Press release CONCERTS, ACTIVITIES, WORKSHOPS, MUSEUM, EXHIBITIONS. CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 1 26/03/2015 10:59
PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS, A UNIQUE PROJECT The project of the Philharmonie de Paris began in 2006 with a shared determination from the French government and the City of Paris to introduce a new model of musical creation and transmission. The building itself is the work of Jean Nouvel, winner of the international competition organised in March 2007. Its architecture fits perfectly into the setting within the Parc de la Villette, welcoming both walkers and families. It also conveniently fits into the East of Paris, currently undergoing major transformations, at the heart of the future large metropolis known as Grand Paris, thanks to the installation of many companies head offices and the Campus Condorcet which is under construction. The Philharmonie combines spaces of all kinds. They welcome educational services aimed at practising collaborative activities for all, recreational activities ranging from the exhibition space to the restaurant and bar, not excluding the professional needs with no less than 5 ultramodern rehearsal rooms also open to the public. residency of the Orchestre de Paris, the regular presence of renown national and international orchestras, as well as the contribution of current music jazz, new works, world cultures, etc., its priority in educational activities in all its forms, and its focus on the importance of opening to new audiences. The Philharmonie is a symbol of wider social issues. It aims to reassemble and confront social conventions which can divide and separate in terms of cultural practices: repertory and creation; classical and current music; prestigious artists and those who are just emerging; local, national and foreign training schemes; amateurs and professionals; conservatory students and children and teenagers from disadvantaged districts; music lovers and the uninitiated; citizens of Paris and those of the suburbs. Laurent Bayle President of Philharmonie de Paris At the core of this set of spaces is the symphonic hall with its capacity of 2,400 seats, promising to be exceptional in its design, ergonomics and acoustic qualities. All this forms a unified complex with the current Cité de la Musique, designed by Christian de Portzampac which includes 2 auditoriums of 900 and 250 seats, a museum of music and a media library. The project of the Philharmonie, as reflected in the concerts and activities of its first season, meets the features and objectives clearly set out from the outset. Its location, enhancing the existing Cité de la Musique, its symphonic purpose, the permanent The Philharmonie esplanade (seen from Porte de Pantin) Borel PHILHARMONIE 1 CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE-PHILHARMONIE 2 View from the métro Porte de Pantin CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 2 26/03/2015 10:59
PHILHARMONIE 1: CUTTING-EDGE ARCHITECTURE AT THE SERVICE OF MUSIC When the dust from the invitation for proposals had settled, the design chosen for the new Philharmonie de Paris building was that by Jean Nouvel. With previous works including the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen and the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, the architect enlisted the services of two leading acoustic consultants, Sir Harold Marshall of New Zealand and Yasuhisa Toyota of Japan, for the project. Philharmonie 1 is a mineral building with innovative forms, rising up like a hill within the Parc de la Villette. The shiny aluminium swirls wrapped tightly around the concert hall contrast with the rest of its matt exterior, defined by elegant angles. From the vast rooftop open to the public, 37 metres high, visitors have an expansive view of the city blending into the suburbs. The building houses the site s largest concert hall, called the Grande salle, which is an innovation in architecture, stage design and acoustics. The Philharmonie auditorium feels remarkably intimate thanks to the way the 2400 seats are distributed, between the parterre, behind the stage and on floating balconies around the central stage. The farthest spectator is only 32 metres from the conductor (compared to 40 or 50 metres in most large symphony halls). tiers and parterre seating are retractable, offering an increased capacity of 3650 people for events such as amplified concerts that require special configurations. A number of spaces for use by musicians are situated around the hall, including dressing rooms, of course, but also rehearsal rooms offering ideal working conditions, whether practicing as an orchestra, in separate sections or individually. In all, the hall is encircled by five rehearsal rooms for various ensembles and ten chamber music studios. An entire section of the building is occupied by an 1800 sq.m. (19,375 sq.ft.) educational centre. With various rooms designed for