55 concert with 1
Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Philippe Jaroussky
Photo: Stephan Rabold
Jean-Christophe Spinosi’s artistic home is the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. He also appears as an opera conductor, with acclaimed interpretations of works by Mozart and Rossini. For his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker Spinosi has put together a varied programme including two works from the Baroque period, a symphony from the Viennese Classical School and Romantic bel canto. Philippe Jaroussky is also at home in this repertoire and contributes arias by Vivaldi and Rossini in his brilliant countertenor.
19 Jun 2021Berliner Philharmoniker
Jean-Christophe SpinosiPhilippe Jaroussky
Antonio Vivaldi
Aria “Vedrò con mio diletto” from Il Giustino, RV 725Philippe Jaroussky countertenor
Antonio Vivaldi
Aria “Gemo in un punto e fremo” from L’Olimpiade, RV 725Philippe Jaroussky countertenor
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 82 in C major “L’Ours”Gioacchino Rossini
Cavatina “Di tanti palpiti” from TancrediPhilippe Jaroussky countertenor
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”- free
Interview
Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Philippe Jaroussky in conversation with Solène Kermarrec
The Berlin Phil Series: “Berlin Phil Brass”
Photo: Stephan Rabold
The new episode of the Berlin Phil series features fanfares, chorales and marches with brass players of the Berliner Philharmoniker and organist Sebastian Heidl. The selection includes works by Beethoven, Handel and Elgar as well as compositions from the distinguished French organ tradition. The charming combination of the church instrument with the colours of the symphony orchestra resounds at the end of the concert in the finale from Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Organ Symphony”. The conductor of the performance from the archive of the Digital Concert Hall was Zubin Mehta.
16 May 2020Brass ensemble of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Sebastian HeindlPaul Dukas
Fanfare pour précéder “La Péri” (arr. for brass and organ by Sebastian Heindl)Eugène Gigout
Grand chœur dialogué (arr. for brass and organ by Hans Zellner)Alexandre Guilmant
Morceau symphonique op. 88 (arr. for trombone and organ by Ulrich Nehls)Olaf Ott trombone
Ludwig van Beethoven
Egmont op. 84: Overture (arr. for organ by Sebastian Heindl)Thierry Escaich
Tanz-Fantasie for trumpet and organAndre Schoch trumpet
George Frideric Handel
Concerto grosso in D minor op. 3 No. 5 HWV 316 (arr. for brass by Joshua Davis)Frigyes Hidas
Domine, Dona Nobis Pacem for trombone and organThomas Leyendecker trombone
Edward Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance, op. 39: March No.1 (arr. for brass and organ by Hans Zellner)Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op. 78 “Organ Symphony”Zubin Mehta conductor
Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks”
Photo: Stephan Rabold
In Handel’s famous Music for the Royal Fireworks, Baroque music shows its most magnificent side. In this concert, the work will be conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, who in energetic performances repeatedly succeeds in “unleashing the wild and daring side of the Baroque” (The New York Times). The second part of the concert is dedicated to Handel’s cantata Apollo e Dafne – an early work that in sometimes highly virtuosic and enchantingly delicate arias reveals Handel’s interest in Italian opera.
19 Oct 2019Berliner Philharmoniker
Emmanuelle HaïmLucy Crowe, Florian Sempey
Henry Purcell
Suite from The Fairy QueenGeorge Frideric Handel
Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351George Frideric Handel
Apollo e Dafne, Cantata for Soprano, Bass, Flute, Oboe, Strings and Continuo, HWV 122Lucy Crowe soprano, Florian Sempey baritone
- free
Interview
Emmanuelle Haïm in conversation with Jonathan Kelly
Janine Jansen plays Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
Photo: Frederike van der Stræten
The New York Times attests that the violinist Janine Jansen has “a kind of radiant modesty”, and indeed: even in moments of utmost virtuosity, her performances captivate with introspection and substance. This ability is particularly well demonstrated in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, which, despite its fast yet expressive tempos, is always interspersed with subtle nuances. To bring the concert to a close, Paavo Järvi conducts Robert Schumann’s sonorous and exuberant »Rhenish« Symphony.
12 Oct 2019Berliner Philharmoniker
Paavo JärviJanine Jansen
Jean Sibelius
Tapiola, Symphonic Poem, op. 112Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 35Janine Jansen violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: SarabandeJanine Jansen violin
Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 97 “Rhenish”- free
Interview
Paavo Järvi in conversation with Sarah Willis
Paavo Järvi conducts Berg and Bruckner
Photo: Stephan Rabold
In this concert with Paavo Järvi, we experience sensuously delicate tonal beauty, composed by two pioneers of Modernism. Anton Webern’s richly coloured arrangement of a ricercare by Bach is followed by Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs (soloist: Mojca Erdmann), which capture the tender mood of young love. Bruckner’s Second Symphony concludes the programme – an early work which already has unmistakable Brucknerian power.
