The Philharmonie de Paris, opened in 2015 on the northeastern edge of the city in Parc de la Villette, is the newest and largest concert hall in France. The building was designed by Jean Nouvel — an organic silvery complex whose façade consists of 340,000 aluminium bird motifs and blends into the park landscape. The house contains two halls: the Grande Salle Pierre Boulez with 2,400 seats and a surrounding acoustic cloud designed by acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, and the Salle des Concerts with 900 seats in the neighbouring older Cité de la Musique building. The Philharmonie is home to the Orchestre de Paris and regularly receives the world's leading orchestras and ensembles. Alongside classical concerts the house produces jazz, world music, educational programming and houses one of the largest music museums in Europe. The 2015 opening was accompanied by controversy over cost overruns and delayed completion, but the acoustics of the Grande Salle astonished critics including Pierre Boulez himself.
Pierre Boulez, the namesake of the main hall, initially refused to appear at the opening — in protest over delays and cancelled programmes. Only after repeated requests did he attend, praising the acoustics as outstanding.
At a glance
- Type
- Concert hall
- Location
- Paris, France
- Address
- 221 Avenue Jean-Jaurès, 75019
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