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In April 2017, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra makes its debut in the Pierre Boulez Saal, performing there in the inaugural season of Berlin newest concert hall. Daniel Barenboim will conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra's performance of Mozart’s Symphony in E-Flat Major, K.543; Symphony in g-minor, K.550; and Symphony in C Major, K.551, “Jupiter,” on 30 April 2017.
Students of the Akademie perfom in the Pierre Boulez Saal, 2017 © Peter Adamik
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Beginning on 4 March 2017, when the Pierre Boulez Saal opens its doors for its inaugural season, audiences are invited to experience an innovative performance space in the heart of Berlin.
A stellar lineup of artists led by Daniel Barenboim will celebrate not only the opening of the Pierre Boulez Saal’s first season, but also what this remarkable performing space represents: an intimate hall where classics will meet modern masterworks of the early twentieth century together with contemporary music from around the world, inspiring audiences and performers alike.
The Pierre Boulez Saal is the public face of the Barenboim-Said Akademie; and for general audiences it is the physical embodiment of this “house of hope.” The inaugural concert season of the Pierre Boulez Saal will establish its profile as a world-class chamber music venue in its own right, but will also reflect and advance the work of the Akademie.
The Pierre Boulez Saal is an essential part of the Akademie, serving students as a space to develop their practice under the guidance of professional artists and mentors, through both performance and study. While providing a space for students and faculty to perform, the hall will also host conferences and academic events. With their aim of creating a new tradition, the founders of the Pierre Boulez Saal hope to inspire future generations of musicians and music lovers for years to come.
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On 8 December 2016, the Barenboim-Said Akademie celebrated its official opening, and Berlin welcomed the Akademie with open arms.
The Barenboim-Said Akademie offers an unprecedented conservatory education for talented, young musicians from the Middle East, North Africa, and around the world, combining intensive music performance studies with a grounding in the humanities – all in the heart of historic Berlin.
Opening ceremony of the Barenboim-Said Akademie © Jan Zappner
Opening ceremony of the Barenboim-Said Akademie © Jan Zappner
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The Akademie’s home in Berlin covers 6,500 square meters of floor space – including 21 practice rooms, an auditorium, the 850-square meter Pierre Boulez Saal, offices and ancillary spaces.
Inside the existing walls of the Berliner Staatsoper's former scenery depot, around 2,200 cubic meters of new concrete and 700 tons of steel were used to create a new space for education and music.
The Barenboim-Said Akademie and its hall under construction - December 2014 © Volker Kreidler
The Barenboim-Said Akademie and its hall under construction - December 2014 © Volker Kreidler
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Designed by the American architect Frank Gehry, the Pierre Boulez Saal is both a world-class chamber music and recital venue and the public face of the Akademie. The hall’s impeccable acoustics are the work of globally acclaimed acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. Equally remarkably, both Gehry and Toyota generously donated their incredible talent and service.
The spatial perspective of the hall is an astonishing feat of architecture: Two elliptical formations are set one above the other, seeming to hover in space, and creating an astonishing impression of weightlessness.
A friend to both Daniel Barenboim and Pierre Boulez, Frank Gehry brilliantly incorporated Barenboim’s prompts into his design. Gehry's presentation of an informal sketch of intersecting ovals made an impression on Barenboim; he encouraged Gehry to pursue this initial inspiration and follow through on his innovative conception of a non-traditional concert hall – which he did. Regarding the collaboration, Gehry has remarked: “Artists sometimes recognize other artists in ways that we don’t really understand.”
Model of the Pierre Boulez Saal, Gehry associates © Gehry Associates
Sketch of the Pierre Boulez Saal © Frank Gehry
Frank, I want the ovals – please, please, please. Daniel Barenboim
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In 2010, Daniel Barenboim’s vision and concept of an educational institution that would extend the humanistic spirit of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra began to take shape.
In 2012, the city of Berlin issued a 99-year leasehold agreement, allowing the Barenboim Foundation use of the former stage depot of the Berliner Staatsoper as a home for the Akademie. The non-profit Barenboim-Said Akademie GmbH was launched the same year.
The former Federal Commissioner of Culture and present Rector of the Barenboim-Said Akademie Michael Naumann played an important role in advancing the project's realization. A significant portion of the total construction costs of 33.7 million Euros was acquired from private donors and sponsors; the remaining costs were funded by the Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, Monika Grütters. Her ministry also bears the operating costs associated with faculty instruction and student performances. The stipends offered to all students are funded by the Federal Foreign Office.
Topping out ceremony, Barenboim Said Akademie, Michael Naumann, Daniel-Barenboim, Monika Grütters, June 2015
Bridges get built through culture when politics and diplomacy meet their limits. Monika Grütters, German Minister of Culture and Media
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From 1955 to 2010, the building that currently houses the Akademie served as the depot for the sets and scenery of the Berliner Staatsoper. The depot was built in Berlin during a period of architectural renewal, between 1951 and 1955, from plans by the architect Richard Paulick. No significant changes were made to the interior or exterior structure of the building until 2010.
Atrium / Central Hall
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In the course of World War II, the Berliner Staatsoper was twice razed by bombings. Although the building was rapidly rebuilt following its first destruction, reconstruction was significantly slowed when further damage occurred. However, in the course of its second reconstruction the opera was expanded to include a building for artistic direction as well as a depot for its scenery and sets. This depot was built between 1952 and 1955 from plans by the architect Richard Paulick, and is now the site of the Barenboim-Said Akademie.
Richard Paulick studied architecture in Dresden and Berlin from 1923 to 1927 under Hans Poelzig and others. From 1927 to 1928, Paulick assisted Walter Gropius at the famous Bauhaus in Dessau. In addition to his involvement with the reconstruction of the Berliner Staatsoper, he was also involved in the construction of Stalinallee (present-day Karl-Marx-Allee), East Germany’s most important architectural prestige object.
BEBELPLATZ – 1930, destroyed twice during WWII, Berlin archive
FRANZÖSISCHE STRASSE / OBERWALLSTRASSE – 1946
FRANZÖSISCHE STRASSE FACADE BY RICHARD PAULICK – 1952
Original Construction Phase