25 May 2019Berliner Philharmoniker
Paavo JärviMojca Erdmann
Johann Sebastian Bach
Musical Offering, BWV 1079: No. 2 Ricercar a 6 (arr. by Anton Webern)Alban Berg
Seven Early SongsMojca Erdmann soprano
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 2 in C minor (2nd version from 1877)- free
Interview
Paavo Järvi in conversation with Gunars Upatnieks
Bach’s “St John Passion” with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars
Photo: Stephan Rabold
A double reunion: for the first time since the end of his tenure as chief conductor of the orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle returns to the Berliner Philharmoniker. The programme features one of the most sensational productions of those years: Bach’s St. John Passion in the production of Peter Sellars, which uses intensive imagery to accentuate the meditative as well as the dramatic dimensions of the work. The singers include the Rundfunkchor Berlin and a top-class ensemble of soloists.
16 Mar 2019Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleRundfunkchor Berlin, Peter Sellars
Johann Sebastian Bach
St John Passion, BWV 245: Part 1Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano, Camilla Tilling soprano, Georg Nigl baritone (Petrus), Mark Padmore tenor (Evangelist), Roderick Williams baritone (Jesus), Andrew Staples tenor, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey chorus master, Peter Sellars staging
Johann Sebastian Bach
St John Passion, BWV 245: Part 2- free
Interview
Peter Sellars talks about Bach’s “St John Passion”
“Late Night” concert with Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
The mysterious, expressionistic miniatures of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire cycle are perfect for a Late Night concert. The wonderful violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, who enjoys the experimental, recites the poems that underlie the work. The concert also includes waltzes by Johann Strauss II in arrangements by Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. In these arrangements, Patricia Kopatchinskaja returns to her usual role as a violinist.
09 Mar 2019
Late Night at the PhilharmonieMembers of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Patricia Kopatchinskaja
George Enescu
Impressions dʼenfance, op. 28: No. 1 MénétrierPatricia Kopatchinskaja violin
Arnold Schoenberg
Pierrot lunaire, op. 21, 1st PartPatricia Kopatchinskaja speaker, Egor Egorkin flute, Manfred Preis clarinet, Krzysztof Polonek violin, Naoko Shimizu viola, Ludwig Quandt cello, Tamara Stefanovich piano
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Presto in C minor, Wq 114/3, H. 230Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin, Ludwig Quandt cello
Johann Strauss II
Kaiserwalzer, op. 437 (arr. for chamber ensemble by Arnold Schoenberg)Krzysztof Polonek violin, Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin, Naoko Shimizu viola, Egor Egorkin flute, Manfred Preis clarinet, Tamara Stefanovich piano
Arnold Schoenberg
Pierrot lunaire, op. 21, 2nd PartPatricia Kopatchinskaja speaker, Egor Egorkin flute, Manfred Preis clarinet, Krzysztof Polonek violin, Naoko Shimizu viola, Ludwig Quandt cello, Tamara Stefanovich piano
Johann Strauss II
Schatzwalzer, op. 418 (arr. for string quartet, piano und Harmonium by Anton Webern)Krzysztof Polonek violin, Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin, Naoko Shimizu viola, Ludwig Quandt cello, Heike Gneiting harmonium, Tamara Stefanovich piano
Arnold Schoenberg
Pierrot lunaire, op. 21, 3rd PartPatricia Kopatchinskaja speaker, Egor Egorkin flute, Manfred Preis clarinet, Krzysztof Polonek violin, Naoko Shimizu viola, Ludwig Quandt cello, Tamara Stefanovich piano
- free
Interview
Patricia Kopatchinskaja talks about Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire
Sakari Oramo and Alban Gerhardt
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Two fabulous, mythical travel stories from Scandinavia are on the programme in this concert: Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen Suite. Between these two works will be the European premiere of the Cello Concerto by Brett Dean, one of the most sought-after composers of our time and former violist with the Berliner Philharmoniker. The conductor is Sakari Oramo, who currently heads the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The soloist is Alban Gerhardt.
06 Oct 2018Berliner Philharmoniker
Sakari OramoAlban Gerhardt
Edvard Grieg
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46Brett Dean
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (European première)Alban Gerhardt cello
Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite for solo cello No. 6 in D major, BWV 1012: PréludeAlban Gerhardt cello
Jean Sibelius
Lemminkäinen Suite, op. 22- free
Interview
Sakari Oramo in conversation with Fergus McWilliam - free
Interview
Brett Dean in conversation with Fergus McWilliam
Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kožená at the Waldbühne
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
A celebratory finale to an era with the Berliner Philharmoniker. With this concert at the Waldbühne, Sir Simon Rattle’s tenure as chief conductor of the orchestra ends after 16 years. It is a colourful, sparkling farewell – with works by Gershwin, Fauré, Khachaturian and Respighi. The star guest is Sir Simon’s wife, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená, who sings excerpts from Joseph Canteloube’s charming Chants d’Auvergne.