collective practice, it will host workshop cycles aimed at familiarising young people and adults with the symphonic universe. The site also boasts an 800-sq.m. (8600-sq.ft.) exhibition space, a conference hall and two restaurants. The hall s enveloping configuration is designed to immerse the spectator in the music. Thanks to the materials used, specially treated to increase reflection and reverberation, the sound resonates harmoniously throughout the vast acoustic volume (30,500 cubic metres). Versatility is another of the hall s attributes. Its modular design allows it to be adapted to different musical genres, always ensuring optimal viewing and listening conditions. The rear Large rehearsal room The Symphonic hall CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 3 26/03/2015 10:59
VARIOUS PROGRAMMING FOR EACH AND EVERYONE The Philharmonie sets the tone with a dynamic first season, showing its commitment to artistic excellence and reaching out to new audiences, repertory and musical creation, classical music, dance, jazz, world music and contemporary music. It serves as a crossroads, creating bridges and gateways, and prompting emulation. Alongside its two permanent residents the Orchestre de Paris and the Ensemble intercontemporain the Philharmonie also has close ties with three associate ensembles: the Orchestre de chambre de Paris, the Orchestre national d Île-de-France, and Les Arts Florissants. As a venue, it has great appeal for the best orchestras in the world, which are among its regular guests of honour, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Berliner Philharmoniker, and others including the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra of Venezuela or the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Finally, other French orchestras (such as those of Toulouse, Lille and Lyon, Les Siècles, Les Dissonances, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Chambre Philharmonique or the Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris), large Baroque ensembles (such as Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Concert Spirituel, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin or the English Baroque Soloists) and the Accentus chamber choir founded by Laurence Equilbey, all add to the vibrancy of the site. On weekends, the Philharmonie aims to offer something for everyone with a diverse program of affordably-priced events and activities. Structured around a theme (such as the Love Stories weekend in February), a genre (musicals in May), a musician (David Bowie in early March, Bach and the Brad Mehldauen in April) or a geographic area (India in January, New York in April), these weekends offer the public a fresh take on music and its appreciation. Thanks to wide range of original formats, including concerts, shows geared towards children, participative family concerts, Museum visits, workshops, conferences and even musical child-care, the public is invited to bring to life and appropriate a project that allows everyone to choose their path and enjoy music in their own way. 2015 EXHIBITIONS DAVID BOWIE IS FROM MARCH 3 TO MAY 31 PIERRE BOULEZ FROM MARCH 17 TO JUNE 28 The Symphonic hall pop-concert configuration Album cover shoot for Aladdin Sane, 1973 Photograph by Brian Duffy Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive Boulez Anny-Breer archives-internationales-musikinstitut-darmstadt CONCERTS RESIDENT ORCHESTRAS Orchestre de Paris Ensemble intercontemporain VALERY GERGIEV Marco Borgrreve / Decca MARIA JOÃO PIRES Harald Hoffman / DG BRAD MEHLDAU Michael Wilson MARTHA ARGERICH Adriano Heitman THE DIVINE COMEDY Prowan GUSTAVO DUDAMEL Andrew Eccles PAAVO JÄRVI Ixi Chen MATTHIAS PINTSCHER Edouard Caupeil Les Arts Floriss ants ASSOCIATED ENSEMBLES Orchestre de chambre de Paris Orchestre national d Île-de-France MURRAY PERAHIA Felix Broede JORDI SAVALL David Ignaszewski HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD Mat Hennek / DG LANG LANG Harald Hoffmann /Sony classical JACQUES HIGELIN Emma Pick OXMO PUCCINO Matias Indjic-Contour by Getty Images WILLIAM CHRISTIE Denis Rouvre THOMAS ZEHETMAIR Edouard Caupeil ENRIQUE MAZZOLA Edouard Caupeil SIMON RATTLE Mat Hennek licenced to EMI Classics JESSYE NORMAN Carol Friedman ROBERTO ALAGNA Jean-Marc Lubrano MARION COTILLARD Jean-Baptiste Mondino DANIEL BARENBOIM Max Lautenschléger MAURIZIO POLLINI Julien Mignot / Salle Pleyel CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 4 26/03/2015 10:59
