research of Mozart.

The building of the foundation was built 1910-1914 by Richard Berndl. The complex contains two concert halls, the "Bibliotheca Mozartiana" library, administrative rooms, and class rooms used by the "Universität Mozarteum".

Since 1956 the International Mozarteum Foundation has organized a series of concerts every January around the time of Mozart’s birthday. The large hall is the main venue of the Mozart week. This hall is also used for some concert performances of famous Salzburg Festival in summer.

The large concert hall hosts around 800 seats. Acoustics are excellent for soloists, chamber music ensembles or even large orchestras. Next to the “Large Concert Hall”, through intermission foyer, there is a direct access to the “Bastion Garden” where the visitor can enjoy the beautiful view of famous Mirabel park of Salzburg.   (05/01/2006)
 

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The State Opera (Berlin, Germany)

 Middle of 18th century, the Prussian King Friedrich II commissioned the royal court opera. The house was opened on 7th December, 1742 with “Cleopatra e cesare”. In 1842 Meyerbeer became the music director and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy conducted concerts.

After the original building was burned down in 1843, the architect Carl Ferdinand Langhans built the second building. During the 19th and early 20th century, many famous conductors appeared on the podium, including Wilhelm Furtwängler, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Bruno Walter and many others.

During the World War II, the house was bombed twice and completely destroyed; however, in 1945 the opera company was named as “Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin” and opened with Wagners “Meistersinger”. Even in the communist era, the house maintained an international repetition. After the unification, this was considered the best opera house in Berlin.

The Rococo style auditorium hosts about 1300 seats. There is a café on the ground floor but it takes really long to buy anything because there are very few waiters/waitresses. Therefore the Pretzel stand in front of the building does good business during the season.  (02/01/2006)
 

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Großes Festspielhaus (Salzburg, Austria)

I One of the main venues of the Salzburg festival, the large festival hall is located in the old city, about 5 minutes from Mozart’s birth house. Standing at the foot of the Mönchsberg Mountain, the hall was opened on July 26, 1960 with Richard Strauss’s “Der Rosenkavalier” conducted by Herbert von Karajan.

This hall is famous for its huge stage space. Including the wings the width of the stage is 100 meter and the depth is 25 meter which is one of the largest in the world. This makes it possible to build a giant production but at the same time it makes difficult for the director and stage designer to fill all available space.

The square auditorium hosts 2,179 seats. Public access is from the Hofstallgasse which is shown the picture on the left. (11/01/2005)

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Stadthalle (Kassel, Germany)

In the middle of Europe, the city of Kassel is known for the contemporary art exhibition “Documenta”. The Kassel Stadhalle (city hall) is also named Congress Palace.

The original Stadthalle was build for the one thousand year anniversary in 1913. With marvelous frescos by Arno Weber and Paul Scheffler, the Festival Hall held more than 3000 seats. In 1924, the architecture completed the southern wing of the building. During 1992-95 the Stadthalle was renovated and stage equipment with the latest technology is installed for conferences. Unfortunately that sacrificed the acoustics and the new Festival Hall does not sound like it used to.

The building is located between Kassel-Whilhelmshöhe station and Kassel main station. The Staatstheater Kassel Orchestra gives concert series in this building. (08/01/2005)

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Deutscheoper (Berlin, Germany)

15 years after reunification, Berlin is now the most exiting city in Germany. One of three opera houses in Berlin, the Deutsche Oper is in the Charlottenburg district in former West Berlin.

Opened with a performance of “Fidelio” on 7 November, 1912, the house was later renamed the “Städtische Opera” in 1924. On 23 November 1943, the building was destroyed by bombs. After the war, the opera company moved to the “Theater des Westerns”

In 1961 the company moved back to the original location at Bismarck Street and was renamed as “Deutsche Oper Berlin”. The current theater building was constructed in 1957-61 by Fritz Bornemann, using the remains of the previous theatre. It was opened on 24 September, 1961 with “Don Giovanni”. With the capacity of 1885 seats, this theatre played an important role in West Germany’s opera world. The famous director Götz Friedrich worked as its president until his death in December 2000.