24 Jun 2018
From the Berlin WaldbühneBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleMagdalena Kožená
George Gershwin
Cuban OvertureGabriel Fauré
PavaneJoseph Canteloube de Malaret
Chants d’Auvergne (Selection)Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
Aram Khachaturian
Gayane Suite No. 3: No. 2 Dance of the Young KurdsAram Khachaturian
Gayane Suite No. 1: No. 7 Adagio of GayaneAram Khachaturian
Gayane Suite No. 1: No. 8 LezginkaOttorino Respighi
Pini di RomaClaudio Monteverdi
“Si dolce è’l tormento”, madrigal for solo voice and basso continuo, SV 332Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
Edward Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance, op. 39: March No. 1John Philip Sousa
The Liberty BellPaul Lincke
Berliner Luft
Adam Fischer and Leonidas Kavakos
Dark tones in every shade dominate the beginning of this concert. For example, Alban Berg's Violin Concerto, written in memory of the 19-year-old Manon Gropius, is one of the most poignant works of Modernism. Anton Webern’s delicate Passacaglia was written with the death of the composer’s own mother still fresh in his mind. In contrast to these is Antonín Dvořák's Ninth Symphony From the New World with its folkloric cheerfulness and ingenious combination of American and Bohemian idioms.
10 Feb 2018Berliner Philharmoniker
Adam FischerLeonidas Kavakos
Anton Webern
Passacaglia, op. 1Alban Berg
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra “To the Memory of an Angel”Leonidas Kavakos violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata for solo violin No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: AndanteLeonidas Kavakos violin
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, op. 95 “From the New World”- free
Interview
Leonidas Kavakos in conversation with Allan Nilles
Mikko Franck conducts Ravel’s “L’Enfant et les sortilèges”
Ravel’s short opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges is a work full of imagination, charm and humour. Like in a revue, the composer employs a wide range of musical styles one after another, from neo-Baroque sounds to ragtime. The conductor of this concert performance is Mikko Franck, who steps in for Seiji Ozawa. The focus of the first part of the evening is our 1st concertmaster, Noah Bendix-Balgley, who plays (without the participation of Mikko Franck) works by Mozart and Saint-Saëns.
21 Jan 2018Berliner Philharmoniker
Mikko FranckNoah Bendix-Balgley, Emily Fons
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 5 in A major, K. 219Noah Bendix-Balgley violin and direction
Camille Saint-Saëns
Introduction and Rondo capriccioso for violin and orchestra in A minor, op. 28Noah Bendix-Balgley violin and direction
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata No. 3 in C major for Violin solo, BWV 1005: LargoNoah Bendix-Balgley violin
Maurice Ravel
L’Enfant et les sortilèges, opera in one actEmily Fons mezzo-soprano, Sir Paul Gay bass baritone, Kiera Duffy soprano, Marie Lenormand mezzo-soprano, Elodie Méchain contralto, Mathias Vidal tenor, Elliot Madore baritone, Kanae Fujitani soprano, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Gijs Leenaars chorus master, Children’s Choir of the Komische Oper Berlin, Dagmar Fiebach chorus master
- free
Interview
Noah Bendix-Balgley on Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Camille Saint-Saëns’s “Introduction et Rondo capriccioso” - free
Interview
Mikko Franck in conversation with Stephan Koncz
Ton Koopman conducts Bach’s Mass in B Minor
The B minor Mass is Johann Sebastian Bach’s legacy to vocal music: a cosmos of all the forms and styles that make his sacred works so rich. There are arias of dance-like lightness as well as austere Renaissance singing, ingeniously constructed fugues and jubilant choruses. In this concert the work is performed under the baton of Ton Koopman, a conductor, organist and harpsichordist who is one of the great Bach interpreters of our time.
28 Oct 2017Berliner Philharmoniker
Ton KoopmanRIAS Kammerchor Berlin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor, BWV 232Yetzabel Arias Fernández soprano, Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto, Tilman Lichdi tenor, Klaus Mertens bass, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Justin Doyle chorus master
- free
Interview
Ton Koopman in conversation with Jonathan Kelly
Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Brahms’s “Ein deutsches Requiem”
Photo: Hans von der Woerd
Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem is a powerful, solemn work, yet its message shows the utmost compassion. While the horrors of the last judgement are the focus in traditional requiem settings, Brahms’s work sings sensitively of sorrow and consolation in the face of death. The conductor of this performance is Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and music director designate of the Met in New York.
