As celebrations begin to mark the re-opening of the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank following its major refurbishment, Petroc Trelawny goes behind the scenes and talks to the people running this cultural landmark.
He also takes a look at the murky history of musical life in post-war Germany, and German conductor Ingo Metzmacher discusses the attraction of orchestras in his native country.
In this programme
Royal Festival Hall re-opening
The Royal Festival Hall first opened its doors to the public in 1951. It was built for the Festival of Britain on the South Bank of the River Thames and was intended to rekindle a sense of national pride, optimism and creativity after the devastating war years. For the past two years, the hall has been closed for a £111 million refurbishment. The improvements include a complete overhaul of the auditorium's acoustics as well as restoration of all the original lighting and furnishings. In all the changes, retaining the integrity of the original architectural design was a priority. Petroc went for a tour of the hall with architecture critic Jonathan Glancey and also caught up with acoustician Larry Kirkegaard, Chief Executive of the hall, Michael Lynch and the Artistic Director, Jude Kelly.
The opening weekend, 8th-10th June is followed by the first night gala concert on Monday 11th June which will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Wednesday 13th June.
Ingo Metzmacher
The German conductor Ingo Metzmacher has made an extensive study of the Twentieth Century music of his homeland. In the autumn, he takes up a new appointment as Principal Conductor of the Deutches Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. Having recently announced his departure from his role as Music Director of the Netherlands Opera after just three years, he explains the appeal of focussing on his native country and working with a German orchestra.
Music after Hitler
When the Second World War ended in 1945, the profound influence of the Nazi regime on music was replaced by the varied polices of the four allies - America, Britain, France and the USSR. Their differences in terms of acceptable repertoire were considerable. In his new book, Toby Thacker explores the ten year period after the war and the political ambitions for music at this time. He talks to Petroc about what he has discovered, and Petroc is joined by writer Eric Levi and record producer Michael Haas to discuss the fascinating issues raised in the book.
Toby Thacker - Music after Hitler. Pub.Ashgate h/b £55
