Rolling Traveler

Sometimes the wheelchair berths are the best seats in the house, and sometimes the worst. I remember calling up to find out if there were still wheelchair berth tickets available for the stage version of Sweeney Todd in San Francisco, and I could hear the hesitation in the ticket agent’s voice. She admitted that I’d be better off not bothering, because the area reserved for wheelchairs at the ticket price I could afford was right behind some columns, meaning I wouldn’t see very much. In cinemas, the area for wheelchairs can be painfully close to the screen: nothing kills enjoyment of a movie like a crick in the neck. So, it was with some trepidation that I set off for the Mercatorhalle in Duisburg this evening for a philharmonic concert. A friend is part of the orchestra, but would I even be able to see him?

Initially, I was taking the train from Dusseldorf to Duisburg, but then Jens, the friend who was performing, set me up with a ride, as another friend of his was driving up. That was lucky, because from all accounts, the trains were insanely bad this evening, especially for wheelchair users. But, with apologies to Michael Ende, that’s another story to be told another time. Even driving up proved difficult, as the traffic was heavy, the city of Duisburg is badly signposted, and the first underground car park we tried didn’t have an elevator. No elevator! I couldn’t believe it either.

As a result, we were a few minutes late, which would normally mean we were out of luck: it’s standard practice in Germany to bar entry to the concert hall after the musicians come on stage. However, as there was still space on the balcony where we wouldn’t disturb anyone, they let us in, and we got to hear the whole concert. It certainly wasn’t the a great place to be in the house. I’d have to sit at an odd angle craning my neck to see anything, but the acoustics were good, so I gave up trying to see, and just listened. Carl Nielsen’s Pan and Syrinx op. 49 and Jean Sibelius‘ Concert for Violin and Orchestra in D-Minor op. 47 were both wonderfully performed, evocative and visual with a real sense of action. I had goosebumps listening to the solos for Pan and Syrinx.

After the break, we moved to the seats we were supposed to be in, and I was pleased to see that they were excellently situated, really among the best seats in the house, acoustically and visually. I could really hear the difference, and it was also good to be able to see Jens without falling off the balcony. There were two other wheelchair users there, and they both agreed it was great positioning. The second half of the concert was Ralph Vaughan Williams‘ Symphony No. 5 in D-Major, a pleasant piece that conjured rural images for me.

If you’re a wheelchair user and you’re in the area of Duisburg, Germany, I can fully recommend the Mercatorhalle for concerts: it easily rates an Excellent for accessibility. Just be careful about where you park. If you’re new to being in a wheelchair, take note: call the venue and find out where you’ll be sitting before committing to a ticket purchase, particularly if you’re concerned about the visual aspect of a show; and plan extra time for getting where you need to be, as you never know what odd obstacles you might encounter.

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