Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both grandly impressive yet intimate enough for recitals of chamber music. With near perfect acoustics, the hall became quickly celebrated across Europe, acquiring the greatest artists of the twentieth century. Today the Hall promotes some 400 concerts a year and broadcasts a weekly concert on BBC Radio 3 attracting an audience of several hundred thousand listeners as well as a worldwide internet audience. The Hall also promotes an extensive education programme throughout London and beyond.
Originally named the Bechstein Hall, it was built between 1899 and 1901 by C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik, the German piano manufacturer whose showroom was next door. The hall was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt.
The building follows the Renaissance style, using alabaster and marble walls to furnish a flat, rectangular hall with a small raised stage area complete with a cupola depicting the Soul of Musicabove. The hall is considered to have one of the best acoustics for classical music in Europe. It was refurbished in 2004 and was widely praised for being completed on time and on budget.
The "Bechstein Hall" opened on 31 May 1901 with a concert featuring the virtuoso pianist and composer Ferruccio Busoni and violinist Eugčne Ysa˙e.[4] During its early period, the Hall attracted great artists like Artur Schnabel, Pablo Sarasate, Percy Grainger, Myra Hess, Arthur Rubinstein, Camille Saint-Saëns and Max Reger.
Because of its German ownership, the hall was seized as enemy property during World War I. The hall with over 130 pianos was sold at an auction to Debenhams for a fraction of its value and was re-opened as Wigmore Hall in 1917. Wigmore Hall has had an important relationship with living composers throughout its history; many great artists including Sviatoslav Richter, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Victoria de los Ángeles, Sergey Prokofiev, Shura Cherkassky, Paul Hindemith, Andrés Segovia, Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc have performed there.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wigmore_Hall