Kodály Centre - Concert Hall
The building that we can walk around, and the hall where music surrounds us. The building is vivid, full of motion – in the hall: the silence of sounds, and the sound of silence. The two sides of the same world. Inside and outside. Object and space. Extrovert and introvert. Community and internal silence. Stone and wood. Hard and soft. Cold and warm. Age of myriads and centuries. Enduring and intimate. The ancientwhite stonesnail slowly embraces the concert hall lined with pure wood, and in the hall, as if we were sitting in a gigantic cave of a tree or an instrument – we bathe in music.
The Hungarian city of Pécs was selected as European Capital of Culture for 2010. The new Concert- and Conference Centre is one of the main projects for this event.
The network of musical institutions in Pécs appears to be quite complete as far as training and performers are concerned. However, there was no concert hall that could host performances in a worthy manner. For this very reason the goal of this project is to establish an internationally significant, acoustically designed multifunctional building with modern background technology that operates as a concert hall and a conference centre.
Once it is built, the internationally renowned symphonic orchestra of the region, the Pannon Philharmonic and several other musical ensembles of the city will be able to continue their successful work, and thanks to the cultural space to be also established, Pécs will be able to offer a much wider range of cultural opportunities. The conference function will make Pécs a significant middle-sized venue of the conference market in Central Europe and the city will be able to host professional conferences, fairs and cultural festivals. With the related investments (motor way, regional airport) the competitiveness of Pécs will improve significantly in cultural and conference tourism.
The new building include, in addition to a concert hall and a large rehearsal room, the offices of the Pannon Philharmonic and the Conference Centre, other rooms necessary for the operation of the orchestra (such as storerooms for sheet music and instruments), facilities serving the audience -café, bookstore, lounge, etc. - and several service premises.
The design competition was closed in the spring of 2007. The winning proposal was submitted by the Építész Stúdió Ltd. from Budapest. The archaeological explorations and licensing procedures were completed, construction work began in July 2009. The opening concert took place in December 2010.
