Season opening 2015: Simon Rattle conducts Britten and Shostakovich

To open the 2015/2016 season, the Berliner Philharmoniker and chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle presented two works that blend virtuosity with irony in very different ways. While Benjamin Britten lovingly portrays the character traits of his teacher Frank Bridge in his set of variations, the parody in Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony has a more serious background, reflecting the grotesque features of the Stalinist dictatorship.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Sir Simon Rattle

Programme Guide

© 2015 Berlin Phil Media GmbH

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Sir Simon Rattle Chief conductor 2002–2018
Benjamin Britten composer
Dmitri Shostakovich composer

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