Elbphilharmonie Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Book and Concert

Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie, designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, marks its tenth anniversary with a new book and a festive concert. The book, released by Hoffman und Campe on 2 September 2026, features a quote from Christoph Lieben-Seutter, general and artistic director of Elbphilharmonie & Laeiszhalle Hamburg, who calls the building 'the most beautiful ship that will never set sail.' The concert hall opened on 11 January 2017 after a prolonged construction period and rising costs, but has since become a beloved venue and a landmark on the River Elbe. The building includes three concert halls (Grand Hall, Recital Hall, Kaistudio 1), 45 private apartments, a 244-room hotel, a multistorey car park, and a public plaza called the 'Plaza.' Ascan Mergenthaler, senior partner at Herzog & de Meuron, highlights the intimacy of the concert hall and the public plaza as core design aspects. The Grand Hall features a complex reflector above the stage to direct sound. The anniversary concert on 1 September 2026 at 8pm CEST features the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, pianist Alexandre Kantorow, and conductor Manfred Honeck, performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5. The event is live-streamed.