As pretty on the eyes as they are dramatic on the ears.

That's how we should appreciate some of the world's concert halls, according to building data company Emporis.

The Hamburg-based company has put together a list of what it's calling the world's most spectacular concert halls.

"These days concert halls also have remarkable architecture, offering audiences a great show even before they have taken their seats," the report said.

"More and more concert halls are being built that stand out by virtue of their eye-catching shapes, colors and materials."

It highlights the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, as an example of an "extraordinary" concert structure: "The white building's curved, wave-like shape makes it seem as if it has been 'poured' into the landscape."

Building data company Emporis has released a list of the world's most spectacular concert halls. 
The Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan, has "fluid forms that contrast to the rigid, monumental architecture you normally find in Baku." President Ilham Aliyev, who officially opened the building on May 10, 2012, named the building after his late father, Heydar Aliyev, who was also a president of Azerbaijan.Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects.

Berlin's Philharmonie building, completed in 1963, also makes the list, as do the Cidade das Artes in Rio de Janeiro and Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall.

The United States and Spain both get two entries - Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall "has the appearance of curved metal plates piled into one other and which ... make the design look like an outlandish fantasy," the report said.

One surprising omission from the list of 15 is Sydney's famous Opera House. But it does get a mention in the report, illustrating how long some of these structures take to build.

The Sydney Opera House took 14 years to complete, and one concert hall in construction, Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie building, will be completed in 2016, nine years after having started.

Kilden Performing Arts Centre (Norway)

The building houses three organizations: Opera South, the Agder Theater and the Kristiansand Philharmonic. It contains four performance halls, the largest with 1,200 seats. Architects: ALA Architects Ltd., SMS Arkitekter AS.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (U.S.

The Kauffman Center includes two separate performance halls; one for the symphony seating 1,600, and one for the ballet seating 1,800. The construction costs for the whole complex were $304 million.Architects: BNIM Architects, Moshe Safdie & Associates.