School Orchestra Extravaganza 2008
At the Berliner Philharmonikers’ School Orchestra Extravaganza it can sometimes happen that the students are so excited they almost drop their instruments when Simon Rattle raises his baton to make music with them. But when, with a smile, he gives tips like “the violins sound too English, not sexy enough” or “the trombones are too soft, please, a bit like Schwarzenegger”, he wins the hearts of his young musicians in no time and dispels their fear of making mistakes.
For this concert, the young musicians from ten Berlin schools rehearsed works by Berlioz and Elgar with members of the orchestra. The instrumental sections first rehearsed separately before coming together for a full rehearsal and performance conducted by Sir Simon.
“When children learn a sport, they don’t just watch, but really play football or hold a tennis racket in their hands,” says the conductor. In this way, his young virtuosos can experience for themselves just how much concentration and sensitivity are required to play a piece of music together. That it should also be fun is another discovery they make during this rehearsal.
© 2009 Berliner Philharmoniker
Our recommendations
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- Simon Rattle conducts a Beethoven evening in Taipei
- Claudio Abbado conducts Beethoven and Mendelssohn
- A Sibelius evening with Simon Rattle and Leonidas Kavakos
- Tugan Sokhiev and Yefim Bronfman perform Beethoven
