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2015年04月28日

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New Paris Concert Hall Hopes to Link Rich and Poor Music Lovers

The new Paris Philharmonic concert hall opened earlier this year. Longbefore opening day, people questioned the large amount of money required topay for the building. Critics also were concerned about where it would be built:far from the center of the French capital.

Now, the biggest problem is a social one. Can the concert hall influence a newgeneration of classical music lovers? Also, can it reach out to a working-class neighborhood?

In the French language, the new philharmonic concert hall on the edge ofParis is known as the Philharmonie de Paris. It is the home of the ParisSymphony Orchestra. Maybe more importantly, it is a brave socialexperiment. President Laurent Bayle says the aim is to sell classical music toyoung people, the poor and a mix of ethnic and cultural groups.

Parc de la Villette

The Philharmonie de Paris, with cutting-edge design by architect Jean Nouvel, aims to broaden the audience for classical music. (REUTERS/Charles Platiau )

The concert hall offers music that is usually linked to the city’s priceyneighborhoods – where rich people live.

But the Philharmonie is not located in the center of Paris. Instead, it is in anarts and science center in northeastern Paris called Parc de la Villette.

Large meat-processing centers operated on the grounds a century ago.Today, the park is a peaceful hideaway in an area filled with roads andworking-class families. On weekends, you can find women wearing WestAfrican clothing pushing baby carriages. You also might see a group ofChinese working on dance moves or young families enjoying the springsunshine.

Rap and world music stars perform at La Villette. Now, the Philharmonie isbringing classical music to the park, too. President Laurent Bayle says thegoal is to reach a split in the Philharmonie’s public between Paris and itssuburbs. He says he does not expect to win over the poorest and mostdifficult areas right away. There are inequalities -- differences that only Frenchlaw can change.

Can it succeed?

The Philharmonie made news long before it officially opened. Building delaysand money problems slowed work on the $417 million project. Today criticswonder how it can succeed when other European fine arts centers areclosing.

But the Philharmonie is moving forward. Philippe Provensal is a spokesman. He takes visitors on tours of the building. They walk past an exhibit aboutpop music star David Bowie. There are also classrooms where people canlearn to play any number of musical instruments. The cost of a class is only afew dollars per person.

Mr. Provensal says the goal is simple: music should be available to everyonein the best of conditions. It is not necessary to have years of training to playan instrument.

On the building’s top level, visitors can see a lot – not of Paris, but of theneighborhoods around it. To reach people in these areas, the concert hallkeeps prices low on tickets for its performances. It also is setting upchildren’s orchestras in ethnically mixed and poor neighborhoods.

The goals of the Philharmonie may seem daunting -- nearly impossible toreach -- until you ask some young people what they think of it. AymericMakwanza is from Chelles, the kind of suburb that the Philharmonie istargeting.

The young man says he has not yet gone into the building, but he thinks thearchitecture, its design, is special. He says he has heard classical musicbefore. So why not go to a show at the Philharmonie?

The heart of the Philharmonie is its concert hall. It looks like a large goldenbowl, with a theater in the middle. It seats 2,400 people, but the feeling isfriendly. Every seat is a good one, so everyone can enjoy the shows.

The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra from Russia was playing one recent night.Piano student Yuchi Chang from Taiwan came to listen. She has attendedperformances here several times.

“It’s very new and modern, and the sound is very beautiful.”

To date, the Philharmonie is enjoying sell-out performances. But as thenewness slowly disappears, critics suggest traditional, wealthier theater-goers may think twice before traveling to this working-class neighborhood.

President Laurent Bayle disagrees. Other projects faced similar criticism. At the end, he says, they were successes.

I’m Jim Tedder.

This report was based on a story from reporter Lisa Bryant in Paris. GeorgeGrow wrote it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

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Words in This Story

concert – n. a show or performance with musical artists

classical – adj. related to a traditional European, usually serious form ofmusic

neighborhood – n. community; an area with people living near each other

park – n. public land that can be used for pleasure or exercise; the land isusually kept free of houses and other buildings

exhibit – n. a show or presentation

suburb(s) – n. a neighborhood or community near a larger city

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