The spectacular Sibelius Hall: Why it's among the world's best
Friday, February 22, 2008 • Lahti, Finland

Some people collect stamps, others vintage vinyl records. I’ve become a collector of great concert hall experiences.  During my decade with the Minnesota Orchestra in the 1990s, I was exposed to some of the world’s finest halls: Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Philharmonie and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Last night I added one more to my collection: the spectacular Sibelius Hall in Lahti, Finland. It ranks among the top venues on my list.

I heard the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Atso Almila in a program that included a world premiere performance of his Symphony No. 3, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, featuring soloist Jyrki Lasonpalo, and Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, Op. 64. Almila’s Third Symphony, with its stunning array of orchestral colors and textures … as well as vocalizations, finger snapping, hand clapping and toe tapping from the musicians … proved to be an excellent piece to showcase the best of Sibelius Hall.

I came to Lahti for two reasons: I wanted to see the concert hall I have been hearing so much about, and to enjoy a concert by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which, like the Minnesota Orchestra, is under the music directorship of Osmo Vänskä. Since Vänskä arrived in Minneapolis in 2003, Lahti has become a familiar name for those of us who know the Minnesota Orchestra well, and I now wish I could have heard the Minnesota Orchestra’s concert at Sibelius Hall during its last European tour in 2004.

What makes a concert hall great? The obvious first answer is acoustics. Superior sound is the result of a significant financial investment and the leadership to not cut corners, no matter how great the temptation … especially when the price tag for new hall construction is starting to look like an impossible dream. I’ve been told that Vänskä helped make a very convincing case to the city leaders in Lahti that no shortcuts could be taken in developing Sibelius Hall. I have a hunch that there are no regrets in Lahti.

Besides acoustics, a great concert hall must also have: a sense of place … where people want to gather and spend time; visionary architecture combined with common-sense design for concertgoers; landmark status within a community; and, finally, a historical legacy.

Sibelius Hall, which opened in 2000 and has 1,229 seats, is a winner on all fronts.

Described as “three boxes” (a “box within a box within a box”), the concert hall is an instrument in its own right, and can be “tuned” thanks to 188 acoustic doors on the sides of the auditorium that open up to reverberance chambers that also include nearly five kilometers of woolen acoustic banners. If desired, the hall can achieve a “cathedral” effect with a four-second reverberation. The Finns have found an answer for every challenge one faces in making a hall acoustically superior … including ventilation under ever seat that evenly disperses air flow without a wisp of sound.

Several music critics have remarked that sitting in Sibelius Hall is like sitting within an instrument. The birch wood paneling is stained to match the look of a string instrument, creating warmth for the listener without detracting from the music makers on the stage.

The expansive and inviting Forest Hall leaves no doubt that this venue is one of the world’s largest wood venues … with its crisscrossing massive wood beams and concession bar sided with beautifully stained birch bark. On the ceiling a set of twinkling lights are arranged to match the star as they were positioned in the sky on the night of Jean Sibelius’ birth in December 1865. Referring to Forest Hall as the “lobby” is simply too trivial given its brilliance.

Home