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Melodious Harmony and a Thirst for Action

December 2021. The dress rehearsal for their first performance at the Isarphilharmonie has just finished – the perfect moment to explore the HP8 grounds with a few members of the university’s symphony orchestra and ask them about their impressions.

Horn player with her instrument in front of vintage car
Joy in the Gasteig HP8: Caroline Messner's horn shines like a beacon with the paint of the classic car. Copyright: Benedikt Feiten/Gasteig

By autumn 2022, part of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich will have moved here, and the first rehearsal on site already sounded promising. Having tested the Isarphilharmonie, the orchestra explores the acoustics of the staircase. A bouncy rhythm resounds, the audience (not shown) consists of two men, busy doing repairs. When musicians pose for a photo their instruments, sound is part of the deal.

 

Anton Doppelbauer, French horn

Anton Doppelbauer is already taken with the ambience of the Isarphilharmonie: “The hall seems much smaller than the number of seats would suggest. You feel like you’re playing in an intimate chamber music setting, which is great.”

 

Caroline Messner, French horn

The polished brass of the orchestra’s instruments is not all that gleams here: the car bodies at the workshop next door to the Isarphilharmonie do their best to compete. The unexpected juxtaposition of art and industry is what makes the Gasteig HP8 so appealing. Caroline Messner finds the HP8 quite exceptional for an interim location and appreciates the transparent acoustics of the Isarphilharmonie, which allows her to hear the other musicians very clearly. Playing in an ensemble is an important factor for the Master’s student, which was already the case when she started out in her home town’s brass band.

Ayako Yonemoto, trumpet

Ayako Yonemoto is from Japan and, like the Austrian Caroline Messner, is one of the roughly 40 percent of international students at the University of Music and Performing Arts. After graduating, she hopes to stay in Germany and find a position in an orchestra – a wish shared by many of her fellow students. As a trumpet player, she appreciates the versatility her instrument bestows on her, with piccolo trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn and baroque trumpet all being possible options. “The sound in the Isarphilharmonie was beautiful,” she says, “and we are very happy to play in this new concert hall.”

 

Alexander Henselmann, trumpet

“My first impression of the HP8 with its concert hall, and of the Gasteig as a whole, is very positive. The hall is really beautiful. For me, it has certainly delivered on the promises in the announcements, in both its looks and its acoustics.” Braving the whims of the weather, he volunteers for open air concerts on the HP8 grounds. A decisive advantage of his instrument: “The trumpet doesn’t mind the rain.”

 

Nicolai Wagener, trumpet

On stage, the musicians can hear themselves very clearly and loudly, says Nicolai Wagener. Hailing from Berlin, he hopes that the sound will mix a little in the hall. “On the trumpet, you can’t hide. It’s a versatile instrument, suitable for everything from melodious tunes to punchy accents.” This makes it a perfect match for the Gasteig HP8 with its many meeting areas.

 

Johannes Benz, trumpet

Johannes Benz is grateful that the interim premises exist at all. For him, too, the acoustics of the Isarphilharmonie is key. “I like the acoustics. The sound within the orchestra has very much of a chamber music feel.”

Horn player poses with his instrument in which he put a pylon
Horn player with her instrument in industrial hall
Musician with trumpet in front of the Isarphilharmonie

The sound of future

Around 1300 students are learning their trade at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich. Some of them will be moving from the Gasteig in Haidhausen to the Gasteig HP8 in Sendling by autumn 2022, where they will, among others, have access to 17 practice rooms, 50 classrooms, a large ensemble room, a movement room and a recording studio.

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