Since city of Berlin faces a big financial problem, support from the city was reduced. During this struggle, both of the president Udo Zimmermann and GMD Christian Thielemann resigned. Since September 2004 Kirsten Harms has worked hard to keep this theater on the tracks.    (05/01/05)

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Tonhalle (Zurich, Switzerland)

One of the largest cities in German speaking region of Switzerland, Zurich is also know as a classical music city. The opera house, which Adam Fischer frequently conducted as a guest, stands on the east band of Lake Zurich. The famous concert hall, the Tonhalle is on the west side of the Limmat River.

The Tonhalle, build in Historicist style in the 1890s, was designed by architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Gottlieb Helmer, who also built Zurich’s City Theatre and Opera House. To mark the Concert Hall’s inauguration, Johannes Brahms conducted his masterpiece op. 55 on 19th October, 1895.

This is the home of the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, which was formed before the building was made. The large hall is similar to the Stephaniensaal in Graz, and has 1435 seats, while the small concert hall is for chamber music has only 636 seats. With 90 concerts each season and over 50 different programs, the Zurich Tonhalle offers a wealth of music and culture.

Adam Fischer appeared several times here to conduct the Zurich Opera Orchestra. It was here that the Haydn Orchestra started the 2005 Switzerland Tour.   (02/01/05)

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Stephaniensaal ( Graz, Austria)

The capital of Steiermark province, Graz is a beautiful city in the south east of Austria. With a population of 240,000 it is the second biggest city in Austria.

In the center of the city, near the city hall, the congress and casino stands. Together with the famous casino, there is a beautiful concert hall in this building. The Stephaniensaal was named after the princess Stephanie, the wife of crown princess Rudolf.

With the capacity of 1054, the concert hall is very beautiful and known for its clear acoustics. This hall is used as a home of Steiriche Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and Musikverein fuer Steiermark.

In the beginning of his career, Adam Fischer worked in Graz as a coach/pianist and many members of the Haydn Orchestra visits this concert hall. This year immediately after the Haydntage, they came to this concert hall and played Haydn’s Symphony No. 92 and 94, and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Peter Schmiedl of the Vienna Philharmonic. They made a recording and it will be released next year.   (11/01/04)

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Festspielhaus (Baden-Baden, Germany)

Since the 19th century the small city of Baden-Baden is a high class resort. Still now many people over Europe came here for the famous hot springs. Of course evening entertainment was also important for such a city. The Festspielhaus was opened in 1988 to have performances of world famous artists.

The building was originally used as a train station. Neoclassical style matches gorgeous atmosphere of the opera house. The box office used to be the train ticket counters. Above the windows the sign still says “Fahrkarte” (train ticket) but they don’t sell any train tickets!

The theater building was added behind the station building. The hall holds about 2500 seats, which is the second largest opera house in Europe. There are 3 stages to switch scenery and the house has latest technologies for exciting productions. Since Baden-Baden has a long relation with Russian Royalty, the Mariinsky Theater from St. Petersburg frequently visits here.

For a concert venue, the hall is proud of its beautiful acoustics. In 1993 the Herbert von Karajan Pentecost Festival moved here from Salzburg and every year the world’s best artists perform here in the Festspielhaus.   (08/01/04)

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Vigado (Budapest, Hungary)

There are several good orchestras in Budapest but not so many concert halls as in Tokyo. The Vigado concert hall is one of halls which orchestras in Budapest frequently use.
The building of the Vigado was constructed between 1859 and 1864 in a mixture of styles. The fa?de includes features such as dancers atop columns and busts of former monarchs and famous Hungarians. It was a cultural symbol of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
During World War II most buildings in Budapest were severely damaged by bombs. The Vigado was destroyed. The re-construction project started in the 1970s and the current building was completed in the 1980s.