21 Oct 2017Berliner Philharmoniker
Yannick Nézet-SéguinRundfunkchor Berlin
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Heilig, Cantata for solo contralto, 2 mixed choirs and 2 orchestras, Wq 217Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Gijs Leenaars chorus master
Johannes Brahms
Ein deutsches Requiem, op. 45Hanna-Elisabeth Müller soprano, Markus Werba baritone, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Gijs Leenaars chorus master
- free
Interview
Yannick Nézet-Séguin in conversation with Emmanuel Pahud
Alain Altinoglu debuts with the Berliner Philharmoniker
The transition to Modernism is one of the most exciting phases in musical history. In this concert, works by Maurice Ravel, Béla Bartók, Claude Debussy and Albert Roussel reveal the richness of late Romanticism combined with originality and pioneering spirit. Alain Altinoglu, the “sensitive magician of timbre” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), makes his debut conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker with Máté Szűcs as the soloist in Bartók’s Viola Concerto.
23 Sep 2017Berliner Philharmoniker
Alain AltinogluMáté Szűcs
Maurice Ravel
Rhapsodie espagnoleBéla Bartók
Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Sz 120 (Restoration and Orchestration by Csaba Erdélyi, 2016 European Première)Máté Szűcs viola
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: SarabandeMáté Szűcs viola
Claude Debussy
Suite from Pelléas et Mélisande arranged in form of a suite by Alain Altinoglu PremièreAlbert Roussel
Bacchus et Ariane, Orchestral Suite No. 2- free
Interview
Alain Altinoglu in conversation with Fergus McWilliam
Susanna Mälkki and Gil Shaham
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
The works of this evening with Susanna Mälkki look both back to the past and forward to the future. For example, Béla Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto, with soloist Gil Shaham, is in the tradition of Beethoven and Brahms but also experiments with the twelve-tone technique. Jean Sibelius’s Second Symphony, on the other hand, combines echoes of Tchaikovsky with innovative form, while Ferruccio Busoni’s Tanz-Walzer conjures up the atmosphere of a coffee house.
10 Sep 2017Berliner Philharmoniker
Susanna MälkkiGil Shaham
Ferruccio Busoni
Tanz-Walzer for orchestra, op. 53Béla Bartók
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2, Sz 112Gil Shaham violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: Gavotte en RondeauGil Shaham violin
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 43- free
Interview
Susanna Mälkki in conversation with Matthew McDonald
The National Youth Orchestra and National Youth Ballet of Germany perform Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony
Photo: Peter Adamik
A substantial jubilee shapes this 2017 guest concert by the National Youth Orchestra: the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Besides Felix Mendelssohn’s splendid Reformation Symphony and Bach’s graceful Orchestral Suite No. 3, two newer works reflecting on the occasion can also be heard. As a special bonus, the German National Youth Ballet performs. Alexander Shelley conducts; John Neumeier is one of the choreographers.
16 Jan 2017National Youth Orchestra of Germany
Alexander Shelley- free
Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 107 “Reformation”National Youth Ballet, John Neumeier Choreographer
- free
Michel van der Aa
Reversal for orchestraNational Youth Ballet, Andrey Kaydanovskiy Choreographer
- free
Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068National Youth Ballet, John Neumeier Choreographer
- free
Enjott Schneider
Ein feste Burg, Symphonic Poem for orchestraNational Youth Ballet, Zhang Disha Choreographer
Mariss Jansons and Truls Mørk
Photo: Bayerischer Rundfunk
Dmitri Shostakovich reflects unsparingly on the horrors of the Stalin era with his Tenth Symphony. Specifically, the manic brutal second movement was conceived as a portrait of the dictator. The work is conducted at this concert by Mariss Jansons, whose musical origins were in the renowned Leningrad Shostakovich tradition; he was considered one of the best Shostakovich interpreters. We encounter soloist Truls Mørk in Henri Dutilleux’s yearning cello concerto.
05 Mar 2016Berliner Philharmoniker
Mariss JansonsTruls Mørk
Hector Berlioz
Le Carnaval romain, Ouverture caractéristique, op. 9Henri Dutilleux
Tout un monde lointain..., concerto for cello and orchestraTruls Mørk Cello
Johann Sebastian Bach
Suite for solo cello No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008: SarabandeTruls Mørk Cello
- free
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 10 in E minor, op. 93 - free
Interview
Truls Mørk in conversation with Ludwig Quandt
Simon Rattle and Daniel Stabrawa
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Albert Roussel and Jean-Philippe Rameau – though born 200 years apart – were brothers in spirit: individual, surprising, with a unique sense of timbre. All these qualities manifest themselves in this concert with Roussel’s Le Festin de l’araignée and Rameau’s Les Boréades. In addition, Simon Rattle and Daniel Stabrawa interpret Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which shimmers wonderfully between Impressionism and Polish folk music.
