![Berlin Meistersaal KoethenerStr asv2018-06 img1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Berlin_Meistersaal_KoethenerStr_asv2018-06_img1.jpg)
The Meistersaal is a historic concert hall in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, Germany. Built in 1910 as a chamber music concert hall, the building today enjoys protected building status. It is located in
Berlin-Mitte
Mitte () (German for "middle" or "center") is a central locality () of Berlin in the eponymous district () of Mitte. Until 2001, it was itself an autonomous district.
Mitte proper comprises the historic center of Alt-Berlin centered on the ch ...
near
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz (, ''Potsdam Square'') is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corn ...
. Its major claim to fame stems from the times when it was ''Studio 2'' of
Hansa Tonstudio
Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. The studio, famous for its Meistersaal recording hall, is situated approximately 150 metres from the former Berlin Wall, giving rise to its former nickna ...
. Since the 1990s, the Meistersaal has found use as a location for all manner of events.
History
1910–1913: Foundation
In 1910 the ''Real Estate Association of Berlin'' and its Suburbs – which later became the ''Guild of Maisons'' – bought the plot of land on the
Köthener Straße 38, with the view to building there a head office for the association. After three years of construction the building was completed with offices for the association together with some solicitors' offices as well as a bookshop and was officially opened by the association’s chairman, Otto Heuer, in October 1913. Even in its early days many small meetings and concerts were held within its chamber music room located at the building's centre. The name ''Meistersaal'' was first coined as part of the invitation for tender for the project. The room found further use as the venue for the graduation ceremonies of the newly qualified guildsmen.
The swinging 1920s
In the 1920s the Meistersaal started to build a reputation for itself amongst the blooming artistic scene in Berlin. On the ground floor of the building the publishers
Malik-Verlag, under the management of
Wieland Herzfelde
Wieland Herzfelde ( Herzfeld; 11 April 1896 – 23 November 1988) was a German publisher and writer. He is particularly known for his links with German avant-garde art and Marxist thought, and was the brother of the photo montage artist John H ...
, and the Gallery
George Grosz took up residence here. And on 27 January 1921
Kurt Tucholsky
Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel.
Tucholsky was on ...
performed a reading in the Meistersaal.
Furthermore, stars of the nascent silver screen made regular appearances here such as the silent film actor
Carl de Vogt
Carl de Vogt (14 September 1885 – 16 February 1970) was a German film actor who starred in four of Fritz Lang's early films. He attended the acting school in Cologne, Germany. Together with acting he was also active as a singer and recorded sev ...
and
Ludwig Hardt staged frequent performances in the Meistersaal. As a result of some rather controversial exhibitions held in the ground floor gallery, which took a critical look at social issues of the times and gained some notoriety in Berlin, The Guild of Masons, who considered themselves to be representatives of conservative morality, refused to extend the leases to their unpopular tenants. Therefore, the
Malik-Verlag house was forced to find new premises in 1926. Today their presence here is commemorated by a plaque.
1933–1945: National Socialistic times and the 2nd World War
From 1933 the State Chamber Music Orchestra held their concerts in the Meistersaal and in 1936 the Chilean pianist
Claudio Arrau
Claudio Arrau León (; February 6, 1903June 9, 1991) was a Chilean pianist known for his interpretations of a vast repertoire spanning the baroque to 20th-century composers, especially Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt and B ...
held a series of concerts here performing the entire piano works of
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
, a feat that aided considerably his subsequent fame and popularity. During the night from the 22 to 23 November 1943 the rear wing of the building was completely destroyed by an allied bombing attack. The Meistersaal itself remained relatively intact although during the war no further events took place here.
1945–1961: Ballhaus Susi and Cabaret
In 1945 the Guild was dispossessed by the Allied forces. The building was put under marshal ownership and after some essential renovation work the building was used mostly as a concert hall under different forms of management whilst on the ground floor a cinema was introduced. Although attempts to establish the Meistersaal as a theatre failed to make an impact, the venue became popular for cabaret performers for example the famous magician
Fredo Marvelli. In 1948 the Meistersaal was renamed as ''Ballhaus City'' and then later in 1953 as ''Ballhaus Susi''. It continued in this guise until the erecting of the Berlin wall in 1961 which brought about an abrupt end to activities. Its location which once placed it at the epi-centre of a bourgeoning capital city, now left it high and dry, cut off from its public, at the centre only of a political dispute.
1961–1976: Recording studios of Ariola
From 1961 the record label
Ariola
Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international media conglomerat ...
used the Meistersaal as a recording studio. Amongst the famous artists of this epoque who recorded here were the composer and conductor
Robert Stolz
Robert Elisabeth Stolz (25 August 188027 June 1975) was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music.Stanley Sadie Ed. (2002) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford University Press
Biogra ...