Since the 19th century independent promoters used this concert hall for classical music concerts and the great musicians of the 19th and 20th centuries have performed there. Hungary's own Franz Liszt appeared several times as pianist as well as conductor. In 1875 Liszt had a concert with his old friend Richard Wagner. Other famous composers performed here were Brahms, Saint-Saens, Debussy. Hungarian composers, Dohn?yi, Kod?y and Bart? are treated as "resident composers ." Other musicians appeared here including Bruno Walter, Herbert von Karajan, Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein.

The Vigado is a very good concert hall with wonderful history, however, current surroundings are not really perfect for classical music. Sometimes rock music downstairs disturbs the concert.  (05/01/04)

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Baden State Theater (Karlsruhe, Germany)

Baden State Theater, Karlsruhe, Germany
South west Germany, Baden-Württemberg state has many opera houses including Mannheim. The
close connection between Adam Fischer and Baden-Württemberg started at Karlsruhe. In his late 20s, Adam was one of conductors at Baden State Theater.
Built in 1975. The thater building has three halls. The large hall holds about 1500 seats and is mainly used for orchestral concerts and operas. The Baden State Theater focuses on the composer Hãndel. Every year since 1978 the theater hosts a Handel festival. As part of the festival there is an International Handel academy this February, which includes Handel's opera "Giustino" .

Because this theater is not far away from Mannheim, some musicians from the National theater Mannheim play here as substitutes, also Karlsruhe players often help Mannheim. According to Adam Fischer, there was a funny incident. Since Wagner is too long , horn players must be replaced after the second act. Most opera houses look for players near by. One day when he was listening to "Gotterdammerung" at Karlsruhe, horn players dashed to Mannheim as soon as the first act was completed and Mannheim players came in just before the second act. Two theaters coincidentally planned "Gotterdammerung" at the same time and asked for substitutes from each other. In the end they unknowingly exchanged horn players.

(02/01/04)

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Nationaltheatre (Munich, Germany)

There are many State Theaters in Germany but only three National Theaters. Mannheim, Weimar and Munich. Opened originally on 12 October 1812, the theater burnt down twice in its history. The first fire was on 14 January 1823 during a performance. The City of Munich decided to build a new one which re-opened in 1825. During the World War II the building was completely destroyed by bombs. Citizens of Munich raised funds to build a new theater and in 1963 it was reopened in the original form with some improvements.

Supported by Royal Family of Bavaria, the world premiere of Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" took place here in 1865.

This theater is also very important for Adam Fischer. In 1978 when Karl Böhm cancelled, he substituted at a performance of "Fidelio". That was his debut at this major opera house. Since then he has conducted a lot of productions including Othello, Rusalka and Cosi fan tutte.  (11/01/03)

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Rosengarten Mozart Hall (Mannheim, Germany)

The orchestra of the National Theater Mannheim, whose General Music Director is Adam Fischer, has a subscription concert series as the Mannheim Academy Orchestra. The concerts take place at the Rosengarten. About ten minutes walk from the National Theater; it faces the symbol of the city Water Tower. The Rosengarten is a large congressional facility with more than 40 rooms including three concert halls, Mozartsaal, Stamitzsaal, and Musensaal. All the rooms are named after famous composers.

The Mozartsaal, where the subscription concerts are given, is the largest hall with the maximum capacity of 2,300. In addition to the Mannheim Academy Orchestra, major German Orchestras frequently visit this hall. The stalls are so wide that if you sit at either the left or right edge, the tone balance is not ideal, however, because in general seats are close to the stage, audience can enjoy dynamic acoustics. In contrast, the stage is not big enough for the large orchestra and choir. When Adam conducted Mahler 8, there was not enough space for the choir. Therefore they had to sacrifice the two front rows of the stalls. (08/01/03)

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Musikverein Large Hall (Vienna, Austria)

The world famous concert hall, where annual "New Years Concert" by Vienna Philharmonic: the large concert hall in Musikverein is located near Karlsplatz subway station. The hall was opened on 6th of January 1870. It is called "The golden hall" because of the interior decoration. In the beginning of its history, many critics argued that the decoration was too much and audience can't concentrate on music. There are a lot of marble burst sculptures. Some of them are famous composers who had already dead before 1870.