27 Feb 2016Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleDaniel Stabrawa
Albert Roussel
Le Festin de l’araignée (The Spider’s Feast), Symphonic Fragments from the Ballet-PantomimeKarol Szymanowski
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2, op. 61Daniel Stabrawa Violin
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Les Boréades, orchestral pieces from the opera, arranged in form of a suite by Sir Simon Rattle- free
Interview
Daniel Stabrawa in conversation with Rainer Seegers
A French evening with François-Xavier Roth and Anna Caterina Antonacci
Photo: Kai Bienert
A diverse cross-section of three centuries of French music is on offer at this concert from December 2015 – from the Baroque master Jean-Baptiste Lully to Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Edgard Varèse. The Italian soprano Anna Catarina Antonacci sings in Hector Berlioz’s sensuous Nuits d’été. With this programme, conductor François-Xavier Roth makes his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
01 Dec 2015Berliner Philharmoniker
François-Xavier RothAnna Caterina Antonacci
Edgard Varèse
Ionisation for 13 percussionistsJean-Baptiste Lully
Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, suiteHector Berlioz
Les Nuits d’été for soprano and orchestra, op. 7Anna Caterina Antonacci Soprano
Claude Debussy
Première Suite d’orchestreMaurice Ravel
La Valse, Poème chorégraphique for orchestra- free
Interview
François-Xavier Roth in conversation with Sebastian Krunnies
Mariss Jansons and Frank Peter Zimmermann
In May 2015, Mariss Jansons and the Berliner Philharmoniker presented an extraordinarily colourful programme with Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2; Frank Peter Zimmermann was the soloist. In different ways the works convey a shared message: namely, that unconditional modernity and sensuous magic in sound are by no means mutually exclusive.
10 May 2015Berliner Philharmoniker
Mariss JansonsFrank Peter Zimmermann
Béla Bartók
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz 106Dmitri Shostakovich
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in C sharp minor, op. 129Frank Peter Zimmermann Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata for solo violin No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003: AllegroMaurice Ravel
Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2- free
Interview
Mariss Jansons in conversation with Gábor Tarkövi - free
Interview
Frank Peter Zimmermann in conversation with Rüdiger Liebermann
Simon Rattle conducts the 2015 Europakonzert in Athens
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
In 2015, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Europakonzert could hardly have been more European, taking the orchestra to Greece, the country the name “Europe” comes from, and the cradle of democracy. In the Athens concert hall Megaron, Sir Simon Rattle conducted a programme which takes us on a whistle-stop tour of Europe with works by Gioacchino Rossini, Robert Schumann and Jean Sibelius. The soloist is the Greek star violinist Leonidas Kavakos.
01 May 2015
Europakonzert from AthensBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleGioacchino Rossini
Semiramide: OvertureJean Sibelius
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, op. 47Leonidas Kavakos Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata for solo violin No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005: LargoRobert Schumann
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 97 “Rhenish”
A Sibelius evening with Simon Rattle and Leonidas Kavakos
On the second night of their performance of all of Sibelius’s symphonies in February 2015, Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker played the Third and the Fourth symphonies which both represent a fusion of Nordic melody and a pioneering concept. The soloist in Sibelius’s Violin Concerto is the Greek star violinist Leonidas Kavakos who, to quote the press, played “with an admirable slender tone”.
06 Feb 2015Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleLeonidas Kavakos
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 3 in C major, op. 52Jean Sibelius
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D minor, op. 47Leonidas Kavakos Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: Gavotte en RondeauLeonidas Kavakos violin
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, op. 63
Violins of Hope
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
A special concert for a special occasion: In January 2015, on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker played on violins which had once belonged to victims of the Holocaust. This project was made possible by the Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein who has collected and restored these instruments over many years.
