Last Thursday, February 28, the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin felt, looked, and sounded like a Stradivarius as Daniel Barenboim celebrated Frank Gehry’s 90th birthday in a concert dedicated to the Los Angeles architect. The eminent Berlin-based conductor honored Gehry by playing the wood-paneled hall, finished two years ago, like a resonant instrument, putting it through its paces with music ranging from whispering to explosive. If Le Corbusier (borrowing from Goethe) said that architecture was frozen music, Barenboim defrosted it, inviting Gehry’s warm, environmental cello into vibrant duets with instruments from his chamber orchestra.
By basically performing the hall, Barenboim was giving his friend an unwrapped birthday present, proving through the qualities of the interior why so many people, including a large contingent from Los Angeles, came so far to celebrate the architect. The hall delivered music, most of it passionate, that heightened emotions already brought by his friends. The concert was followed by a champagne reception in the school, where Gehry was surrounded by admirers, and then by a catered dinner that was served on the stage where the musicians had just played.
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