Which concert, and which date
Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Concert: what to book
What the Gedächtniskirche concert is, who plays, how the room shapes the music, and how to pick a date and compare it with other Berlin church concerts.
Reserve your seat for the concert ↗Quick answer
Choose the evening concert at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Gedächtniskirche, for roughly 70 minutes of classical music in Egon Eiermann's blue-glass church on Breitscheidplatz. The Berlin Orchestra plays the programme set out on the booking page, which can shift from date to date. Cancelling more than a day ahead earns a full refund, and paying later is possible.
Two church concerts in Berlin
| Memorial Church | French Cathedral | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Breitscheidplatz | Gendarmenmarkt |
| Length | About 70 minutes | About 65 minutes |
| Setting | 1960s blue glass | Church from 1701 |
| Seats | One adult ticket | One adult ticket |
What the ticket is
One adult place at an evening classical concert in the new Memorial Church is what you are buying, and the music lasts about 70 minutes. You choose a date in the booking calendar, and each date shows its own start time and the fare. The booking page marks the concert wheelchair accessible and does not allow unaccompanied minors. It sells the concert as an entry ticket and nothing more, so treat food, drink and transport as things you arrange yourself. Plan dinner before or after rather than during, because the evening is built around the music, not a meal.
Who plays
The booking page presents the evening as the Berlin Orchestra with three soloists: a soprano, an organist and a violinist. It names the current trio, and the names can change with the date, so treat them as the line-up of the day rather than a promise. If one performer is the reason you are booking, check the booking page again shortly before your date. If you simply want a good evening of classical music in an unusual room, the exact names matter less than the setting and the programme.
The programme
The booking page lists Baroque and classical works by composers including Pachelbel, Handel, Vivaldi, Schubert, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Widor. Two of those, Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Widor's Toccata, are organ pieces, which is the music the church's own instrument is built for. The programme can differ from date to date. Read the one shown for your date, and do not plan the evening around a single piece. The piece-by-piece notes on the home page explain what a few of these works are.
Why the room matters
This is not a concert hall that happens to be a church. Egon Eiermann built an octagonal nave about 35 metres across and roughly 20 metres high, with walls of blue glass set in concrete honeycomb. He also built the walls double. The church says the second wall was meant mainly as sound insulation, so that a glass church in the middle of a busy city could still work as a place of quiet. That is the setting your ticket buys, whatever is on the programme, and it is a large part of why people book it. The honeycomb walls, the dark floor and the single gilt figure above the altar keep the room visually quiet, which leaves your attention for the sound.
The organ is part of the evening
The church's organ stands on a gallery in the main axis, opposite the entrance. The church says it has 63 registers and counts it among the largest organs in Berlin. It was built by the Berlin firm Karl Schuke for the new church and is played daily at services and concerts. When an organ piece comes up, the instrument is a voice of its own rather than a backing track, and it fills a room this tall without strain. If you love organ music, that alone can justify the date you pick.
How to choose a date
The booking calendar shows a start time for every date, and that decides what you see. The church explains that the deep blue of the interior comes mostly from daylight passing through the outer wall of its double wall, while after dusk the building glows outwards into the square. A date that starts in daylight shows you the glass lit from outside. A later start gives you the room by its own lamps and the glowing walls on your way out. Pick the date that matches the evening you have in mind, and check the programme shown for it.
Seats
The booking page offers one adult ticket and shows no seat categories, so the choice you make is the date, not the seat. The nave is set with single chairs rather than pews, a design Eiermann chose for the church himself. Arrive ahead of the start time, as the page asks, so that you can settle in without hurrying and look up at the walls before the music starts. If you need step-free access, the church reaches its podium by two ramps, and the practical guide on this site says where they are. The church does not have an induction loop, so it suggests sitting near a loudspeaker if you use a hearing aid.
Booking here or at the church
The church publishes its own calendar of services, organ vespers and concerts. Some of its larger concerts are ticketed through the church's own pre-sale, and others, such as its summer organ series, have been free with a suggested donation. This ticket is a separate evening concert sold through GetYourGuide. If you can fit your visit to the church's calendar, its own events are worth a look. If you want a set evening on a date you choose, with free cancellation, the booking calendar is simpler.
Compared with the French Cathedral concert
Another church concert in Berlin is sold through GetYourGuide at the French Cathedral on Gendarmenmarkt. It runs about 65 minutes, against about 70 here, and the earliest parts of that church date from 1701, while this one was consecrated in 1961. They are different rooms: one a historic church on a grand square, the other a modernist glass octagon beside a war ruin. The format of an orchestra and soloists is similar, so choose the room that appeals to you, and check each concert's programme for your date.
Who this isn't for
This ticket is the wrong one for anyone who wants a full symphony orchestra, a chosen work on a chosen night or any say in the programme, which can change. Skip it if you want a guided tour of the church or the old tower, since this is a concert and the church runs its own tours. Skip it if a warm room bothers you: some guests say the hall can feel warm. And skip it if you want dinner with your music, because nothing in the ticket covers food. If you are weighing it against a trip to a larger concert hall, remember that you are paying for the room and a compact programme rather than a full season production.
Booking in practice
Start from the booking calendar: pick a date and read the programme shown against it. Language and currency can be switched on the page. A full refund is available when you cancel more than 24 hours ahead, and a pay-later reservation suits a trip that is still taking shape. Once the 24-hour mark has passed, the fare stands. Keep your confirmation handy, because it gives the start time for your date and you will want it on the evening.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Memorial Church concert?
Around 70 minutes. The calendar gives a start time for every date, so dinner can go before or after without guesswork.
Is it the same programme every night?
No. Both the programme and the soloists can change with the date. Read the programme shown for the date you pick, and do not book for a single piece.
Is there a choice of seats?
The booking page offers one adult ticket with no seat categories, so your choice is the date. Arrive ahead of the start time, since the nave is set with single chairs.
Can I cancel the ticket?
Yes. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund through GetYourGuide. Reserving now and paying later is possible too, which helps while plans are loose.
Is the Gedächtniskirche concert suitable for children?
Children can attend with an adult, but the ticket does not allow unaccompanied minors. It is about 70 minutes of classical music in a quiet room, so think about your child's patience.
Is there a dress code?
No set dress code applies. Wear what feels comfortable and carry a layer you can shed, since some guests find the hall warm.
Sources
- Gedächtniskirche Berlin: the blue glass (the church's own site)
- Gedächtniskirche Berlin: the double wall (the church's own site)
- Gedächtniskirche Berlin: the Schuke organ (the church's own site)
- Gedächtniskirche Berlin: Saturday organ and choir vespers (the church's own site)
- Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Wikipedia)
- French Cathedral, Berlin (Wikipedia)