27 Jan 2015
Concert on International Holocaust Remembrance DayMembers of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon Rattle, Ulrich Matthes, Guy Braunstein, Zvi Plesser, Duncan Ward, Ohad Ben-Ari
Speech by the German Federal Foreign Minister, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5: AdagiettoSir Simon Rattle Conductor
Ulrich Matthes speaks about the “Violins of Hope”
Ulrich Matthes Speaker
Joseph Achron
Hebrew Melody, op. 33 (arr. for harp and string ensemble by Ohad Ben-Ari)Guy Braunstein Violin
Max Bruch
Kol Nidrei, op. 47 (arr. for harp, cello and string ensemble by Ohad Ben-Ari)Zvi Plesser Cello
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for violin, strings and basso continuo in A minor, BWV 1041: 2. AndanteGuy Braunstein Violin
Samuel Adler
Elegy for string orchestraDuncan Ward Conductor
Ulrich Matthes reads from the memoirs of Eli Wiesel
Ulrich Matthes
Ludwig van Beethoven
Romance for violin and orchestra No. 2 in F major, op. 50 (arr. for violin and string ensemble by Ohad Ben-Ari)Guy Braunstein Violin
Anonymus
Avinu, Malkenu for violin, cello and stringsGuy Braunstein Violin, Zvi Plesser Cello
Ulrich Matthes reads from the memoirs of Henry Meyer
Ulrich Matthes
Ohad Ben-Ari
Violins of Hope for violin, cello and string ensemble (première)Guy Braunstein Violin, Duncan Ward, Zvi Plesser Cello
- free
Interview
Amnon Weinstein on the "Violins of Hope"
New Year’s Eve Concert with Simon Rattle and Menahem Pressler
Photo: Holger Kettner
The Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle celebrate New Year’s Eve 2014! Including Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 and the legendary Menahem Pressler. The Financial Times wrote: “Pressler breathes the air of a different era, where each note is articulated like a spoken word, and each phrase communicates more than language.” There are also sparkling colours and dance-like energy in works by Rameau, Kodály and Dvořák.
31 Dec 2014
New Year’s Eve ConcertBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleMenahem Pressler
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Les Indes galantes, suiteWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major, K. 488Menahem Pressler Piano
Antonín Dvořák
Slavonic Dances: SelectionZoltán Kodály
Háry János Suite: ExcerptsLuigi Gaggero cimbalom
Johannes Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minorAram Khachaturian
Gayane Suite No. 1: 8. Lezginka
Alan Gilbert conducts landscape scenes by Mendelssohn and Nielsen
Landscapes and folklore have inspired the creativity of many great composers. Alan Gilbert presents two lovely examples in this recording from 2014. While Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony reflects impressions of his travels in Scotland, Carl Nielsen’s musical language is shaped almost entirely by the composer’s Danish home, as his atmospherically dense Symphony Nr. 3 proves.
22 Nov 2014Berliner Philharmoniker
Alan GilbertJohann Sebastian Bach
“Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid”, cantata, BWV 58Christina Landshamer Soprano, Michael Nagy Baritone
Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony No. 3 in A minor, op. 56 “Scottish”Carl Nielsen
Symphony No. 3, op. 27 “Sinfonia espansiva”Christina Landshamer Soprano, Michael Nagy Baritone
- free
Interview
Alan Gilbert in conversation with Emmanuel Pahud
Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Handel’s “La resurrezione”
Photo: Stephan Rabold
The oratorio La resurrezione by the young George Frideric Handel is one of the little-known treasures of Baroque vocal music. The arias and ensembles are not only full of wonderful melodies, but convey an intensity that is more associated with the opera house. This performance from 2014 is conducted by one of the few female guests on the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker: the Early music specialist Emmanuelle Haïm.
31 Oct 2014Berliner Philharmoniker
Emmanuelle HaïmTopi Lehtipuu, Camilla Tilling, Sonia Prina, Christiane Karg, Christopher Purves
George Frideric Handel
La resurrezione (Resurrection), oratorio, HWV 47Topi Lehtipuu Tenor (San Giovanni), Camilla Tilling Soprano (Angelo), Sonia Prina Contralto (Maria Cleofe), Christiane Karg Soprano (Maddalena), Christopher Purves Baritone (Lucifero)
- free
Interview
Emmanuelle Haïm in conversation with Jonathan Kelly
“Late Night” concert with Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Patricia Kopatchinskaja, born to a Moldovan family of musicians, is a bundle of energy, as anyone who has ever experienced the passionate bowing style of the violinist in concert can confirm. In this Late Night concert from September 2014, she performs – a real discovery – the expressive music of Shostakovich’s student Galina Ustvolskaya and treasures of Early music.
13 Sep 2014
Late Night at the PhilharmonieGalina Ustvolskaya
Sonata for Violin and PianoPatricia Kopatchinskaja Violin, Markus Hinterhäuser Piano
Music from the Middle Ages and the Early Renaissance for baroque violin and treble viol
Patricia Kopatchinskaja Baroque violin, Laurence Dreyfus Treble viol
Galina Ustvolskaya
Duet for Violin and PianoPatricia Kopatchinskaja Violin, Markus Hinterhäuser Piano
Tugan Sokhiev and Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn caused a sensation in the music world at the end of the 1990s as a young violinist who enthralled audiences not only with her perfect technique, but also with her consummate musicianship and creative powers. In this performance of Vieuxtemps’s absurdly virtouso Violin Concerto No. 4, she is accompanied by Tugan Sokhiev who also conducts Tchaikovsky’s rarely heard Manfred Symphony in the second part of the concert.
