Melbourne Recital Centre
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The Melbourne Recital Centre, when completed in 2009, will be Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music after the Arts Centre's Hamer Hall. Currently under construction on the corner of Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street, Southbank, it extends the arts precinct which includes the Arts Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Victorian College of the Arts.
[edit] Facilities
The hall features two auditoriums, the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall, and a smaller venue known as The Salon. The former, a "modified shoe box" shaped music venue, is named after Dame Elizabeth Murdoch, its principal patron. It has seating for 1000 on two levels and was designed by Ashton Raggat McDougall with acoustic consulting by Arup Acoustics. The 135 m² (1,453.1 sq ft) stage, with optional 51 m² (549 sq ft) extension can accommodate up to 1-45 musicians, making it better suited to chamber music rather than orchestras. To eliminate noise from the nearby Southbank Boulevard cars and trams, it is surrounded by 250mm of concrete, mounted on 38 steel springs. The interior is lined with timber and is designed to give particularly good bass response, for cello and low brass.
The Salon, a flexible venue intended for contemporary performances, can seat 150 people. The lighting, seating and stage can be reconfigured.
