The Montreal Symphony Orchestra now has a new home – a state-of-the-art 1,900-seat concert hall that is the centrepiece of the city’s new arts and entertainment district. The orchestra, led by conductor Kent Nagano, played its season debut in the hall last Wednesday, offering the audience works by local composers and a rousing rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

“This hall – it’s as if I had bought a Stradivarius that had not been used in a long time. It must be played, and the necessary adjustments must be made, for it to be adapted to my style,” Mr Nagano said before the inauguration. “We all have the feeling that it will be an exceptional hall.” Authorities in Canada’s Quebec province poured more than CAN$260 million ($263 million) into the project, a public-private partnership. The orchestra will use the wood-panelled hall 260 days a year.

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