31 May 2014Berliner Philharmoniker
Tugan SokhievHilary Hahn
Henri Vieuxtemps
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 4 in D minor, op. 31Hilary Hahn Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004: SarabandeHilary Hahn Violin
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Manfred, symphony in B minor, after Lord Byron’s poem, op. 58- free
Interview
Hilary Hahn in conversation with Albrecht Mayer
Bach’s “St John Passion” with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Following their acclaimed performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars also presented a staged version of the St John Passion in February 2014. The concert, which struck a balance between contemplation and dramatic power, received standing ovations and was judged by the press to be a “new Easter miracle”. Mark Padmore as the Evangelist heads a spectacular ensemble of singers.
01 Mar 2014Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleJohann Sebastian Bach
St John Passion, BWV 245Camilla Tilling Soprano, Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano, Mark Padmore Tenor (Evangelist), Topi Lehtipuu Tenor (Arias), Roderick Williams Baritone (Jesus), Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Pilatus, Petrus), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master, Peter Sellars Staging
- free
Interview
Sir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars in conversation with Andy King-Dabbs
Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” with the Berliner Barock Solisten
The Berlin Baroque Soloists always inspire their audiences with the “brilliance, cohesion and sensitivity of their interpretations” (Der Tagesspiegel). In this concert from December 2013, they look back on the old year with a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – with the Philharmoniker’s concertmaster Daishin Kashimoto as the soloist. There are also works by Arcangelo Corelli, including the famous “Christmas Concerto”.
12 Dec 2013Berlin Baroque Soloists
Bernhard ForckBernhard Forck, Daishin Kashimoto
Arcangelo Corelli
Santa Beatrice d’Este: Sinfonia in D minorArcangelo Corelli
Sonata a quattro for strings and continuo in G minorArcangelo Corelli
Sonata a quattro for trumpet, two violins and continuo in D major (version for recorder, two violins and continuo)Saskia Fikentscher Recorder
Arcangelo Corelli
Sonata da camera a tre for two violins and continuo in G major, op. 2 no. 12 CiaconaArcangelo Corelli
Concerto grosso in G minor, op. 6 no. 8 “Christmas Concerto” (1725 version for strings, two recorders and continuo)Saskia Fikentscher Recorder, Susann Seegers Recorder
Antonio Vivaldi
Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons), concertos for violin, strings and basso continuo, op. 8Daishin Kashimoto Violin
Anniversary concert “50 years of the Berlin Philharmonie”
The Berlin Philharmonie is an icon of classical music – a wonderful auditorium with outstanding acoustics, whose visionary architect inspired many subsequent concert halls all over the world. In October 2013, the Philharmonie celebrated the 50th anniversary of its opening. The Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle and a host of celebrity guests celebrated this anniversary with a spectacular gala concert on the theme of “spatial music”.
20 Oct 2013
Gala Concert: 50 years of the Philharmonie – Spatial SoundsBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleKarajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Mitsuko Uchida
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon septimi et octavi toni a 12 (1597)Greeting words
Klaus Wowereit Governing Mayor of Berlin, Manfred Erhardt Chairman of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V., Martin Hoffmann General Manager of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Wolfgang Rihm
IN-SCHRIFT 2 (première)Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas TallisLudwig van Beethoven · György Kurtág
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, op. 27 no. 2 “Sonata quasi una fantasia”: 1. Adagio sostenuto · Kurtág: ... quasi una fantasia ... for piano and instruments dispersed in spaceKarajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Mitsuko Uchida Piano, Duncan Ward Rehearsal Conductor
Hector Berlioz
Grande Symphonie funèbre et triomphale, op. 15- free
Interview
The opening of the Berlin Philharmonie in 1963 – recollections of Rudolf Weinsheimer
Bach’s “St Matthew Passion” with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars
Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the staging by Peter Sellars is one of the landmarks of the Simon Rattle era with the Berliner Philharmoniker. In this haunting version, Bach’s monumental work is not only explored from a new perspective; in a way never seen before, the Philharmonie itself proved to be a great venue for staged performances. This recording comes from the second series of performances in October 2013.