THE EDUCATIONAL PROJECT, A PRIORITY OF THE PHILHARMONIE The ambition of the Philharmonie de Paris is to contribute to the revival of a collective practice of music not only reserved for professionals and versed music lovers. All amateurs, in the broader sense of the word, are welcome, would they approach music through practical initiation or active listening. They have the opportunity to immerse themselves into a variety of repertoires, from Western classical music to jazz and current music, including non-european traditional music. This is offered in a variety of forms, in terms of duration, expected commitment, required level, etc., with the aim to propose a complete range of access to all types of music endeavouring and to deepen musical experience over time. Specifically, the educational process first focus on the individual public (families, adults, children, etc.) who directly benefits, in the appropriate spaces, from a very wide range offered to them as from the first season: educational concerts or concerts for the young, participative approach, numerous young or intergenerational workshops, practical experience over a longer period (youth orchestras, the Choir of the Paris Orchestra, etc.) or even still musical culture for adults. Many more proposals specifically concerns groups of young people, leading to direct links with local authorities, schools, universities, social organisations and recreational centres for children. These actions are carried out in close collaboration with teachers, cultural mediators and social workers. Another specific approach will concentrate on groups of adults, in particular in activities outside the walls of the Philharmonie and for publics more distant from culture (in connection with, for example, specialized institutions such as retirement homes, hospitals, etc.). Finally, to make this project even more structuring, the Philharmonie will be deeply involved in the training of professional musicians and support for students intending to enter into the professional life. Conferences-symposiums A family workshop Pomme Célarié Workshop in an educational space CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 5 26/03/2015 10:59
PHILHARMONIE 1 Building designed by Jean Nouvel D A F B E C Pierre-Xavier Grézaud PHILHARMONIE 2 Building designed by Christian de Portzamparc (the current Cité de la musique) Tramway Porte de Pantin Parking Taxis D L G H K I J Avenue Jean-Jaurès Parking Taxis Métro Porte de Pantin Boulevard périphérique PHILHARMONIE 1 Enveloping and adjustable auditorium of 2,400 seats or 3,650 places when in frontal configuration (seated/standing public). B Rehearsal rooms two rehearsal rooms for orchestras, including one with tiers, which can house audiences; three rehearsal spaces for choirs or smaller orchestras; ten studios for individual work or chamber ensembles. C - Conference room A conference room of about 200 seats for symposiums, seminars, small concerts, screenings, but also presentation of educational projects and public rehearsals. D - Educational spaces Educational centre of about 1,800 m2, located at Park level. It includes rooms for musical awakening, spaces for collective practice, rooms for individual practice, a recording studio and a room for picnics. E Space for temporary exhibitions Around 800 m2, intended for temporary exhibitions coinciding with the musical programme. Endowed with a high ceiling and state of the art technical facilities. F Restaurants a restaurant with panoramic view a café at Park level PHILHARMONIE 2 (THE CURRENT CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE) G Concert hall A concert hall entirely adjustable from 1,000 seats to 1,500 seated/standing places. H - Amphitheatre Amphitheatre of 250 seats. I - Museum of music A 2,000 m2 space presenting 1,000 objects from the Museum s permanent collection (which consists of nearly 7,000 items). J - Media library A vast space proposing to the public 70,000 physical documents (scores, books, CDs, DVDs, instrument layouts) and 55,000 digital documents. D - Educational spaces Sound studio, percussion workshop, amplified music. K - Restaurant The Café des Concerts. L Rue musicale A vast space topped by a glass roof, opening onto the Park, for a wide range of events (concerts, installations, etc.). CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 6 26/03/2015 10:59
PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS KEY FIGURES 270 performances 70 of current, jazz and world music 50 with family participation or for young audiences 150 of baroque, classical and contemporary music 340,000 aluminium birds of 7 forms and 4 tints covering the building 60,000 m3 of concrete 5,000 tons of reinforcement steel 4,500 tons of metal framing 16 consortiums of companies Further information on philharmoniedeparis.fr Vue de nuit Philharmonie de Paris Ateliers Jean Nouvel Pictures available on our website : http://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/philharmonie/press PRESS CONTACTS PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS Philippe Provensal General coordinator pprovensal@cite-musique.fr +33 (0)1 44 84 45 63 Hamid Si Amer Press officer hsiamer@cite-musique.fr +33 (0)1 44 84 45 78 Gaëlle Kervella Press assistant gkervella@cite-musique.fr +33 (0)1 44 84 89 69 01 44 84 44 84 221, AVENUE JEAN-JAURÈS 75019 PARIS PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS.FR CommPRESSE-25-mars-GB.indd 7 26/03/2015 10:59