MAX WAGNER
16 AUDITORIA 2019 VOLUME ONE
events the Gasteig normally puts on in a year can
continue, new quarters are being readied to
become its temporary home by the end of 2020.
An old industrial building in the Munich-
Sendling area is being renovated and next to it
a concert hall for 1,800 people is being built, as
well as a number of separate modular buildings.
The architectural practice gmp and Yasuhisa
Toyota from Nagata Acoustics have already been
awarded the contracts to realize the interim
philharmonic hall, and gmp will also realize the
site’s modular buildings.
Calm demeanor
Beyond law and singing, Wagner is also a yoga
teacher and applies some of that thinking to staff
management. “It will be a big adventure, so you
have to make everyone who works here see the
change as an opportunity, not only as a
challenge,” he says. “When your surroundings
change it’s easier for you to change too. This is
the core of my work, what is most important.”
Either way, pending the appointment of the
main refurbishment architects and approval by
the city council, construction is scheduled to
start by late 2021 or early 2022. After that, the
project could take four to five years, “as you
never know what you will find when you open
up a wall,” Wagner adds, only half joking.
As to the fate of the new temporary spaces
after the main building is refurbished, Wagner is
not sure. “I’m only here to furnish the temporary
building,” he says. “The hall is modular so we
could sell it to be rebuilt somewhere else. But it
will create a whole new quarter of the city and it’s
a very cool spot so I think people will like it and
then it won’t be easy to take it away.” n
The
Wagner reckons the biggest technical
change will be the acoustics of the 2,572-seat
Philharmonic Hall. “Currently the musicians
on stage can’t hear each other very well,” he
says. The biggest structural change will be
in the function of the second biggest hall,
the Carl-Orff-Saal, which has nearly 600
seats. Wagner wants it to be more flexible “to
accommodate classical music or cinema, with a
stage in the middle or to the side, a little bit like
the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam.”
In terms of proposed technology, Wagner is
cagey, but for good reason: “What is emerging
now may be outdated tomorrow. We will plan
and implement most technological specifications
in the process of the renovation, not before.”
Temporary home
While the refurbishment takes place Wagner, his
150 staff and the other institutions in the center
will move out. To ensure some of the circa 1,800
NEW AUDIENCES
The greater inclusivity Wagner seeks in audience seems more
than political correctness or marketing. He points to a few
things already happening at the Gasteig, with more to come.
budget for
the Gasteig’s
refurbishment
is €410-450m
(US$461-
506m)
Above: The 2,572-seat
Philharmonic Hall in its
current incarnation. The
acoustics will be addressed
as part of the refurbishment
“It’s the biggest challenge of our work in cultural institutions,”
he enthuses. “We are trying to attract the younger generation
and so are taking over the task of talking about classical music
and culture by dedicating 900m2 (9,688ft2) to education. We try
to cooperate with all the institutions across the city, including
local club Harry Klein and its famous DJs. My favorite thing to do
here now is Dance the Gasteig. It’s a day in June when you can
dance everywhere, in this nice courtyard but also on stage in
the Philharmonic Hall and in the foyers – everything from the
waltz to salsa to techno. It attracts people to the Gasteig who
normally don’t come.”
Andrea Huber