Casals Hall (カザルスホール, Kazarusu Hōru) is a concert hall in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, Japan. It is named in honour of cellist Pau Casals. The hall opened in 1987 as a venue for chamber music and has a shoebox-style auditorium which seats 511. Arata Isozaki was the architect, with acoustic design by Nagata Acoustics.[1][2] In 1997, for the tenth anniversary celebrations, a 41 stop organ by Jürgen Ahrend was installed.[1]
| Casals Hall カザルスホール | |
|---|---|
 Ochanomizu Square Building | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 1-6 Kanda-Surugadai |
| Town or city | Chiyoda, Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°41′50″N 139°45′45″E / 35.69722°N 139.76250°E |
| Opened | October 1987 |
| Cost | ¥ 7,000 million |
| Owner | Nihon University |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Arata Isozaki |
| Other designers | Nagata Acoustics |
| Website | |
| Hompepage (Jp) | |
| References | |
| Factsheet | |
The hall had originally been owned and sponsored by publishers Shufunotomo Company (主婦の友社) but economic conditions resulted in the withdrawal of funding in 2000. In 2003 Nihon University acquired the Ochanomizu Square Building, of which the hall forms part, from the company. On 31 March 2010 the university closed the hall.[3][4] A campaign has been launched to reopen the hall by the Save Casals Hall Committee, with pianist Iwasaki Shuku (岩崎淑) the chair and Marta Casals Istomin, Pablo Casals' widow, an honorary adviser.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Casals Hall" (PDF). Nagata Acoustics. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ "Projects List - 1984-1987 - Ochanomizu Square Building - Casals Hall". Arata Isozaki & Associates. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ "News 10-05 (No.269): Casals Hall's Last Day - March 31, 2010". Nagata Acoustics. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ "Nihon University - Casals Hall". Nihon University. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ "News 11-01 (No.277): Announcing the "Save Casals Hall" Effort and Signature Campaign Appeal". Nagata Acoustics. Retrieved 6 March 2012.