Dewan Filharmonik Petronas – Behind-the-scenes Tour
3rd December 2024
Thirteen Explorers joined the tour led by our guide, Syazwan, the engineer Mr Hafiz and accompanied by the rest of their very helpful team. We were taken straight into the main concert hall and had the chance to experience the best seats in the house, as well as go up on stage for a performers’-eye view.
Opened in 1998 in the year of the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, the ‘shoebox-style’ concert hall is both incredibly beautiful and carefully designed to maximise acoustic performance. It has been thoughtfully considered to be able to accommodate performances of different sizes. The hall can seat 920 people including the Nobat – the Royal Box – which seats 18 and is only used for very special attendees. However, even if the audience is not at full capacity, the plush padding and special material of the seats mean that the acoustics aren’t compromised – the seats are able to act as ‘warm bodies’. The other feature which can adjust depending on the requirements of the performance is the ceiling: above the gorgeous halo of lights we can see, there are seven moveable panels which can raise or lower using mechanical screws. Even the walls can slide from hard to soft panels at the flick of a switch.
We were also able to view backstage; firstly, the Conductor’s room, with beautiful site-specific artwork commissioned especially for the space. Seeing the Stage Manager’s station and the small passageways, it was easy to imagine the bustle of the musicians on the night of a show. Our tour continued to take in both back and front of house, as we were able to navigate a warren of corridors and pass the small rooms used by the performers, staff and crew. The are various rooms for soloists to rehearse in, as well as a large basement rehearsal space which can accommodate up to around 100 artistes. However, many musicians choose to rehearse on the stage in the main hall itself and we were lucky enough to disturb a member of the horn section as he was attempting to practice! We later stumbled across three performers working on a piece together in the Orchestral Lounge, which was giving off distinct student-union vibes apart from the large dressing room with appropriately glamorous lighting.
We were taken back into the concert hall, but this time from the Circle as we got to experience the hospitality suites. There are ten of these suites on each side of the hall, those on Level 2 seat 8 people, on Level 3 seat 6. There is a small antechamber with comfortable sofas, where the guests are served refreshments, before they take their seats in the hall. Each of the individually-styled suites on Level 2 are named after local dances; for example Asyik, Inang, Zapin, and each is decorated with traditional musical instruments and specially-commissioned art pieces. The suites in the Upper Circle are also individually-furnished and decorated, and all are named after traditional instruments. The guides advised that seats in the suites can be bought individually, so if you’re looking for a taste of VIP service and a wonderful view of the stage, don’t hesitate!
One of the highlights of the tour was seeing the Recording Room, where the friendly technicians were willing to let our members have a play! We were definitely careful when we were told that all of the state-of-the-art equipment comes not only all the way from London, but specifically from Abbey Road studios themselves. The mics from the hall are linked directly in to the Recording Room and the Sound Engineers work their magic from there.
Our last stop on the tour was another highlight – the majestic organ. This grand organ is from Germany – a Klais pipe organ – and has 2977 pipes! The organ is centre-stage but hidden by screens, which can be opened when the organ is in use. This must be a relief to the organist, as the space was tiny with the screens closed – it felt extremely claustrophobic. The organ isn’t used at every performance, which must be a relief to the orchestra’s accountants – it can cost up to 20,000RM to tune – and must be tuned for every rehearsal and every performance.
Our guiding team all work for Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, one of the two companies which inhabit the space. The other is the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. In total, there are about 60 staff between the two companies, as well as around 60 musicians in the orchestra. Our guides were extremely patient with us, flexible and knowledgeable. They answered all our questions and we certainly felt we learned a lot, which will enhance our next visit to see the MPO in action. With a packed programme for 2025 and a mix of popular and classical performances, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this stunning space.
