Konzerthaus in Berlin

The Konzerthaus on a normal day (top) and during the night of lights (below)

The Französischer Dom (French Cathedral) next to it.

The Konzerthaus in Gendarmenmarkt, one of the prettiest squares in Berlin, is my favorite place to visit in the capital of Germany. Not only because I am a fan of its prominent Preussan architect, Carl Friedrich Schinkel (1781-1841), who designed many fantastic museums, bridges, and memorials in this amazing city, but also due to the first-class musical performances this concert hall has to offer.

Every Saturday, the Konzerthaus organizes a tour through the building for the public, so I took advantage of it yesterday (11/6).

Originally, the hall was designed to be a Schauspielhaus (a theater), and hosted quite a few world premieres in the 19th century, such as Carl Maria Weber's opera Der Freischütz and E.T.A. Hoffman's Undine.

The American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) conducted Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 here on Christmas Day in 1989, just one month after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In that concert, which was broadcast live in more than 20 countries, Bernstein re-worded Friedrich Schiller's text of Ode an die Freude (Ode to joy) as Freiheit an die Freude (Freedom to joy). Through the enthusiasm of the tour guide, who introduced in detail about Bernstein's appearances in the concert hall, I realized how high Bernstein was put on a pedestal by German "fans". The Konzerthaus even has his bronze bust made to commemorate this American composer.

There are a total of four concert halls in the Konzerthaus: the Großer Saal, the Kleiner Saal, the Werner-Otto-Saal, and the MusikClub. Below are pictures of the Großer Saal (the big hall, both in 19th century and today), which is mainly for orchestra performances; the small hall for chamber music; and the colorful hall hallway.

What impressed me the most is that the Konzerthaus has been trying very hard to attract young patrons. Both the Werner-Otto hall and the Musikclub are devoted for youth programs, such as Papageno spielt auf der Zauberflöte (Papageno plays on the Magic flute) and Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty). They are all hands-on projects for children to experience musical performances.

According to the official publication "Facts About Germany," Germany's federal structure delegates responsibility for culture affairs to the states. The federal government contributes only marginal. All in all, Germany's theaters and orchestras receive public funds that is as high as 0.2 percent of all federal, state and municipal expenditure. Students can enjoy performing arts at affordable prices because Germans believe that only public financing can safeguard the freedom of the arts.