881 7th Ave - NY 10019 New York, NY États-Unis- Venue's Capacity: 2.804
On April 22, 1887, a young American conductor, Walter Damrosch, sailed from New York to study in Europe. During the crossing, he made the acquaintance of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and began to discuss with him the idea of giving New York a prestigious international concert venue worthy of the city. And so, New York's legendary Carnegie Hall was born.
On its inauguration on May 5, 1891, Carnegie Hall opened under no lesser figure to conduct Damrosch's orchestra than Tchaikovsky. All of America's major orchestras went on to guest at the Hall and, soon, New Yorkers became accustomed to applauding the world's greatest conductors: from Gustav Mahler to Leonard Bernstein, including Toscanini, who conducted no fewer than twenty-eight seasons.
The world's greatest pianists were soon to follow: Paderewsky, Rachmaninoff and Rubinstein, who not only made his debut there in 1906 but also gave his farewell concert in 1976; Horowitz and Van Cliburn were also acclaimed there, as was a pianist little known in 1973, Alfred Brendel. To mention the artists who have scored resounding triumphs at Carnegie Hall would be to draw up a list of the century's greatest international stars, from Caruso to Pavarotti, Fritz Kreisler to Isaac Stern, not forgetting Yasha Heifetz who, aged 16, made his debut in the midst of the Russian Revolution.
It is the sheer endurance of Carnegie Hall rather than its dazzling beginnings that astounds. From the very outset, William Steinway, of Steinway and Sons, had publicly voiced his doubts as to the Hall's profitability. But Andrew Carnegie, as a shrewd entrepreneur, had taken a number of precautions. For instance, the power generator that supplied Carnegie Hall also sold electricity to the City of New York on non-performance evenings. In spite of such measures, the Hall's financial situation gradually deteriorated until March 31,1960, the date on which the walls of the famous Hall were scheduled to be razed. It was saved, however, thanks mainly to the efforts of Isaac Stern, who succeeded in rounding up a group of sponsors. The violinist remains titular chairman of Carnegie Hall to this day. In the past, he has regularly organised impressive gala performances. In 1976, for instance, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Leonard Bernstein performed the HALLELUJAH Chorus from Handel's MESSIAH.
Today, Carnegie Hall still proudly plays host to the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras on their rare tours of the U.S. More than a New York concert venue, Carnegie Hall is a world shrine to music. And just as Walter Damrosch had once hoped, it is the place where international reputations are made...
