In Friday’s (5/59) Montréal Gazette (Canada), Arthur Kaptainis writes, “The long-awaited Montreal Symphony Orchestra concert hall took on a new hue of reality Thursday as Premier Jean Charest and other dignitaries unveiled drawings of the sleek window-clad structure.” Charest said that the new hall “confirms the value of music to our culture,” and MSO Music Director Kent Nagano stated that it “will function as a lighthouse and beacon, and shine out to the rest of the world.” The article continues: “Both the facade of the hall on the plaza of Place des Arts and much of the long wall along St. Urbain St. … are composed of rectangular see-through glass panels. While the interior of the hall will be isolated visually and acoustically, the lobby areas, especially when illuminated at night, will be visible from the outside. ‘Transparency is immensely helpful in getting the public interested,’ [architect Jack] Diamond said. … Michel Languedoc, from Aedifica, a Montreal architectural firm also involved in the design, stressed the ‘democratic’ spirit of the glass shell and the need to combat the supposed elitist image of symphonic music.” The building is slated to open in 2011.
Posted May 29, 2009
