World-class concert hall or world-class music education?


Very good to see Simon Rattle arguing the case for music education in the Times recently. Now here is a suggestion. Graciously accept the sonic compromises associated with the Barbican, Festival and Albert Halls, and abandon demands for a new London concert hall. Divert the conservative estimated budget of £278 million for the new hall - the publicly-funded Elbphilharmonie finally cost £753 million - into music education projects. Job done.

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Pliable said…
With Amanda Levete, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano among the shortlisted architects the new London hall ain't going to come cheap. An Economist article put the probable cost of a new London Hall at a more realistic £400 million ($493m). Note that the Elbphilharmonie finally cost more than ten times the original estimate. Now that could fund a lot of music education - https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2017/01/21/a-new-concert-hall-is-worth-the-wait-and-the-cost

7:16 pm
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