, the Tenor
Rudolf Schock
Rudolf Johann Schock (4 September 1915 – 13 November 1986) was a German tenor.
Rudolf Schock was born in Duisburg, in the Prussian Rhine Province. He sang a wide repertoire from operetta to ''Lohengrin'', recording among others opera and lieder, ...
,
Peter Kreuder
Peter Paul Kreuder (18 August 1905 – 28 June 1981) was a German- Austrian pianist, composer and conductor.
Life
Kreuder was born in Aachen, the son of a ''Kammersänger''. He enrolled as a piano student at the Cologne Conservatory in 1910, whe ...
,
Ivan Rebroff
Ivan Rebroff (31 July 193127 February 2008) was a German-born vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four and a half octaves, ranging from the soprano to bass registers.
...
,
Erika Köth,
René Kollo
René Kollo (born 20 November 1937) is a German operatic tenor, especially known for his Wagnerian Heldentenor roles. He also performed a wide variety of operas and operettas, and made several recordings.
Biography
Born René Kollodzieyski in ...
,
Norbert Schultze
Norbert Arnold Wilhelm Richard Schultze (26 January 1911 in Brunswick – 14 October 2002 in Bad Tölz) was a prolific German composer of film music and a member of the NSDAP and of Joseph Goebbels' staff during World War II. He is best remem ...
,
Peter Alexander as well as the Swedish singer and actress
Zarah Leander
Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned Universum Film AG (UFA). Although no exact record ...
. Its proximity to the Berlin Wall now left it in a quiet backwater, the ideal pre-requisite for locating a recording studio.
1976–1991: Period of Hansa recording studio
In 1976, the music producers
Meisel Musikverlage bought the entire building in the Köthener Straße 38 and created within it five
Hansa-Tonstudio studios. Many of the bomb-damaged rooms were renovated and converted to meet the demands of a recording studio. A restaurant opened on the ground floor, whereas the Meistersaal was reborn as ''Studio 2''. Over the next years, the Meistersaal became famous worldwide within the music industry as it was the recording studio of choice for many pop stars from around the globe, including
U2,
Iggy Pop,
Depeche Mode,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Eartha Kitt,
Richard Clayderman
Richard Clayderman (; born Philippe Pagès , 28 December 1953 in Paris) is a French pianist who has released numerous albums including the compositions of Paul de Senneville, Olivier Toussaint and Marc Minier, instrumental renditions of popular ...
,
Marillion,
[Broschüre zur Wiedereröffnung des Meistersaals, Meisel Musikverlag, Berlin, 1. Auflage 1994, S. 17] Mike Batt
Michael Philip Batt, LVO (born 6 February 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director and conductor. He was formerly the Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry.
Having achieved substantia ...
,
David Byrne,
Nick Cave,
Snow Patrol,
Jon Bon Jovi and
Supergrass to name but a few. Rubbing shoulders with the international stars were the local heroes of the time, including
Peter Maffay
Peter Alexander Makkay (born 30 August 1949), known as Peter Maffay (), is a Romanian-born German musician, singer, and composer.
Early life
Born in Braşov (german: link=no, Kronstadt), Romania, the son of a German ( Transylvanian Saxon), ...
,
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, drummer, and composer.
Career
Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...
,
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens (born Jürgen Udo Bockelmann; 30 September 1934 – 21 December 2014) was an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spanned over 50 years. He won the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 for Austria, composed close ...
,
Roland Kaiser
Roland Kaiser (born Ronald Keiler; 10 May 1952) is a German Schlager singer. He is one of the most successful German-speaking Schlager singers.
Keiler was born in West Berlin. He was working as a marketing executive in a car firm where he wa ...
,
Nina Hagen
Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...
,
Einstürzende Neubauten
(, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh ( custom-made instruments; p ...
,
Nena
Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known as Nena, is a German singer and songwriter who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena (band), Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". I ...
,
Marianne Rosenberg
Marianne Rosenberg (born 10 March 1955) is a German Schlager music singer and songwriter.
Personal background
Rosenberg is of Roma and Sinti background. Her father, Otto, an Auschwitz death camp survivor, was an activist on Roma and Sinti ...
,
Die Toten Hosen
Die Toten Hosen (literally "The Dead Trousers", figuratively "The Deadbeats") is a German punk rock band from Düsseldorf.
History
The current members of Die Toten Hosen are Campino (Andreas Frege), Kuddel (Andreas von Holst), Vom (Stephe ...
