Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s Ninth Symphony in Taiwan

The concerts which Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker gave in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei in 2011 are among the most highly attended in the history of the orchestra. For the performances were not only to be heard in the auditorium of the National Concert Hall, but also at six public screenings in four Taiwanese cities.

Orchestra and conductor were received like pop stars by the tens of thousands of fans in the audience. Similar scenes had already been played six years earlier when the Philharmoniker then made their first Taiwan appearance for over two decades. “Of course we will come again,” said Simon Rattle to the crowd at the time – a promise that was kept with this concert. Yet another idea was born at that time: the need to interact with this enthusiastic audience much more regularly, possibly via the Internet. The idea of the Digital Concert Hall began to take shape.

With Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the Berliner Philharmoniker performed a representative work from their then current repertoire. At the time, a performance of all the composer’s symphonies, which had begun in August 2010, was the orchestra’s major project. This cycle had reached its finale a few days before this Asian tour, also with a performance of the Ninth Symphony in the Philharmonie Berlin.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Sir Simon Rattle