The concert hall, 48.40-meter length, 19.10-meter width, and 17.75-meter height, has 1744 seats and about 300 standing place. All together the capacity of the hall is more than 2000, however, only a very lucky person would be possible to get a ticket of annual new years concert.

The structure is very similar to Boston Symphony Hall that was introduced in the last issue. Many people say that it has best acoustics in the world. The reason was unknown and maybe the result of state-of-19-century-art technology and coincident. Strangely the exact copy of this hall does not have same acoustics.

At the moment Musikverein building is under renovation since 2001 and when it is completed, the new Viller Hall with the capacity of 400 will be added. (05/01/03)

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Symphony Hall (Boston, USA)

One of the best concert halls, not just in the USA but also in the world, Boston Symphony Hall is located near the Prudential Center, at the heart of city of Boston.

With the cutting edge technology of those times, Boston Symphony Hall is the oldest of what are generally agreed to be the three best concert halls in similar style (the other two are the Musikverein Goldensaal, Vienna and Concertgebou, Amsterdam). Opened on 15th of October 1900, the hall has 1.9 seconds of reverberation time, which is considered as ideal for orchestral music. The Italian Renaissance design of gold and brass is very beautiful and worth visiting. Unfortunately the seats may be too small for today's larger American.

This concert hall is the home of Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Adam Fischer had conducted here in 1984 and 1985. (02/01/03)

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Konzert und Kongresshalle (Bamberg, Germany)

Bamberg, located in northern Bavaria, is a very old city with medieval buildings, and a lot of historic monuments including a famous cathedral.

Ten minutes walk from the centre of the old town, the Konzert und Kongresshalle is a modern style building near the Werk canal. The building houses two concert halls; a large hall with a capacity of over 1200 and a small hall seating about 600.

The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (founded by German musicians expelled from Czechoslovakia in 1946) uses the large hall as its home. In the foyer, there is a statue of the orchestra's long-term music director, Joseph Keilbert and the portrait of Horst Stein, showing the orchestra's pride in and gratitude to these great maestros.

The vineyard style auditorium has very clear acoustics and sightlines. You can hear the beautiful tone even from back of the stage. (08/01/02)

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Vienna State Opera (Vienna, Austria)

The Vienna State Opera, which is one of the best opera houses keeping the high standard of traditional productions, is located in the old town center of Vienna. The building faces the famous shopping street, Karntner Strase. In the afternoon before the performance, there is a guided tour. It is a popular spot for the tourists from all over the world.

Originally opened in 1869, most of building was destroyed by bombing at the end of the war in 1945. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1956 since then; it has hosted many of wonderful performances. Inside of the house, statues of famous conductors such as Mahler, Richard Strauss and Karajan, show the history of this opera house.

The auditorium has about 1700 seats. It is so beautiful and worth seeing it even for the non-opera lover. From the beginning of this season, the LCD was installed in front of each seat showing the translation. Currently people can chose it in German or in English.
There is a private tearoom behind the Royal box so Royal celebrities can have privacy during the intermission. Since the Austrian Republic does not have a royal family any more, anybody can rent this tearoom. According to the guide, the rental cost is more than $100 per minute.
For the opera lovers who can't rent such an expensive tearoom, there are more than 500 standing place available. People in Vienna are very proud that one opera ticket is cheaper then a cup of coffee. If you want to buy a standing ticket, go to the left side entrance of the building several hours before the performance.

Adam Fischer started his carrier as a chorrepetitor at the Vienna State Opera and made his debut in September 1980. Since then he appeared almost every year and conducted many new productions and regular performances. Some members of the Haydn Orchestra belong to the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and play here regularly. (05/01/02)

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Festspielhaus (Bayreuth, Germany)

Build by the composer himself and performs only the works of Wagner, the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth is very special venue.

Locate on top of the hill in the beautiful park; it is called "The Green Hill". In the opening day of the summer Wagner festival, many celebrities visit here from all over Europe. It is almost a German version of Academy Award Presentation. The building itself, however, is very plain and built only for music. Seats in the auditorium, with the capacity of more than 2000 are very hard like wooden benches and not suitable for long Wagner operas. Therefore formally dressed audiences bring ill-matched cushions to the Festspielhaus.

