A new hall for the London Symphony Orchestra?

[John F]

Concert hall search builds to a climax
Jack Malvern, Arts Correspondent
June 11 2015

A new “world-class concert hall” demanded by Sir Simon Rattle is likely to be built on the site of the Museum of London, insiders have confirmed after alternative venues were ruled out. A feasibility study led by Sir Nicholas Hytner, the former artistic director of the National Theatre, is understood to have narrowed its search to two sites, with the Museum of London’s premises being a firm favourite.

The hall, which would be a new home for the London Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Sir Simon, would occupy the museum building including the Rotunda, its spur on a roundabout. Bastion House, a nearby block, would also be redeveloped as part of the project but the Ironmongers Hall would not be affected.

The preference arose after the Museum of London announced in March that it wished to move to a bigger premises at Smithfield General Market, a site that was saved from a commercial redevelopment in January because of the surprise intervention of Eric Pickles, then the secretary of state for communities and local government.

Smithfield General Market was ruled out because of the building’s internal structures, which conservation groups want to preserve and which are incompatible with a concert hall. The only alternative site under consideration for the hall, which is intended to match the prestige of the Philharmonie in Paris, is a redeveloped version of the Barbican arts centre — the orchestra’s current home. A source said that this would be awkward because it would involve “a lot of listing issues”. The building was awarded grade II status in 2001.

The study is thought to have rejected the idea of a place at the Olympicopolis project in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, which will feature outposts of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Sadler’s Wells dance theatre and a branch of the American Smithsonian museum. Instead Sir Nicholas is expected to suggest a new cultural hub in the City of London that would unite the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with the Barbican, Museum of London and the new hall. The plan assumes there will be a large increase in visitors from the new Crossrail station at Farringdon.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/musi ... 466483.ece

[barney]

Sounds sensible to me. Good old Simon Rattle eh?
(Mind you, haven't seen Chalkie for a while, so this provocation may fall on deaf ears.)

[Chalkperson]

Sacrilege!!!

I happen to be a big fan of the Museum of London.

Arrogant demanding Rattle at his lowest ever curly haired tyrant.

[John F]

I am too - visit the museum every time I'm in London. But it seems they want to move to Smithfield General Market, vacating the site at London Wall. That would be too bad, I think - where they are now, you can look out a window and see a remnant of the old London wall, and I don't suppose the Smithfield site has any such feature. But I don't know.

[Chalkperson]

The whole of London is being redeveloped. Hundreds of important buildings, streets, structures, areas etc are being redeveloped as a result of the new rail link.

So Le Rat plays right into their hands, if he kept his ego shut maybe Londoners would have benefited.

Property Developers, Conservative lackeys, that's who benefits from this move.

A new "hall" is a different thing. Tear down the Barbican instead!

[barney]

The whole of London is being redeveloped. Hundreds of important buildings, streets, structures, areas etc are being redeveloped as a result of the new rail link.

Property Developers, Conservative lackeys, that's who benefits from this move.

I am sure you are right. But find me any development in the modern West* where it isn't property developers and conservative toadies and lickspittles who benefit. They are winning all around Australia.
*And we're the lucky ones

[THEHORN]

Rattle is a tyrant ? From everything I have heard about him as a conductor , he is very agreeable to work with and orchesta musicians really like, respect and admire him, like his conducting or not . By the way, it was great seeing you last week !