Caird Hall Dundee
Athough the foundation stone of the Caird Hall was laid in July 1914, the Great War broke out the following month. As a result this concert hall was not opened until 1923.
Early concerts featured a range of famous musicians. Orchestral concerts were given by the Queen's Hall, London Symphony, Hallé and London Philharmonic Orchestras. There was a visit by the Berlin Philharmonic and Wilhelm Furtwängler in 1931. Recitals were given by many great instrumentalists - Rachmaninov, Horowitz, Heifetz, Casals, Singers included Nellie Melba (whose parents had emigrated to Australia from Dundee), as well as Clara Butt, Conchita Supervia, Beniamino Gigli, Alexander Kipnis and countless others.
The Caird Hall has an excellent reputation for its acoustic, being much admired by many of the conductors who have worked there. It has also been used in recent years for a number of excellent recordings by such conductors as Neeme Järvi and Sir Charles Mackerras. Soloists who have appeared in recordings made in the hall include pianist Alfred Brendel, sopranos Renée Fleming and Felicity Lott and baritone Bryn Terfel.
Nowadays the hall has a restricted range of classical concerts, generally given by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with world-famous conductors and soloists. In recent years the orchestra has been directed by Sir Alexander Gibson, Neeme Järvi, Bryden Thomson, Alexander Lazarev, Stéphane Denève, Peter Oundjian and Thomas Søndergärd. Scottish Opera also give occasional concerts, having brought Kiri Te Kanawa, Jane Eaglen and Dennis O'Neill to the city.
The postcard below shows the hall as it was in 1928, only five years after opening.
