Iconic concert halls: Monuments to music

The Berlin Philharmonie was controversial ahead of its opening in October 1963. Although Hans Scharoun's design had won the bid in 1956, skeptics delayed construction. The plans seemed too idiosyncratic — until star conductor Herbert von Karajan praised the orchestra's placement in the middle of the hall. That innovation laid the foundation for modern concert hall architecture around the world.

The former Avery Fisher Hall, part of the Lincoln Center, opened in 1962 as the home of the New York Philharmonic, then led by legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein. Ever since, dissatisfaction with its architecture and acoustics have led to repeated refurbishments. It was renamed after a multimillion-dollar gift from media mogul David Geffen, and completely refurbished, reopening in October 2022.

This Australian institution will celebrate its 50th birthday on October 20, 2023. With this innovative design, Danish architect Jorn Utzon set standards and created a globally recognized landmark. The construction of the white "shells" proved to be technically challenging and it took 16 years to be completed. Recent extensive refurbishments have improved the notoriously poor acoustics.

Designed by Frank O. Gehry (who was inspired by the Berlin Philharmonie), and with state-of-the-art acoustics, Disney Hall was plagued by construction delays and controversy. But in the 20 years since its opening in October 2003, it’s been a hit with the public, led to a revitalization of its Downtown LA neighborhood, and helped the Los Angeles Philharmonic to a professional renaissance.

Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava immortalized his name with the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, his home town. Since October 2005, both actors and musicians have performed in the futuristic shell with its 40,000 square meters. A city landmark, it's one of the largest opera houses in Europe.

The opera house in Guangzhou opened in May 2010. From the outside, the 42,000-square-meter structure resembles two stones washed smooth over centuries in the bed of the Pearl River, on whose banks it sits. The organic form was designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, who completely dispensed with right angles and vertical walls. It's the largest performing center in southern China.

Originally a private project, construction of the Harpa concert hall on Reykjavik's old harbor was publicly funded after the 2008 financial crisis. Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson designed the facade of glass blocks symbolizing a rocky coastline and volcanic landscape. Opened in 2011, the building is home to the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera performs there as well.

Home to the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, the "City of Arts" in Rio de Janeiro is the largest modern concert hall in South America. Inaugurated in 2013, it was designed by French architect Christian de Portzamparc and features several performance and rehearsal spaces. Surrounded by a public park, it was commissioned by the city to bring urban life to an otherwise uninviting new district of Rio.

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel designed the Philharmonie de Paris, but distanced himself from the project that opened in 2015, seeing it as unfinished. Construction took two years longer than originally planned and cost twice as much. Anne Hidalgo, who later became mayor of the city, made sure pop concerts would also be held here. The facade features 340,000 stylized aluminum birds.

Seven years after its completion, thousands of guests from all over the world still flock to the viewing platform of the Elbphilharmonie, making it nearly as popular as the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Construction by architects Herzog & de Meuron took 10 years instead of three and went far over budget. The venue's programming features established stars as well as up-and-coming insider tips.