,
Heiner Pudelko,
Ute Lemper
Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...
,
Trio,
Reinhard Mey
Reinhard Friedrich Michael Mey (born 21 December 1942) is a German "Liedermacher" (literally "songmaker", a German-style singer-songwriter). In France he is known as ''Frédérik Mey''.
By 2009, Mey had released 27 German albums, and generally ...
,
Max Raabe
Max Raabe (born Matthias Otto, 12 December 1962) is a German jazz singer. He is best known as the founder and leader of the Palast Orchester.
Career
Raabe developed an interest in the sound of German dance and film music of the 1920s and 193 ...
, Horst Nußbaum a.k.a.
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
and
Paul Kuhn Paul Kuhn may refer to:
* Paul Kuhn (tenor) (1874–1966), German operatic tenor
* Paul Kuhn (band leader)
Paul Kuhn (12 March 1928 – 23 September 2013) was a German jazz musician, band leader, singer and pianist. He was the band leader of t ...
.
The falling of the Berlin Wall in 1989 meant the Meistersaal was back in the throng of things and lost some of the advantage it had had for recording music. Concurrently, the overall demand for recording studios of this kind was also in decline, meaning ''Studio 2'' became no longer economically feasible and was closed. However, it went out with a bang as the last production done there was ''
Achtung Baby
''Achtung Baby'' () is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 on Island Records. After criticism of their 1988 release ''Rattle and Hum'', U2 shifte ...
'' by U2.
Since 1991
Thomas Meisel, co-founder of the
Hansa Music Produktion and owner of the building, decided to return the Meistersaal as near as possible to its original condition and run it as an event location. The restoration work began on 1 March 1993 and lasted 18 months, more than twice as long as originally intended. One of the main reasons for this was that a commemorative brochure from the original opening of the Meistersaal from 1913 came to light showing pictures of the rooms in their original condition. Although most of the work was almost finished by then certain areas had to be completely changed to remain true to the original.
From October 1994 the Meistersaal was under the directorship of Kurt Lutz, co-founder of the "Berliner Globe Theatre" which had been located in what was previously the
Hotel Esplanade on the
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz (, ''Potsdam Square'') is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corn ...
. He also went on to perform here himself for a period of time. The programmes concentrated on piano and choral evenings, theatre pieces and readings. However, without state support it was unable to pay for itself.
[''Die Ohren zu und alle Fragen offen'', Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 28. Dezember 2002] Towards the end of 2002 Mr Lutz left the Meistersaal and was superseded by the auctioneer Mark Karhausen;
Although his reign, as it were, was fairly short lived too, spanning some six years. In February 2009, after a further phase of technical refurbishment, the Meistersaal was re-opened for a third time, this time through the auspices of BESL Business Event Services & Locations GmbH. Since then the Meistersaal has been run as an event location and platform for cultural events. And since the moving of the Emil Berliner Studios onto the premises (what was once the recording studios for the
Deutschen Grammophon), the rooms are also being used again for recording music.
In 2018, the story of Meistersaal featured within the documentary feature by filmmaker Mike Christie titled 'Hansa Studios: By The Wall 1976-90' which aired across Europe on Sky Arts and Sky Arte.
Architecture
The Meistersaal-Ensemble with its associated rooms today extends over two floors and covers a total area of some 650 sq metres, of which 266 sq metres is the Meistersaal itself (including stage). On the ground floor the foyer and cloakroom are located. Leading up from here is the staircase to the first floor lobby which itself leads to the Meistersaal and the adjacent Grüner Salon. The 79 sq metre Grüner Salon is the official bar area of the Meistersaal complete with fixed bar-counter. Toilets can be found on both ground floor and first floor and after a general smoking ban was introduced in 2009 a smokers lounge was created next to the Grüner Salon.
The facade
![Meistersaal Aussen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Meistersaal_Aussen.jpg)
The façade of the Meistersaal was restored in a strictly neo-classic style. Six period Ionian columns separate the northern part of the building from the rest. Within the frieze directly above the columns, the name and year of the association is engraved into the columns in triangular gables. Today you can see the word "Meistersaal" engraved in the frieze whilst the newly created gables are without writing or decoration.
The Entrance Area
The entrance area, originally known as the vestibules, is distinctive with its dark marble cladding and heralds the entrance to the foyer and the Meistersaal as well as providing access to the staircase and lifts to the offices. On the left hand side there is a display cabinet from the Meistersaal that only came to light during the restoration work and has subsequently itself been the subject of restoration. In the middle of the room there is a golden board with the signs of the companies residing in the building. To the right is a large mirror. Previously there was a small house for the concierge that was most probably removed during restoration.