The famous orchestra pit covered with the hood makes it possible for singers to be heard regardless of the fortissimo of the orchestra. The musicians are not seen from auditorium, so they perform in regular clothes instead of tail coats.

Around the theatre, there are many additional building such as the restaurant for the audience, rehearsal rooms and studio for the stage workshop. Between the orchestra pit and the staff cafeteria, there is a corridor with portraits of all conductors of the Bayreuth Festival, from Hans Richter to Adam Fischer. That shows the great history of the festival, however, the orchestra members calls the corridor the "Criminal Gallery" because it reminds of most wanted criminals.  (02/01/02)

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National Theatre Mannheim (Mannheim, Germany)

Adam Fischer's base since last October; the National Theatre of Mannheim has a 200-year history as a theatre company. The present building, located just outside the Freadlich's Ring, consists of two auditoria, one for opera, the other for drama. The opera house, one the right side of the building, has seating for about 1200. Mannheim, on the Rhine, enjoys a reputation for good Wagner productions, such as "Der Ring des Nibelungen". Like the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, it does not have aisles in the middle.
Major orchestra rehearsals take place in the rehearsal studio, which is the same size as the stage and the orchestra pit, under the opera house. The administration and working studio of stage sets and costumes are in a separate building behind the theatre, making it is easy to install new stage sets.
In 2001/2002 season, Adam Fischer will conduct two new productions, "Idomeneo" and Goldmark's "The Queen of Sheba", as well as revivals of "Der Rosenkavalier" and "The Ring ".

(08/01/01)

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Suntory Hall (Tokyo, Japan)

During late '80s and '90s there was a big boom in Japan to build concert halls for classical music. The Suntory Hall is one of the first one. As well as "The Symphony Hall " in Osaka, this is one of the best halls represents Japanese classical music halls. The 'Emperor' Karajan was the main advisor of the hall. Just as the Berlin Philharmonie, this hall uses vineyard style. Its capacity is about 2000 and all the seats are made of wood in order to create clear acoustics.

Since the Suntory Hall has a close relation with Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, they have special concert series almost every year. Although the Haydn Orchestra has never played at this hall, Adam Fischer has appeared many times, including his debut performance with NHK Symphony Orchestra and a Japan tour by the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra. In 1998 he conducted a memorable Mahler Symphony No. 9 with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

It is located at a famous tourist spot Roppongi but in the past, the nearest station was more than 10 minutes away, however, in November 2000, the subway line opened the Roppongi-Ichome station just in front of the concert hall.

Suntory Hall hosts a concert by world famous artists every day even in this economically difficult time in Japan. (05/01/01)

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Koussevizky Music Shed (Lenox, USA)

Tanglewood is not the city but the name of the property of Boston Symphony in West Massachusetts. The Koussevitzky Music Shed is the biggest facility in several halls at Tanglewood. It hosts 5100 seats under the ceiling and together with the lawn seat, almost 15,000 people can enjoy the performance.

In 1930s, musicians came from the cities and played in a tent. In 1937 strong rain and wind almost blow it away. Then the festival decided to build the permanent facility. The Tappen family donated their property to the Boston Symphony and Boston architect Saarinen was asked to design the plan. Because of the limited fund, Saarinnen was asked to modify the plan. He was disappointed and withdrew from the project saying, "It's just a shed." The name stuck. The local architect Joseph Franz adapted the original plan and completed the project under the budget of $10,000.

