After the Concert

Text: Hanno Grahl, April 2025

When the final chord has faded away and the audience, still completely spellbound by the music, bursts into thunderous applause, the concert evening reaches its conclusion. The musicians take their bows, beaming, and breathe a sigh of relief. Some squint slightly in disbelief at the lights in the auditorium, as if they can scarcely believe it is really over. Yet even as the lights in the auditorium grow brighter, a second beat is already beginning to sound backstage – for there is still much to do. For many staff members at the Elbphilharmonie, the final applause is not the end, but the start of a vital part of their work.

For Maria Busch, the work continues whilst others have long since set off for home. As an artistic coordinator, she oversees a concert from the very first contact right through to the final accounts. During the performance, she sits at the edge of the auditorium, ready to step in should anything unexpected happen. But as soon as the last note fades away, she moves in a flash – slipping through an inconspicuous door into the backstage area to welcome the performers. »For me, it’s all about the people,« she says. »Many performers are constantly on the road, and sometimes feel lonely. So it’s important just to be there – even after the applause.«

On this evening, it was the early music ensemble Masques making its debut in the Small Hall. The final applause is still ringing in everyone’s ears when Busch is already hugging the ensemble members, congratulating them and thanking them on behalf of the theatre for their successful debut. Harpsichordist Olivier Fortin is already offering technical advice for his colleague Jean Rondeau’s next guest performance. »I’ll write to him myself to let him know what he needs to bear in mind,« he says – everyone knows each other on the scene. Meanwhile, the gambist Lucile Boulanger is carefully packing away her instrument, whilst the technician quietly clears the chairs and music stands from the stage in the background. Only the borrowed harpsichord is still waiting to be taken away, as its owner is currently playing the trumpet himself in another concert.

Maria Busch passes the guest book round from musician to musician so that everyone can sign it, and then hands out taxi vouchers. The ensemble is flying back to France early in the morning, and Busch explains the transfer arrangements to the airport and makes sure that nobody forgets to hand in their access card for the Elbphilharmonie. Then her gaze wanders through the artists’ dressing rooms: has anyone left anything behind? On one occasion, a jacket had to be sent on to Portugal; other common items left behind by the artists include charging cables and sheet music.

When she is finally alone, the last dressing room empty and the harpsichord safely packed away, Busch closes the door to the backstage area. In her office, she goes through the documents for this concert once more, as there are still a few tasks to be dealt with afterwards: invoicing, feedback, photos to be approved. Then she can call it a day.

Once the audience has left the auditorium, Julia Weuffen’s second performance of the evening begins – the technical strike. She works in the event technology team, responsible for everything on stage that makes a sound, lights up or moves, as well as for the safety of everyone involved. »We usually only start once the last audience member has left,« she says.»Otherwise, it sometimes happens that a few people stay in the auditorium, fascinated, and watch us.« But tonight the concert went on longer than planned; jazz trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf and his ensemble were generous with their encores, so now there isn’t much time left to prepare the stage for the orchestra rehearsal the next day.

No sooner have the musicians left the stage than the six technicians spread out and start dismantling the complex array of cables, loudspeakers and spotlights. Weuffen pushes a control console onto the stage, which she can use to operate the stage: this evening, for example, she uses it to lower the lighting truss from the ceiling. Slowly, the metal beam that supports the spotlights during the concert descends. Chairs are stacked, loudspeakers dismantled, and microphones carefully packed away. With the precision of a quiet, efficient clockwork mechanism, the stage returns to its original state. Weuffen is constantly on the move: sometimes on stage, then again in the area immediately behind the back wall of the stage, or in the control room backstage. »You can’t just wander around here blindly«, she says. »There are lots of hidden cables and other trip hazards.«

Backstage, the numerous chairs and music stands needed for the orchestra rehearsal the following morning are already in place. From an electronically amplified jazz concert to an analogue orchestra in just under an hour – this demonstrates the hall’s remarkable versatility.

Weuffen often still has the evening’s music on her mind even after her late shift has finished. That’s because during the concert she sits in the control room behind the stage and listens via the loudspeakers: »There are concerts that simply sweep me away. Then I go home feeling completely inspired.«

Whilst the lights in the auditorium brighten and a contented bustle spreads through the audience – with people streaming down to the »Tube«, the long, curved escalator, and chatting animatedly about the concert and their favourite moments – Martin Kuhn waits patiently in the foyer. Today, he is in charge of levels 11 and 12, the two lowest floors in the Grand Hall area.

Kuhn is an old hand; he has been working in the Elbphilharmonie’s foyer team since the venue opened – that is, for almost ten years. He waits until the last guests have left the hall, and only then does he go inside. To his right on stage, Julia Weuffen is just lowering the lighting truss. Kuhn’s gaze sweeps across the rows to check that nobody has left anything behind. »The usual items are small things like handkerchiefs, scarves or glasses cases, and sometimes jackets or jumpers too.« Anything left behind is collected and handed in to the venue’s own lost property office.

He then turns his attention to the foyer, particularly the cloakrooms on Level 11, the first and last stop for the audience. In the colder months, of course, all the hooks are packed with jackets, coats and bags – and the queues are correspondingly long. Yet Kuhn’s team works like a well-oiled machine, even during the brief, hectic moments before and after a concert. »We have so many attentive and helpful colleagues in the team who support one another and step in wherever help is needed.«

The social media series »Elbphilharmonie Backstage« offers further insights into the wide range of tasks carried out by the front-of-house staff, as well as other fascinating glimpses behind the scenes at the Elbphilharmonie.

Kuhn moves on to the foyer on Level 12. The atmosphere there feels somehow cosier – a buzz of voices can be heard, the lighting is warmer, and the bar is still bustling; it’s the only one that stays open for a while after the concert. And there’s another special feature that sets the bar on Level 12 apart: this is the only place where you can order long drinks. Now, after the concert, the mood has relaxed. Two or three dozen guests are winding down the evening with a drink in hand. The chatter mingles with the gentle clinking of glasses. Three staff members stand behind the bar, serving guests Crémant, red and white wine, beer and soft drinks. At the same time, they’re already getting everything ready for the next day: polishing glasses, counting the till, and collecting empty bottles.

Kuhn walks through the foyer to see where he can help. Once the accounts have been finalised, he collects the money and takes it to the central collection point, where the overall accounts are settled. The till prints out a receipt for Kuhn, listing all the drinks consumed that evening: »By using this list, we can restock the fridges so that everything’s ready for tomorrow.« The most popular drinks are white wine and Crémant – and once again, tonight wasn’t a »juice night«, as one member of staff remarks with a wink. After an hour at the latest, the bar on the 12th floor closes too; the last guests finish their drinks, and it’s all over for Kuhn as well – a successful evening draws to a close

This article appeared in the Elbphilharmonie Magazine (Issue 2/26)