berlin philharmonie damaged by fire

(AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)

This afternoon the Berlin Philharmonie, the renowned (both acoustically and visually) concert home of the Berlin Philharmonic, had its roof catch fire due to (purportedly) a welding mishap.  The full extent of the damage is not yet known, but according to the Times, the Berlin fire service reports that the main auditorium (where the Philharmonic rehearses and gives concerts) was not seriously damaged.

Here are some recently updated links to the story.

• AFP
• Associated Press
• The Guardian
• Scotsman
• Google News page

I know that I’m just about the last music blogger in the world to mention this, but I thought I’d add the twist that I’ve received a few wistful emails (typical of musician gallows humor) from OSO musicians wondering why this couldn’t have happened to the Schnitz…