The destruction by fire of St Andrew's Halls in 1962 left Glasgow without a major purpose-built concert hall. After years of discussion, the designation of Glasgow as European City of Culture for 1990 finally provided the impetus for a new concert hall to be built at the top of Buchanan Street, at a cost of £28.6m. Council leader Pat Lally became so closely identified with the project that the building was nicknamed "Lally's Palais".
Designed by Sir Leslie Martin, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall was officially opened on 5 October 1990 by Princess Anne. It was widely praised for its acoustics and atmosphere. In its first three months, 127,000 patrons attended 67 evening performances, with a seat occupancy of 88 per cent.
The photograph shows the Scottish National Orchestra rehearsing for the opening night concert in the main auditorium, which has a capacity of 2,400.
Reference: Mitchell Library, Glasgow Collection
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
auditoria, concert halls, concerts, European City of Culture, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, halls, Lally's Palais, Scottish National Orchestra, St Andrews Halls
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