Brno's TOP 09 proposes to abandon the construction of the Janáček Centre

Source
Zdeněk Meitner

Publisher
ČTK
20.08.2014 19:45

Brno - The Brno TOP 09 proposes to abandon the idea of building the Janáček Cultural Center with a large concert hall for more than a billion crowns and instead to place it in the building of the Sokol Stadium on Kounicova Street. According to the chairman of the Brno branch of TOP 09, Jaroslav Kacer, this would be a fully valid solution and significantly cheaper, he stated at a press conference today. However, the director of the Brno Philharmonic, Marie Kučerová, disagrees with his opinion.
    "From time to time, there are voices that the Janáček Cultural Center will be built at the corner of Besední and Veselá streets. However, it is not realistic to find that much money in public budgets," Kacer stated. According to a study from 2002, the center would cost 1.3 billion crowns. In recent years, council members have promised to at least build garages as the first part of the project, but so far none have begun construction.
    The Stadium has two halls, one large for 1000 spectators, a smaller one for 400. "According to experts, the acoustics here are very good. Moreover, Janáček himself performed here, so it would also be appropriate in a symbolic sense. And there are also organs here, which would likely need renovation. Furthermore, it is a cultural monument, so funding for its renovation could be obtained from European grants," Kacer mentioned. Currently, the Brno Philharmonic is located in the Besední dům. It holds large concerts at the Janáček Theatre, which it shares with the opera and ballet of the National Theatre Brno, and it lacks organs.
    Kučerová admits that while the acoustics are good, the hall does not suffice for the size of the musical ensemble or for Brno as a cultural metropolis. "This is not the first proposal of a similar nature, but it always seems more like a virtue of necessity and rather wasted money. Brno deserves a concert hall worthy of the 21st century, not the 19th. We would also have a problem, for example, with moving out of the Besední dům," Kučerová told ČTK.
    Kacer anticipates that the building would undergo renovation and be adapted to the orchestra's needs. Since it is owned by Sokol, the city would either lease the relevant part with the halls long-term, purchase it, or exchange it with Sokol for another municipal property. "We don't have a more specific estimate of costs yet, but it would definitely be a cheaper solution that could be realized in the foreseeable future," Kacer said. Parking would reportedly be possible on the premises.
    The building currently serves cultural events; however, according to Kacer, only the restaurant has a long-term contract here, while the spaces are still used by Czech Radio as a recording studio.

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