The Sage Gateshead burst into life at the weekend, heralding a new cultural dawn for the North-East. Gavin Engelbrecht was there to soak up the atmosphere.

THE moment that everyone had waited for came on Friday night as the first of more than 15,000 people filtered in to the Sage Gateshead to enjoy a medley of musical styles and entertainment.

The first visitors included representatives of Women's Institute groups, children, folk music lovers and classical connoisseurs.

They were all there to experience history in the making and to get a taste of what is to come at the music venue.

You could not fail to feel a certain awe walking into the cavernous concourse, with its grand curves and spectacular views of Newcastle's cityscape, across the Tyne.

Visitors, arriving at three-hourly intervals, were first treated to the spectacle of aerialists performing while suspended from the ceiling of what has been described as the future "living room" of the region.

Joining the throng on Saturday was Spencer de Grey, deputy chairman of Foster and Partners, the architects behind the £70m venue.

He said: "It is wonderful to see the building so full of people. That is what it is all about.

"This is our first building for the performing arts. This concourse will become a social focus not only of the building, but for the whole of the North-East.

"It is very much designed to be a living room, where people can not only come to enjoy the music on offer, but can also come just to meet and socialise."

Down in the building's engine room are 25 rooms that form a music education centre, a resource available to the entire region.

In one room, a group of young people played boisterously on steel drums, in the next a quintet discussed the finer points of bar 25 of a classical score, and in another the Silver Singers - a newly-formed community choir for anyone over 50 - enjoyed a rollicking singalong.

Speaking about the opening, Sage Gateshead general director Anthony Sargent said: "What really has struck me is the wide cross-section of the community we are seeing here - you could be walking through the MetroCentre or through the city centre.

"This is as near as to the heart of the target we are aiming to achieve.

"People have been given three-hour slots during which they are experiencing a tiny sliver of something that will appear in the next 12 months. It is very much a microcosm preview."

Mr Sargent said the box office had reported an "absolute rush on sales" at the weekend.

The aim to break down the perception that the music is an elitist pursuit is reflected in ticket prices, which start at only £6.

Cheaper tickets do not mean a less enjoyable experience, with the two performance spaces boasting the best in acoustic excellence with no restricted views.

The highlight of the weekend's programme was a performance in the main hall featuring vocal ensemble I Faglioni, Northumbrian pipes player Kathryn Tickell, the Mostar Sevdah Reunion Trio, Alistair Anderson on his English concertina, singers Lena Willemark and Juliet Roberts and, of course, Northern Sinfonia.

Music director Thomas Zehetmair and Bradley Creswich joined in a rendition of Bach's Concerto for two violins, while the orchestra put on a pacy first movement from Mozart's 40th. The programme was rounded off with a rousing Zadok the Priest, with the Sinfonia Chorus giving an explosive choral entry. The sound simply enveloped the listener, resonating with burnished timbre. Whatever their musical preference, visitors to Sage Gateshead are in for a very special treat.

Published: 20/12/2004