Have Simon Rattle’s plans for a new concert hall in London taken the first step from rumour to reality? It’s been announced today (Friday 20 February) that George Osborne has given his support for “a feasibility study into a world-class music centre in London” to be based in the City of London. That rather suggests that there isn’t currently a “world-class music centre” in London, an opinion that the Southbank Centre might well disagree with, but with which many listeners, commentators and orchestral musicians might concur – if mostly on the grounds of acoustics and rehearsal facilities rather than social and cultural function. In any case, here is the joint response from the major stakeholders in the new plans, namely Nicholas Kenyon and Kathryn McDowell, managing directors of the Barbican and London Symphony Orchestra respectively:
This commitment from the Chancellor to put new money into a feasibility study for a world-class music centre that serves London, Londoners and the nation as a whole, is a hugely exciting prospect.
Culture is ever more important in defining our great cities, and this is a once-in-a-generation chance to explore how we could work with the City of London to create a state-of-the-art performance and education facility for the digital age that offers outstanding learning opportunities for all.
Interesting that the words “concert” and “hall” are nowhere to be found, and are replaced with “performance and education facility”. Reading between the lines, whatever this “centre” turns out to be – should its feasibility be proved! – it could be much more than merely a place where the LSO performs (although a lot will depend on how well the new auditorium – which will surely be the heart of the “centre” – actually sounds); it instead could be a different vision of what the idea of orchestral music-making might be, with interactivity, openness, accessibility, and education at its heart. Exciting, I reckon. The long march from feasibility to bricks and mortar has begun.
And this on the same day that Danny Alexander has confirmed £5 million of Treasury cash will go towards the refurbishment of Bristol’s Colston Hall, an essential part of the nation’s musical life and an auditorium that has long deserved a renovation. As Louise Mitchell, chief executive of the Bristol Music Trust, says: “Our ambition is nothing short of a total transformation to make this hall a 21st-century international hub for entertainment, education and enterprise, and this announcement of £5 million is a fantastic first step.”
