Berlin’s Digital Concert Hall adopts immersive audio as standard

Beginning in the 2026/27 season, the Berliner Philharmoniker will broadcast all live performances in Dolby Atmos, moving the digital proxy closer to the specific acoustic profile of Hans Scharoun’s Philharmonie. This shift from stereo to immersive audio reflects a desire to replicate the spatial distribution of sound in a vineyard-style hall where the physical materials—specifically the tiered concrete balconies and wooden reflectors—dictate the orchestral presence. In a traditional shoebox hall, the sound reaches the listener as a unified longitudinal wave; in the Philharmonie, the Surround-Klang is multidirectional by design. By adopting this standard, the institution seeks to mitigate the artificial flattening of the traditional mixing board. The transition marks the latest evolution in a recording culture that began under Karajan, where the technology is not merely a documentation tool but an extension of the ensemble’s aesthetic identity. The true test of the Atmos format will be its ability to handle the dense contrapuntal textures of the Bruckner symphonies without losing the transparency intended by the hall’s original architecture.