Great Amber Concert Hall
Amber-coloured concert hall of 2015 by Volker Giencke, home of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra.
Known in Latvian as Lielais dzintars, the hall was designed by the Austrian architect Volker Giencke and opened in 2015 on the edge of Liepāja's old town beside the trade canal. Its faceted, amber-tinted glass envelope tilts outwards and refers to the Baltic amber washed up on the nearby coast. The building rises seven storeys and contains a large concert hall, a chamber hall, an experimental stage, rehearsal rooms and a music school, making it the main cultural building of western Latvia.
The main hall seats around a thousand and was designed with a wooden interior and adjustable acoustics for symphonic and amplified music. It is the base of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the oldest orchestra in the Baltic states, founded in 1881, and also hosts the Liepāja Theatre's experimental stage, chamber concerts, children's productions and exhibitions in the adjoining Pietura space. Visitors can walk the public levels during opening hours or join a guided tour, and a panoramic lift serves all floors.
Highlights
- Faceted amber-coloured glass shell by Volker Giencke, completed 2015
- Large hall of roughly 1,000 seats with adjustable acoustics
- Home of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1881
- Chamber hall, experimental stage and exhibition space under one roof
