Berlin's Konzerthaus Turns 25

Why does a 1980s concert hall look like a nineteenth-century theater?
Berlin's Konzerthaus at Gendarmenmarkt, which turns 25 this year, was originally built as a royal theater by nineteenth-century star architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. From 1821 to 1945, it hosted the city's top stage productions.

Devastating fires in the last days of the Second World War completely destroyed the beautiful theater. For four decades it lay in ruins, a blot on the landscape of East Berlin's historic district.

A second chance came in 1985, when Erich Honecker ordered the renewal and reconstruction of the Gendarmenmarkt for Berlin's 750th anniversary celebrations. The GDR's cultural elite decided that East Berlin theater did not need yet another venue for stage productions, so Schinkel's royal theater was to reappear as a concert hall, built in a contemporary architectural style.

The architects chosen for the project, however, begged to differ. They proposed designing the new building in a style as true to Schinkel's original concept as possible and restoring the site to its former glory.

The Konzerthaus was home to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra (BSO), but it was also intended to host artists of international repute who would add to the cultural prestige of the GDR. One of them was Leonard Bernstein, who conducted here six times between 1984 and 1989.

On Christmas Day, 1989, Bernstein returned to the concert hall to conduct Beethoven's Ninth Symphony -- a performance that many will remember for its historical piquancy.

And so, here it is - Berlin's Konzerthaus, resplendent in its nineteenth-century gilt and ornamental style, celebrating a young twenty-five years.

The celebrations this weekend, which opened with a performance by the Konzerthaus Orchestra (formerly the BSO) of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, include a program of concerts, guided tours, colloquiums and films.

The special program celebrating the 25th anniversary runs till October 4. The Konzerthaus is at the Gendarmenmarkt (U2 Stadtmitte). A complete program with ticket information for the various events is at www.konzerthaus.de