“Change is good; no change is better”, goes an English proverb. Nothing couldbe further from the truth when it comes to David Geffen Hall, reviled for itsimpossible acoustics since it opened in 1962. A major refurbishment in themid-1970s, funded by radio and electronics pioneer Avery Fisher, whose namewould grace the building for nearly 50 years. , changed little in the qualityof the hall. At concerts, the music disappeared into thin air; orchestramusicians heard neither themselves nor the rest of the orchestra on stage. Andthe eye, which also wants something, was deeply unhappy with the gold-leaf-covered block box filled with mustard-coloured chairs. The New YorkPhilharmonic, one of New York’s cultural crown jewels, has thus been playingin a hall far below its level for more than half a century. After a fewaborted attempts at a new renovation in the early 21st century, there wasfinally a happy coincidence in recent years. A great gift from music mogulDavid Geffen, top manager Deborah Borda who returned after a successful stintwith the Los Angeles Philharmonic as president of the NY Phil, conductor Jaapvan Zweden as the new chief, and the hiring of the right architectural firm.
Read also this interview with chief conductor Jaap van Zweden about therenovated hall
more intimate
An integral part of heritage-listed Lincoln Center, the building’s exteriorhad to remain intact, but everything else was fair game during the renovation.Diamond Schmitt Architects was guided by the goal so fervently desired by theorchestra and conductor, which is to provide a vastly improved experience foraudiences and musicians, both in and out of the hall. The result isimpressive: the music temple, which was open for only a handful of hours aday, now has an inviting lobby, which is also accessible during the day, withtwo coffee bars where concerts are shown live on a large screen. Several smallconcert spaces have been added, as well as rehearsal rooms and a recordingstudio. The hall itself has become more intimate (from 2,700 to 2,200 seats).The walls are covered with wavy birch wood. Acoustic reflectors are nowsuspended above the stage, which can be configured in 27 different ways, whichcan influence the sound in the hall as well as on stage. And, inspired by theAmsterdam Concertgebouw, among other things, 100 seats have been placed behindthe concert stage.
Baptism of Fire
After two years of continuous de- and construction work by an average of 450construction workers a day, the New York Philharmonic gave its first concertin the unrecognizable new home hall on Wednesday. In any case, there wasalready satisfaction with the process in advance: the budget (550 milliondollars) was not exceeded and partly thanks to Covid, the hall was completedtwo years earlier than planned.
For the acoustic baptism of fire, the New York Philharmonic chose an openingprogram that immediately put the versatility of the hall to the test: theworld premiere of Marcos Balters Oya for orchestra, electronics, and lightartist. After surprise gave way to fascination, John Adams’ My Father KnewCharles Ives , a cinematic homage in the higher sound regions, which soundedclear and clear in the hall. The Cuban-American composer Tania León,pioneering grande dame of North and South American new music, became the firstwhose work has been performed in both the ‘old’ and the new hall. Hair_stride_ , winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2021, sounded full and powerful.Fading percussion in the closing bars beautifully exposed the magic ofdeafening silence. Respighis Pini di Roma gave conductor Jaap van Zweden andthe orchestra the opportunity to make themselves heard in more traditionalorchestral music, and that also worked out very well. Brass, woodwinds,strings, percussion and even the brand new electronic organ filled the hall ina way that you would have thought impossible three years ago. At a few momentsit was noticeable that the musicians still had to get used to the newacoustics. That probably won’t last long: after sixty years of suffering,being able to acclimatize to a good hall is a very welcome investment.