Compare to a regular concert hall surrounded by walls, the acoustics are rather dry and direct, however, most of seats under the ceiling are good enough to enjoy listening to orchestral music. On the other hand, the outside lawn seats rely entirely on the amplifier and outside speakers. People come here brings a chair and food to enjoy a summer picnic and nice music.  (02/01/01)

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Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (Los Angeles, USA)

At the corner of the Gland Avenue and 1st street, The Music center stands in the center of West Coast megalopolis Los Angeles. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is the biggest concert hall in three halls inside of the Music Center. There are four floors from "Orchestra" to "Balcony" and the capacity is 3,086. Not only Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera led by Placido Domingo, uses the hall as home. The City Hall and some sightseeing spot, old Mexican settlements, Little Tokyo etc. are in the neighbors. Weekdays are very active but weekends are quiet because most of stores are closed.
The pavilion was named after Mrs. Chandler, the wife of the founder of Los Angeles Times, who contributed the development of LA downtown. Since it is rather too large for the concert performance, the new Walt Disney Hall is under construction. As soon as it is completed, Los Angeles Philharmonic will move to the new hall.  (08/01/00)

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Konzerthaus (Vienna, Austria)

Together with the Vienna State Opera and the Musikverein the Wiener Konzerthaus is one of the most important institutions of the international music scene. Ever since its opening by Emperor Franz Josef I, the Konzerthaus pursues its claim "To be a place for the cultivation of superior music, a focus of artistic endeavors, a building for music and a building for Vienna" and organizes more than 300 performances a year. The Wiener Konzerthaus also supports various Independent institutions, including Musica Juventutis and the Wiener Singakademie, providing the chance of public performance to young musicians and amateur players.

The Wiener Konzerthaus has three halls, Grossersaal, Mozartsaal and Schubertsaal. The capacity of the Gro?ersaal is 1811; the stage is more than 170 square meters, which is one of biggest stages for a classical music concert hall. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra use the Wiener Konzerthaus as a home, and many of world famous orchestras perform here. Orchestral space below the stage has plenty of room enough for a full size orchestra and choir members. Like most famous concert halls, the Gro?ersaal of Wiener Konzerthaus has a reliable stage manager, who takes care of the nervous musicians. Before the performance, he is working very hard to provide the refreshments for conductor and soloists, or gives the instruction to the orchestra to go to stage.  (05/01/99)

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Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, USA)

One of the largest natural amphitheaters, the Hollywood Bowl is located about 20 minutes from downtown Los Angeles. Opened in 1922, the Bowl has a capacity of just under 18,000. Every summer the Hollywood Bowl hosts a nice concert almost everyday. Not only famous maestros like Stokowski, Karajan or Bernstein, even famous pop star the Beatles played there in 1964. The Bowl is know as the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and in 1991 gave its name to a resident ensemble, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, that plays pops concerts.

There are two types of seat in the auditorium, box seats and bench seats. A Box seat ticket is sold only as subscription. Normally wealthy families or companies buy an entire box with seating for 4~6 people, and give some tickets to friends or customers as a gift. People bring a table into the box and enjoy nice wine and picnic dinner delivered from the restaurant near by. Since most of current subscribers renew each year, getting a box-seat ticket is extremely difficult.

On the other hand, the bench-seats are behind the box seats, a little far from the stage. There might be some problem with view and acoustics but anybody can enjoy the performance with an inexpensive ticket, starting form only $1.

Even the big Hollywood Bowl does not have enough space to park cars for 18,000 people. In order to use the limited space effectively, cars are packed together without any extra space. If somebody wants to go home during the performance, it is impossible to move his car. Please be aware if you have a chance to go. (08/01/99)

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Avery Fisher Hall (New York, USA)

At West Side of Central Park, which was the scene of Bernstein's musical "West Side Story", there is Lincoln Center. The Home of NY Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall occupies one section of this America's hall of fame of classical music. When it was built in '62, many performers did not like the acoustics, however the hall was renovated many times and finally gained its status as one of best concert hall in New York. Portraits of NY Philharmonic members are displayed in Foyer, as well as exhibits of orchestra's rich history including photos of Leonard Bernstein and Bruno Walter's baton. In the winter, there are complimentary Halls brand cough drops to cut down the noise during performance.
Haydn Orchestra made a US debut concert at this hall when they invited Mostly Mozart Festival in '94. Adam Fischer will appear same festival this August. (05/01/1999)

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Hungarian National Opera House (Budapest, Hungary)

In the busy quarters of Budapest, facing András Street, the Hungarian National Opera House is proud of one of the best tradition of theaters in former Eastern European countries.