The Foyer
The Foyer together with its staircase as it exists today was originally foreseen as a lobby area to the Meistersaal. When comparing to the original floor plans from 1913 one can ascertain that this part of the building has undergone the most constructional changes. A large part of the former cloakroom has been split by the building of a wall and now forms part of the restaurant adjacent to the Meistersaal. According to the original floor plans the ground floor contained only a ladies toilet; a gentleman’s toilet has subsequently been added. The ground floor also was home to the cashier’s desk but that is now no longer recognisable today.
Wandelhalle
![Wandelhalle leer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Wandelhalle_leer.jpg)
From studying the photos found in the original commemorative brochure for the opening of the Meistersaal the Lobby has been re-built faithful to its original appearance. A distinctive feature of the Lobby alongside the many cornicing decorations on the ceiling are the two large mirrors, although one was split in the course of the restoration work and replaced as a mirrored door to allow access to the staircase. The Foyer allows access to the Meistersaal and to the toilets, also to the smoker’s lounge and the Green Salon as well as to the Meistersaal’s kitchen. The floor area of the Foyer covers 90 sq metres. During its times as "Ballhaus Susi" there was also a dedicated "Beer Buffet" bar as well as a "Liquor buffet".
Meistersaal
![Berlin Meistersaal KoethenerStr asv2018-06 img2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Berlin_Meistersaal_KoethenerStr_asv2018-06_img2.jpg)
One of the most striking constructional features of the Meistersaal, which was originally conceived as a chamber music concert hall, is its 7 metre high wooden coffered ceiling – inspired by the old Berlin Philharmony concert hall. Further architectural characteristics to be found within the room, which has also been restored to virtually its original condition, are the carefully inlaid gold cornicing on the ceiling as well as decorations on the walls through the wooden columns. Two large French doors provide access to the Meistersaal that has a 4 x 6 m stage built-in with two adjacent dressing rooms over two floors. The original fixed rows of seating were lost during or shortly before the end of the Second World War and were not replaced. Since its reopening in 1994 the Meistersaal has been equipped with a modern lighting and PA system which had to be carefully installed given its protected status. The most recent renovation work was carried out in spring 2009 and completed n the middle of the same year.
Grüner Salon
The bar area of the Meistersaal covers 79 sq metres which was then renamed as the Green Hall subsequent to the renovation work and then later re-christened as Green Salon. It is tastefully decorated in green throughout including the fixed bar counter. The ceiling is also decorated with period cornicing. In the 50s the Green Salon was used as a restaurant for guests to the Ball House. During 1961 to 1990 the Green Salon was used as the editor’s suite for the recording studios and was connected via cameras to the Meistersaal.
Importance
The Meistersaal is one of the remaining buildings in the Köthener Straße that had survived the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
and at the same time (ref History of the Köthener Straße) one of the few remaining concert and dance halls from the golden 20s of Berlin. Although the golden era of the Meistersaal was during the epic times after 1961 when it was used as a recording studio. The scenery, created through the unique atmosphere of the recording studios and through its location in the immediate vicinity of the Berlin Wall, is especially attractive and inspiring to Anglo-American artists. The most famous example is the song "
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
" by
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
that was written and recorded here during the spell he lived in Berlin. The Meistersaal was known across the globe in music circles as "The big hall by the wall" or "the studio by the wall". These days visitors can experience some of the history for themselves by taking part in guided tours through the Meistersaal and the Hansa recording studios.
Trivia
*In April 2009, Swedish band Kent recorded their 8th studio album "Röd" in the Meistersaal.
*In July 2010, American band
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
recorded a part of their album
Collapse into Now
''Collapse into Now'' is the fifteenth and final studio album by the American alternative rock band R.E.M., released on March 7, 2011, on Warner Bros. Produced by Jacknife Lee, who previously worked with the band on ''Accelerate'' (2008), the alb ...
in the Meistersaal.
*In 2018, Italian band Decibel recorded part of their music video for "Fuori dal tempo" in the Meistersaal.
*In August 2019, Netflix filmed scenes of an open chess tournament set in a 1960s Cincinnati hotel for ''
The Queen's Gambit'' in the Meistersaal.
["The Queen's Gambit in Berlin,]
Chess News of November 21, 2020
/ref>
References
External links
Official Homepage of the Meistersaal
Eintrag in der Berliner Landesdenkmalliste
{{Coord, 52, 30, 22, N, 13, 22, 37, E, region:DE-BE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title
Buildings and structures in Berlin