We introduce you to European performance halls where you can have a beautiful time just with the space. If you have the time, watching a performance can be a fun and unique way to enjoy your trip.
Auditorium Parco della Musica
파르코 델라 뮤지카 오디토리움
1960년 로마 올림픽이 있었고 많은 시설들이 건설되었다. 그리고 올림픽이 끝나고 주경기장이었던 스타디오 올림피코는 AS 로마와 SS 라치오의 홈구장으로 사용되고 주변 경기장들 역시 크고 작은 행사와 스포츠 행사장으로 이용되고 있다.
스타디오 올림피코에서 도보로 30분 정도 떨어진 곳에 파르코 델라 뮤지카 오디토리움이 자리한다. 음악의 공원이라는 뜻의 이 예술단지는 1960년 로마 올림픽 공원으로 조성되었던 곳을 렌초 피아노가 음악당으로 조성한 공간이다.
음악당은 크게 3개의 공연장이 있고 그 3개의 공연장을 떠받들고 있는 반원형의 스탠드로 구성되어 있다. 3개의 공연장은 원형경기장과 비슷한 형태로 생겼는데 2,800석의 살라 산타 체칠리아, 1,200색의 살라 시노폴리, 750석 규모의 살라 페트라시로 나뉜다.
살라 산타 체칠리아는 음악의 수호성녀이자 로마 국립음악원의 이름을 딴 것으로 가장 큰 규모의 홀인만큼 주요 공연이 이 곳에서 열린다. 우리나라의 피아니스트 조성진의 이탈리아 데뷔 무대도 이 곳이었고 내가 로마에서 유일하게 공연을 관람했던 공연장도 이 곳이다.
베네치아 출신 세계적인 지휘자 주세페 시노폴리의 이름을 딴 살라 시노폴리는 공연의 종류에 따라 좌석과 무대를 변화시킬 수 있는 특징이 있는 곳이다. 살라 페트라시는 엔니오 모리코네의 스승이자 20세기 가장 큰 영향을 끼친 이탈리아 작곡가 중 한명이 고프레도 페트라시의 이름을 땄다.
이 세 공연장은 원형경기장에서, 그리고 이 공연장을 받치고 있는 시설물은 그리스 식 원형극장에서 오마주 한 듯한 분위기이다. 음악의 공원이라는 이름처럼, 그리고 올림픽 공원이었던 부지와 가까이 자리한 올림픽 스타디움인 스타디오 올림피코와의 연속성을 잃지 않고 있는 공간인 것이다.
많이 방문해 본 것은 아니지만 렌초 피아노의 건물 앞에 섰을 때 편안함을 느끼고 안정됨을 느낄 수 있었던 이유가 바로 이런 것이 아니었을까. 주변과 동화되는, 그리고 역사성과 연속성을 잃지 않는 공간.
아, 음악당의 시설은 매우 훌륭했다. 예민한 귀가 아닌지라 음향에 대한 판단를 내리는 것은 어불성설, 그져 이 공간에 있다는 것만으로도 행복할 수 있는 시간을 보냈던 공간.
Berliner Philharmonie
Traveling might be influenced by various factors when deciding on a destination. One such place I visited without knowing anything about it was the Berliner Philharmonie, solely based on the architect's phrase that it's 'a place centered around music.' The venue, designed by Hans Scharoun, has been the home of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, one of history's greatest conductors, the Austrian-born conductor Karajan, who acted as conductor for 35 years. The building itself is also a photogenic structure, reminding visitors of a circus tent from the front entrance, hence it was also called Karajan's circus. Currently, it is not operational due to renovation work, but the interior can be toured with a guide. The concert hall has a vineyard-style seating structure, reminiscing the amphitheaters from Greek and Roman times. In South Korea, the Lotte Concert Hall is structured in this way, but the Berlin Philharmonie was the first in the world to implement this design, intending to create a space where the audience and performers could breathe together. I had the chance to attend the 35th-anniversary concert of the Berlin Phil's 12 cellists ensemble here. Just by asking 'do you have any tickets?' I was able to purchase a 15 euro seat. The seat was at the very top of the auditorium, on a makeshift chair in the aisle, but being there was thrilling enough. The cello is an instrument capable of covering a wide range from low to high tones. Hence, when gathered, these instruments can substitute for the instruments of a string quartet. The ensemble of 12 members who handle such instruments started in 1972 and has continued its tradition until now. The most memorable part of that day's repertoire was Piazzolla's Tango. The ensemble, consisting of members who possess both soloist and orchestral skills, was truly magnificent, and the concert hall was a beautiful place. Above all, tears were unavoidable when the original members, the Papas, appeared on stage during the curtain call. Perhaps since that day, whenever I decide to travel, I look up what performances are available in that city. Unfortunately, Berlin has now become a city too far away, but given the chance to visit again, the first thing I would check is the Berlin Philharmonie's performance schedule.
