Munich Concert Hall is Coming - At Half the Cost

The Bavarian cabinet has decided on a completely new plan for the Munich Concert Hall. "The concert hall is coming, but a billion-euro project will become a million-euro project," said Minister President Söder.

After more than two years of a 'pause for thought', the Bavarian cabinet has agreed on a new plan for the Munich concert hall. "The pause for thought was right," said Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) after a cabinet meeting in Munich. The world has changed in recent years, with one crisis following another, making it impossible to realize all plans exactly as initially envisioned. "The concert hall is coming, but a project worth billions will become a project worth millions," announced the Minister President.

The aim is to halve the costs to around 500 million euros while maintaining "100 percent quality." The extras will be "reduced a little," but the core will remain. Instead of rescheduling, there will be a completely new plan, with the goal of completing the project by 2036.

Minister Blume: Excellent Concert Hall for 1,900 People

According to Arts Minister Markus Blume (CSU), the plan is to focus on the essentials: "The centerpiece is an excellent concert hall." No compromises will be made. "There will be a large concert hall for 1,900 people, with sufficient capacity, playability for a wide variety of orchestras, and support for the diverse musical landscape of the Free State of Bavaria."

There will also be no compromises in terms of quality and digital capability. A new concert hall for the 21st century must be built "at the cutting edge." On the other hand, items that can be dispensed with, such as a small hall, offices, and storage, have been scrutinized. "The message today is: the pause for thought is over. The realization phase begins today."

BR Director General Wildermuth: 'Good News'

BR Director Katja Wildermuth described it as "really good news that the Konzerthaus project is now making great strides forward—for the music world in Bavaria, the numerous supporters, and, of course, for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra."

The pragmatic and sustainable approach offers the opportunity to make the urgently needed venue a reality. "We are all the more pleased that the basic idea has been retained: the highest acoustic quality, contemporary digitality, a symphonic hall of the required size, and space for educational projects." All of this will have an impact across Bavaria. "Bayerischer Rundfunk is doing everything it can to contribute to the success of the project."

The chief conductor of the Bavarian Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle, also welcomed the fact that the long-planned concert hall is "finally being realized." The prospect of a center for music in the 21st century makes him optimistic. "We will help where we can so that the Presto project—not Andante—can go ahead."

In March 2022, the Minister President initially announced a "pause for thought" regarding the concert hall. In autumn 2023, the CSU and Free Voters committed to the new building project in Munich's Werksviertel in their coalition agreement. At the same time, the coalition partners announced they would "redimension" the plans in view of potential costs of up to 1.3 billion euros. The BR Symphony Orchestra, which unlike other top international orchestras does not have its own venue, will particularly benefit from the new concert hall.

Piazolo: Too Long a Pause for Thought

Michael Piazolo, a member of the Munich state parliament for the Free Voters, complained that the CSU's pause for thought had lasted far too long. During this time, construction prices had risen. "The plans presented can be approved in principle, but they still need to be fleshed out in the coming days and weeks."

Katja Weitzel, cultural policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, was skeptical: "Blume's promise to reduce the costs for the new Munich concert hall by 50 percent is on shaky ground." Since 2016, 27 million euros have already been spent on planning and leasehold "completely in vain." Now a completely new plan is to be drawn up. Susanne Kurz from the Green Party also criticized the fact that "almost 30 million euros have been invested since 2019 and there is still nothing here."

Minister Announces 'Museum Offensive'

In addition to the concert hall, the cabinet also addressed other cultural issues. According to Blume, the Free State is to launch a museum offensive to better present its "world-class treasures." "We are planning a structural reform," explained the minister. "We want to merge many individual museums into powerful alliances."

He cited the area of paintings and art as an example. "We have a Bavarian State Painting Collection with a very great history, with outstanding individual brands." These should be bundled under the heading "The Pinakotheken." "That puts us in the same international league as the Louvre, MoMA, and others."

Blume announced that digitalization would be promoted in all cultural institutions in Bavaria. "A clear roadmap: Online ticketing by 2025, Wi-Fi across the board by 2026, new overall digital presence with apps by 2027." Investments will also be made in content. Some permanent exhibitions are to be revised or even redesigned, and there will also be special exhibitions.

'Culture Bus' to Bring Art to the People

The state government wants to step up its efforts to bring art and culture to the people. "Culture does not mean having temples of culture and waiting for people to simply come." Rather, it is important to "go out and inspire new groups," said Blume. "That's why we want to expand the cultural institutions as meeting places." A culture bus should also make it possible to experience art throughout the country. In this way, young people in particular should be reached and inspired.