Tonhalle Zürich 1895–2021

The Tonhalle in Zurich is an internationally recognised outstanding concert building. This richly illustrated volume presents the design and history as well as the architectural ideas behind its function as a music centre in the city. The history of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich is embedded in this context and the restoration work and acoustic planning are portrayed.

The location of the Tonhalle at Lake Zurich combines an urban accent with the aspiration to secure a prominent place for music in the city. The concert halls preserve the Wilhelminian architecture with which the renowned Viennese firm Fellner & Helmer, specialists in the design of music buildings, realised a project in 1895 that was ingeniously planned in every detail, combining concerts and conviviality.

The Tonhalle Society Zurich has staged concerts in these concert halls since the opening where Johannes Brahms was the guest conductor of his own work, “Triumphlied”.

After a reconstruction and integration into the congress hall by Haefeli, Moser and Steiger, inaugurated in 1939, and subsequent changes, the entire building complex was extensively restored in the years 2017–2021. In the process, many of the original qualities could be recovered, so that through the combination of old and new, a fascinating music venue for the 21st century has emerged.

This volume includes contributions by Elisabeth Boesch, Dietrich Erben, Karlheinz Müller and Michael Wahl as well as Ulrike Thiele.