Oslo Concert Hall
Encyclopedia
Vika, Oslo
Vika is a neighborhood in the borough Frogner in Oslo, Norway. It is located between the Oslofjord, Aker Brygge, Pipervika, Slottsparken and Oslo City Hall....
, a part of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
city centre in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is the base of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Oslo-Filharmonien is a symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra was founded in 1919, and has since 1977 had its home in the Oslo Concert Hall. The orchestra consists of 69 musicians in the string section, 16 in the woodwinds, 15 in brass, 5 in percussionists, 1 harpist, and 1...
(Oslo-Filharmonien), but it also aims to be one of the premier music venues for the general musical and cultural life of Norway, offering a broad variety of musical styles from classical, world music, and popular entertainment by both Norwegian and international artists and groups. It presents more than 300 events yearly and receives more than 200,000 visitors.
For a long time, Oslo lacked a proper concert hall, and the Oslo Philharmonic did not have a regular hall for their rehearsals. Sometimes the rehearsals could be on different locations every day through the same project.
After decades of debate and delay, an architectal competition was arranged in 1955 and final drafts for the concert hall were presented in 1965, based on Gösta Åbergh’s winning proposal. Oslo Konserthus AS was founded in October 1966 and, on 22 March 1977, the concert hall was finally opened. In September the same year, a specially build organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
(with 7000 pipes) from Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was installed. It is the largest organ in Norway.
The building consists of two concert halls, several meeting and practise rooms, large foyers and bars, a box office and an office wing. The main hall has a maximum capacity of more than 1,600 and the small hall has 266.
The foyers can be used as exhibition areas, and the bars have a capacity of serving up to 1,400 people.
Also the open area in front and the premises below belongs to Oslo Konserthus AS. The Stenersen Museum
Stenersen Museum
The Stenersen Museum is an art museum in Oslo, Norway at Munkedamsveien 15.The museum shows both international and Norwegian art. The museum also houses three main art collections, donated to the Oslo municipality by Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen's heirs, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg...
(Stenersenmuseet), with its café Diorama, is located in the latter.
In 2000 Mariss Jansons
Mariss Jansons
Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons is a Latvian conductor, the son of conductor Arvīds Jansons. His mother, the singer Iraida Jansons, who was Jewish, gave birth to him in hiding in Riga, Latvia, after her father and brother were killed in the Riga Ghetto...
, then conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Oslo-Filharmonien is a symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra was founded in 1919, and has since 1977 had its home in the Oslo Concert Hall. The orchestra consists of 69 musicians in the string section, 16 in the woodwinds, 15 in brass, 5 in percussionists, 1 harpist, and 1...
, resigned his position after disputes with the city over the poor acoustics of the hall.