Hamburg Celebrates Its Landmark!

HAMBURG, Germany (Top40 Charts) Thousands of people gathered on Thursday night to experience the "Breaking Waves" light installation in Hamburg's port. Created by Dutch artist-duo DRIFT, the artwork comprises hundreds of illuminated drones that dance around the night sky of the iconic concert-hall. The event took place just after the opening-concert of the Hamburg International-Music-Festival. The spectacular light-installation was presented on the occasion of the 5-year anniversary of the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg's new landmark, and will be on show three more times until 1 May (www.elbphilharmonie.de).

Especially for the Elbphilharmonie, Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta of DRIFT have created a work of art that enhances the building's unique architecture in fascinating ways. With their choreographed swarm of drones outside the building, DRIFT explores the movement of the water that surrounds the concert-hall, and connects that to the sound waves inside the venue. Originally planned to take place in January to mark the Elbphilharmonie's 5th anniversary, the artwork draws inspiration from the second movement of the Piano Concerto by Thomas Adès, the centrepiece of the anniversary-concert on 11 January.

In the short time of its existence, the Elbphilharmonie has completely exceeded all expectations, with a programme of events that stands out internationally for both its quality and diversity. What is more, the Elbphilharmonie has received more public attention worldwide than any other modern cultural building in recent years, with an amazing 3.5 million concert guests enjoying some 3,000 inspiring concerts at the concert-hall since its opening. Over the past years, more than 15 million people have enjoyed the 360-degree panoramic view from the Plaza, the public viewing platform. With these extraordinary figures, Hamburg`s new landmark even outperforms German top tourist destinations such as Neuschwanstein Castle (www.hamburg-travel.com).