Mariss Jansons hated it. André Previn wasn’t particularly enamoured and Vasily Petrenko has remained assiduously tight-lipped as to its, well, ‘qualities’. But the Oslo Konserthus – a set of beautiful marble foyers nestled beneath a gloomy aircraft-hangar of an auditorium with lousy acoustics and frustrating sightlines – might soon be confined to the musical history books. 

Yes, the Oslo Philharmonic today unveiled surprise plans for a new concert hall in the Norwegian capital, to be built in partnership with property developers Anders Buchardt and Petter Sturdalen. A worthy home has been the missing link in the orchestra’s profile for decades, particularly as ensembles in Stavanger and Kristiansand, not to mention the Norwegian Opera and Ballet, have moved into gleaming new premises in the last seven years. When Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic visited Oslo in 2012, it was at the opera house, not at the Konserthus, that they played. 

Current Oslo Philharmonic Chief Conductor Vasily Petrenko has spoken to Gramophone of the importance of building modern, prominent new auditoria in which to further orchestral sound and stylistics. But that was with reference to his Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Petrenko’s dream looks set to come true, but with his other orchestra 700 miles away.  

And prominent Oslo’s proposed new hall would certainly be – situated on the waterfront at Filipstad, adjacent to the fashionable Aker Brygge district which, since 2012, has been home to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in new premises designed by Renzo Piano. Developers Buchardt and Sturdalen will privately finance the concert hall which, like the new hall opening in Malmö, Sweden, next month, will be entwined with a hotel and congress facility. The Oslo Philharmonic will be the principal, first-choice tenant of a circa 1500-seat concert hall. 

Even in the scheme’s announcement, made this morning in Norway’s principal daily Aftenposten, you could sense the frustrations that exist with the current Oslo Konserthus. ‘This is the first time in our almost 100-year history that we have the chance to build a hall specifically designed for orchestras,’ commented Ingrid Røynesdal, CEO of the Oslo Philharmonic (the orchestra wasn’t consulted when the Konserthus was designed in the early 1970s). ‘A new hall is a most important factor for our continued development. It will be a significant addition to the thriving cultural life of Oslo, boosting the city’s already strong cultural reputation.’ 

'For an Oslo Philharmonic that’s undeniably on a technical upward curve, the implications are huge'

Too right it would. Oslo’s culture and tourism scenes have been transformed by the opening of the new Opera House, designed by local firm Snøhetta, in 2008. An additional waterfront building for acoustic music will affirm Oslo’s and Norway’s commitment to the art form and is likely to generate the increased public engagement that has been seen by the Norwegian Opera and Ballet. ‘This is a project where everyone is a winner’ says Anders Buchardt. But for an Oslo Philharmonic that’s undeniably on a technical upward curve, the implications are huge.  

Once planning approval is rubber-stamped, the orchestra, with Buchardt and Sturdalen, will launch a worldwide architectural competition for an auditorium that can be built within the existing shape of the development and within a two-and-a-half-year time frame. 

But to excite locals and visitors and invigorate the orchestra, the new hall needs to be designed with vision. Copenhagen’s stunning broadcasting hall by Jean Nouvel (2008) is not a destination unless you’re attending a concert; Helsinki’s elegant Musiikkitalo (2011), hunkered down below a main road, can be easily missed. Waterfront locations – as witness the Oslo Opera House and the Harpa in Reykjavik (2011) – are a gift. We know the Oslo Philharmonic can deliver musically; will its new home do the same architecturally?