It is hard to believe but Adam had never yet conducted at the Hungarian National Opera House. He will make his debut appearance with Bart?'s "Bluebeard's Castle" this March. (02/01/1999)

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Tokyo Bunka-kaikan, Japan

Inside Ueno Park, Tokyo Bunka kaikan was built in 1961 to celebrate the 500th birthday of Tokyo City. Since then, it has played the role of the sanctuary of classical music in Japan.  This Opera-house style theater which was a novel design for Japanese buildings in those days, hosts 2300 seats in 5 stories. In addition, the rehearsal studios of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and music library are built in to it. The acoustics of the hall are very clear so that any note on the stage can be heard clearly. However, since the building became old, Tokyo City decided to renovate the hall since this April.  The new concert hall will be open in the 1999.

Not only for Japanese orchestras, many  famous foreign orchestras and opera companies have performed here. For example, the New York Metropolitan Opera  played 'Cosi fan tutte" last May.  Once somebody started the custom of scribbling the orchestra name or autograph on the wall of the back stage. Now there are more than 2000 scrawls including members of the Vienna Philharmonic, La Scala Milan, and even Karajan.  The wall was planned to be renovated in original plan, but re-considered because many people protested.
Ever since 'Bluebeard's castle' in 1984, Adam Fischer had left many wonderful performances.  This February, he also left his autograph on the wall.  (08/01/1998)

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Opernhaus Zurich, Switzerland

The biggest city of Switzerland, Zurich faces the Limato river and known as the historic, cultural city with roman walls and old churches. Opernhaus is the neo-baroque style theater about 10 minutes from central station by tram.  The shoe-box style auditorium built in 1891 has about 1200 seats.  It is close to the lake Zurich and the lake view from the balcony is beautiful at night.
 Using renovated stage mechanism, there are performances almost everyday from September to July.  Many of famous opera stars often appear and it is the first grade operahouse with more than 10 new production every year.
 Ever since 1992, this is the center of Adam Fischer's activity where he conducts  more than 20 operas in a year. (02/01/1998)

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Metropolitan Opera House, New  York, USA

The Metropolitan Opera House, which the world's finest city New York Can boast of, is part of the Lincoln Center in the West End area. Facing the opera house, the New York City Theater is on the left, Avery Fisher Hall, the home of the NY Philharmonic on the right.  Across 64th street, there is Alice Tully Hall in the Juilliard Music Academy. The capacity of the MET is over 4000 including standing room. It is one of the largest opera houses in the world along with the Opera Bastille.

There are about 20 productions in a season that runs from October to April and they perform every day except Sunday (with 2 performances on Saturday.) The stage sets, costumes and wigs used in the opera are also created in this building.  There are so many technical staff, costume designers, lighting engineers are working back stage almost 24 hours a day.

Except for the regular stage, there are four other stages at both side, back and under the main stage, so that it is possible to perform a 4 act opera without constructing the set during the intermission. Also 8 elevators on the main stage make it easy to add the cubic effect to the stage.
 Regardless of the huge auditorium, the acoustics are wonder-ful so that even from the highmost seat every pianissimo on the stage can be heard. (08/01/1997)

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Eszterháza, Fertöd, Hungary

20 Km west from Eisenstadt, the Hungarian village Fertöd is dominated by Eszterháza, the summer palace of Eszterházy Family, whom Haydn served for more than 30 years. The size of the castle is much bigger than Eisenstadt, so that it is called "Hungarian Versailles".

During the Haydn period, there was an Opera House separated from the Palace and most of Haydn's Operas was performed. Unfortunately it was lost by War and there is no sight of it now. The musical hall inside of the castle is known because Empress Maria Theresa was invited and enjoyed the music. Also it is famous that Haydn played the Farewell Symphony there for the first time. The Haydn Orchestra performs here but since it does not have big auditorium and mainly used for chamber ensemble.