Teatro alla Scala
Everyone has their stage of dreams. Just as I really wanted to go to a school called LSE during my days when I wanted to become a scholar. And a younger person I met in Milan said, 'It was my dream to stand on the stage of La Scala in a dress. Damn vocal nodules!!!!!!' Italy has an opera house in each city. Among them, the most famous is probably La Scala in Milan. Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, and even our country's Jo Sumi have been leading actors on the stage of La Scala. This place was originally built on the site of the Santa Maria della Scala church and was completed in 1778. However, it was destroyed by bombing during World War II in 1943 and was rebuilt in 1946 to what it is today. Milan is an expensive city. And it's a refined city. How about trying out an expensive hobby in an expensive city? So I bought a stool seat at La Scala and went to watch. I listened to Beethoven's Piano Concerto <Emperor> in collaboration with Böhm and La Scala Symphony Orchestra. An hour that passed without knowing, and a melody of Prokofiev's Symphony that I do not remember, I spent a total of 2 hours here. One of the goals of my trip was 'try everything you can eat.' After that day, one more thing was added. 'Do everything you can.' The red satin and gold interior is solemn and elegant. A beautiful hall of music where you can feel like a lady, even for a short while. Next time, I thought I would like to listen to a performance by a Korean performer.
Tonhalle Düsseldorf
I wanted to be an artist, specifically a pianist. But in South Korea, studying arts with ordinary parents, and being ordinary myself meant I just liked playing the piano a little more and tried a little harder than others. Perhaps that's why I've always had a foot in the arts, joining a singing club in college, participating in a choir, and visiting galleries and musicals. Though it's not enough to quench my thirst. There is a space where I suddenly missed the dream I thought I had forgotten, the beautiful concert hall Tonhalle in Düsseldorf. Tonhalle was designed by Wilhelm Kreis in 1926 as a complex building by the Rhine river, housing an observatory, concert hall, and exhibition space. Severely damaged by an air raid in July 1942, it has mainly been used as a concert hall after remodeling, led by Helmut Hentrich, and reopened in April 1978. The interior, reminiscent of its past as an observatory, and the concert hall's ceiling adorned with 21 mirrors, creating a starry ambiance, earning the nickname 'music's observatory.' I wonder, if I had achieved that dream, could I have stood on this stage? Would I have been happy? The seating is vineyard style, surrounding the stage, with different pricing per section, reminiscent of a Roman amphitheatre. The theatre lobby also hosts a small space similar to a Roman amphitheatre, serving as a waiting area for patrons and sometimes as an event space for teenagers, with a corridor known as Grünes Vaul also being a sight to see. A space that was once the world's largest observatory is now used solely as a concert hall, but it has not forgotten its origins as a beautiful music hall in Düsseldorf, Tonhalle.
Teatro Massimo
Where is the largest opera house in Italy? Milan? Rome? No! It's in Palermo, the capital of Sicily! Teatro Massimo, located in the capital of Sicily, Palermo, appeared in the movie <The Godfather> and is the largest opera house in Italy. Construction began in 1861 to commemorate the annexation of the Kingdom of Sicily into Italy, with plans to create the largest theater in Italy. However, after various corruption scandals and shoddy constructions, it finally opened in 1897. The facade of the theater is built in a neoclassical style, reminiscent of a Greek temple. Although it was initially intended to accommodate 3,000 people, it now has 1,381 seats. Its opening performance was Verdi's <Falstaff>, conducted by Leopoldo Mugnone. The last scene of <The Godfather 3> was filmed in this theater, and the conductor in the theater was Anton Coppola, the uncle of the movie's director Francis Ford Coppola. The interior, with its red velvet and gold, maintained the consistent atmosphere of a classic European theater, and the ceiling painting was particularly impressive. The theater tour was enjoyable, and the lively atmosphere of the street opposite also highlighted the charm of Palermo.