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JS Bach Chamber Music Hall

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The JS Bach Chamber Music Hall was a temporary structure designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, which was constructed for the Manchester International Festival in 2009.[1] Hadid created the structure within a 425m2 hall inside Manchester Art Gallery to host a series of nine concerts of the solo compositions of JS Bach by international performers Piotr Anderszewski, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alina Ibragimova.[2]

The construction is a suspended ribbon of translucent, lightweight, synthetic fabric (150 g/m2) articulated by an internal steel structure with hidden internal acoustic panels. Sandy Brown Associates worked as acoustic consultants.[3] Architects' Journal described the construction as "a striking white ribbon in a black box, [that] wraps around itself to create a stage for the performer as well as a space for the audience."[4]

Reaction to the work was largely positive with Anthony Tommasini commenting in the New York Times that "the space was a delight to be in and ... the music sounded up-close and exceptionally vibrant."[5] The Independent described the structure as a "perfect union of sound and space" concluding that it was a "cunning creation of seamless ingenuity providing a curiously reverential setting."[6] The Daily Telegraph described the space as "dazzling".[7] The Guardian however commented "whether it acoustically enhances the performance is impossible to say - one suspects the impact is visual rather than aural".[8]

Following the Manchester festival, the work toured to Amsterdam in 2010 and Abu Dhabi in 2011.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "JS Bach Chamber Music Hall". Zaha Hadid Architects. 2009. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  2. ^ MIF09 Brochure. Manchester International Festival. pp. 8–9.
  3. ^ Cilento, Karen (8 July 2009). "Chamber Music Hall / Zaha Hadid Architects". Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  4. ^ Bennes, Crystal (30 July 2009). "Zaha Hadid in concert: Manchester International Festival". Architects' Journal. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  5. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (13 July 2009). "An Architect Puts Bach in a Musical Cocoon". New York Times. New York. pp. C1. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  6. ^ Walker, Lynne (13 July 2009). "Bach/Zaha Hadid, Manchester City Art Gallery, Manchester". The Independent. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  7. ^ Hewett, Ivan (9 July 2016). "Alina Ibragimova at the Manchester International Festival". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  8. ^ Hickling, Alfred (3 July 2009). "Piotr Anderszewski/Zaha Hadid". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  9. ^ "JS Bach / Zaha Hadid Architects". Manchester International Festival. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
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