Gasteig

Great big place and quite busy. The acoustics are not fantastic and you lose some or the effect of the symphony.

This is a fine and engaging venue for classical performances. The clever and avante-garde design adds visual appeal but also creates a sense of an intimate venue while seating a large audience. There might not be a bad seat in the whole place.

The seats, by the way, are deeply padded bent-ply with wide armrests (wide enough to share). You will be comfortable here.

Food and beverages are available but expensive. I tried the Proseco with Hibiscus Blood. It was terrific.

The acoustics are curious. Compared to the lush, warm sound of the Munich Opera House, the sound here is crisp and detailed - perhaps a little bit too crisp and too detailed. The higher registers seems to explode through the room. Sometimes this gives life and punch to the music, but at other times it is the aural equivalent of shining a bright fluorescent light on the Mona Lisa. It must be an unforgiving place for the performers, too.

The downside is that the venue itself is not an experience. Historic venues like the Opera House are themselves a feast for the mind and the senses. This venue is about presenting the performance as vividly and clearly as possible - here it succeeds admirably.