Some rooms upstairs are Haydn museum displaying important legacy of Haydn. It has the collection of Haydn's recordings including the LP record of Adam which recorded more than 20 years ago with the picture of Adam Fischer in 20s.  (05/01/1997)

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Shido Ongaku Hall ,Shido-cho, Japan

Located at about 700 kilometer west of Tokyo, small town Shido which faces Seto-inland sea, is the sister city of Haydn's city Eisenstadt. Since both city have the concert halls with excellent acoustics, they concluded the relationship in 1993.

Shido Ongaku Hall dedicated few years ago is the concert hall exclusively for classical music with the capacity of 500. Unlike Haydnsaal, it does not have a long history or beautiful fresco paintings, however, as an honorary director, famous French flute player, Jean-Pierre Rampal gives some recitals every year. Because of this effort, Rampal was commended as a honorary resident of Shido. There is his bronze statue at Rampal Place near the concert hall.

There were many performances of Haydn works here. Especially, Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra appeared on October 1993, as a part of the first Haydn Festival in Shido. They performed three concerts including Haydn Symphonies and Mozart Flute Concerto with Jean-Pierre Rampal. It was broadcasted by TV and Radio to all over Japan.

As this hall is located on the top of hill, audience can enjoy beautiful view of inland ocean from the lobby. The auditorium slopes to the stage in order to see the performance even the last row of the seat. Since the dressing room of the orchestra is near the lobby, there is an interesting sight that musicians with tail coat and audience enjoy talking.  (02/01/1997)

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National Arts Centre, Ottawa,Canada.

The home of the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada is located in the center of Ottawa, facing the Rideau Canal. The building which was opened to the public on June 2, 1969 tp commemorate Canada's 100th birthday, has three performance stages, the Opera (2,326 seats): the Theatre (969): and the Studio (300), underground parking and a good restaurant.

The regular concerts of NAC Orchestra are performed in Opera. Each row in the auditorium is positioned alternately in order to improve the view of the stage. The center of the row is seat No. 1 and facing to the stage, even number seats are on the right and odd numbers are on the left. You may be confused but once you know the rule, you can find whether it is good position or not without looking the seat chart. The acoustic is good and it is very good one for the general purpose Hall. However, there is no aisle in the center so if somebody who sits in the center come late, many people have to stand up to make him pass.

The comfortable conductor's room located near the stage is equipped with a piano and audio set. There is a small cafeteria at the back stage which is crowded with musicians before the concert. On the wall of the corridor, there are so many pictures of famous musicians performed there, showing how wonderful the NAC Orchestra is. (08/01/1996)

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Atlanta Symphony Hall, Georgia, USA

Together with Alliance Theater and High Museum of Art, the home of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Hall is located in the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center which memorize the first president of Coca Cola. The auditorium with 1800 seats has lots of space and very relaxing, on the other hand, it has less echo and does not have a good acoustic. In front of the main stage, there is an adjustable sub-stage for a large scale performance with chorus. However, it is not used on a normal performance, so there is a big space between the stage and auditorium. From the auditorium, it feels as if the orchestra is playing very far away. Also, performers do not like it since it is difficult to see the reaction of the audience.

When I visited there in October '95, the hall was in the middle of the Pre-Olympic Innovation. It is a really American style big concert hall. (02/01/1996)

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Large Concert Hall in Liszt Music Academy, Budapest, Hungary

As for the Hungarian composer, we can't forget Franz Liszt. Liszt Music academy founded by Liszt has a big concert hall which has the best acoustic in Hungary.

There is a statue of Liszt with angels playing music in front of the building and you may be able to listen to piano played by student.

It is located downtown Pest and close to Opera House. It is one of the largest concert hall in Hungary and has about 1800 seats with three floors.

There are chorus seats back side of the stage. They are sometimes open to public if it is not in use. This seat is very close to conductor and feels like to be a member of the orchestra. This hall is the home of Hungarian State Symphony, Budapest Radio Symphony and Budapest Festival Orchestra.  (08/01/95)