Prague, Feb 28 (CTK) – Prague plans to build a super-modern grand “concert cathedral” inspired by similar iconic buildings in Sydney, Oslo and Hamburg, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes yesterday.
The new concert venue, which would cost almost 2.5 billon crowns, should be completed by 2025, according to Prague politicians.
“Prague has become a centre of classical music and it is one of the five cities in the world where big and interesting concerts are staged and where renowned performers and orchestras are heading,” Prague councillor for culture Jan Wolf (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) told MfD.
The new building with two concert halls for at least 1800 and 400 people will cover about a half hectare area, according to architect Miroslav Masak’s calculation.
The Prague City would like to choose the right place by the end of March. It is considering some 20 localities.
Its favourite is the area above the Vltavska metro station in the Holesovice neighbourhood. At present it is a quite unappetising place surrounded by a dense network of tram lines, roads, railways and exits from the adjacent motorway, MfD writes.
Other localities in question are, for instance, the river embankment close to the centre, the Stvanice island and the Karlin and Dejvice neighbourhoods.
However, only a few of the selected places meet basic conditions of such a concert hall. It must be situated at an attractive place, best close to a metro station, that is at the same time sufficiently respectful and cultivated.
“The place should also be visible since a new building will become an icon that would contribute to an interesting picture of the city,” Masak said.
This is also why such “music cathedrals” are situated on the river banks or seashore or in parks abroad, MfD says.
However, traffic along the Vltava (Moldau) River is quite heavy. Besides, Prague would have to purchase land from private owners at some localities.
MfD writes that similar complex projects were accompanied by problems abroad, primarily financial ones as the projected budgets were often exceeded several times. However, the completed buildings became the cities’ dominants that attracted many visitors, MfD says.
Prague has currently two major concert halls for classical music, the 19th-century Rudolfinum with the capacity of 900 seats in its Dvorak Hall and the Art Nouveau Municipal House from the beginning of the 20th century with the 1300-seat Smetana Hall. Both premises are relatively small, their acoustics is not perfect and they lack generous background facilities for the audience, MfD writes.
Czech Philharmonic director David Marecek says the orchestra would welcome a new larger concert hall where the programmes demanding a high number of musicians could be staged.
The Czech Republic has so far preferred “megalomanic” transport construction projects. This is why a new concert hall would be a positive gesture to show that culture is being prioritised, LN writes.
“The 25-year path to a democratic, free society with everything that has been achieved as well as wasted would gain a new symbol,” architect Ondrej Benes told MfD about the vision of a “concert cathedral” in Prague.
($1=25.522 crowns)