19 Oct 2013Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleCamilla Tilling, Magdalena Kožená, Mark Padmore, Topi Lehtipuu, Christian Gerhaher, Eric Owens, Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey, Peter Sellars
Johann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244: Part 1Camilla Tilling Soprano, Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano, Mark Padmore Tenor (Evangelist), Topi Lehtipuu Tenor (Arias), Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Christ), Eric Owens Baritone (Arias), Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin Chorus Master, Simon Halsey Chorus Master, Peter Sellars Staging
Johann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244: Part 2Camilla Tilling Soprano, Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano, Mark Padmore Tenor (Evangelist), Topi Lehtipuu Tenor (Arias), Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Christ), Eric Owens Baritone (Arias), Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master, Peter Sellars Staging
- free
Interview
Bach’s "St. Matthew Passion": an introduction by Simon Halsey - free
Interview
Peter Sellars in conversation with Mark Padmore
Works of the early Classical period with Reinhard Goebel
The music from the transitional period between the Baroque and the First Viennese School is often considered to be charming, but innocuous. The fact that this judgement is wrong can be heard in this concert with Reinhard Goebel, who conducts works by Jean-Fery Rebel, Christian Cannabich and Johann Christian Bach, all of whom experiment intriguingly with sounds and effects. The programme also includes W.A. Mozart’s no less original Notturno for four orchestras from the generation that followed.
04 Oct 2013Berliner Philharmoniker
Reinhard GoebelJean-Féry Rebel
Les Éléments, suite for orchestraWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Notturno for 4 orchestras in D major, K. 286Christian Cannabich
Symphony for 2 orchestras in C majorJohann Christian Bach
Amadis de Gaule, opera: Overture · Suite- free
Interview
Reinhard Goebel in conversation with Raimar Orlovsky
Simon Rattle conducts Beethoven and Mendelssohn at the Waldbühne
Photo: Tama Meyer / EuroArts
“Be embraced, you millions!” says Ludwig van Beethoven rapturously to the whole of mankind in his Ninth Symphony. This global message is particularly impressively conveyed in this 2013 concert from the Berlin Waldbühne – in front of an audience of over 20,000 people. Simon Rattle conducted this memorable evening, and the soloist in Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto is Christian Tetzlaff.
22 Jun 2013
From the Berlin WaldbühneBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleChristian Tetzlaff, Camilla Tilling, Nathalie Stutzmann, Joseph Kaiser, Dimitry Ivashchenko, Rundfunkchor Berlin
Felix Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minorChristian Tetzlaff Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005: LargoChristian Tetzlaff Violin
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 9 in D minor with Final Chorus “Ode to Joy“Camilla Tilling Soprano, Nathalie Stutzmann Contralto, Joseph Kaiser Tenor, Dimitry Ivashchenko Bass, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
Paul Lincke
Berliner Luft
Paavo Järvi conducts Beethoven and Hindemith
Photo: Prague Spring Festival / Zdeněk Chrapek
This concert with Paavo Järvi offers many fresh perspectives. Beethoven’s First Symphony sounds as bright and new as if the composer had just written it. Järvi also presents Paul Hindemith’s somewhat neglected Violin Concerto, whose appeal lies in its originality and a dark, Romantic tone. Frank Peter Zimmermann is ideally matched for the sometimes swirling, sometimes rapturous solo part.
13 Apr 2013Berliner Philharmoniker
Paavo JärviFrank Peter Zimmermann
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 1 in C major, op. 21Paul Hindemith
Concerto for Violin and OrchestraFrank Peter Zimmermann Violin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: PreludioFrank Peter Zimmermann Violin
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, op. 82- free
Interview
Paavo Järvi on his work with the Berliner Philharmoniker
A Vivaldi evening with Andrea Marcon and soloists of the Berliner Philharmoniker
The music of Antonio Vivaldi is full of Venetian magic – spirited and charming, but also virtuoso and innovative. Andrea Macon is one of the most renowned interpreters of Vivaldi, and here devotes an entire concert to his music – with many musicians from the Berliner Philharmoniker at his side as soloists. The concert closes with Vivaldi’s brilliant “Gloria”, one of the most exhilarating sacred choral works there is.
13 Oct 2012Berliner Philharmoniker
Andrea MarconAntonio Vivaldi
Concerto for solo violin, two oboes, two horns, timpani, strings and continuo in D major, RV 562aSarah Willis Horn, Andreas Buschatz Violin, Albrecht Mayer Oboe, Martin Owen Horn, Andreas Wittmann Oboe
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for solo violin, solo oboe, two recorders, two oboes, bassoon, strings and continuo in G minor, RV 576Albrecht Mayer Oboe, Anna Fusek Recorder, Andreas Buschatz Violin, Daniele Damiano Bassoon, Giulia Genini Recorder
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for transverse flute, strings and continuo in G minor, RV 439 “La notte”Emmanuel Pahud Transverse Flute
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for solo violin, solo cello, two oboes, two horns, bassoon, strings and continuo in F major, RV 569Sarah Willis Horn, Andreas Buschatz Violin, Albrecht Mayer Oboe, Andreas Wittmann Oboe, Martin Löhr Cello, Martin Owen Horn, Daniele Damiano Bassoon
Antonio Vivaldi
Gloria in D major, RV 589Lisa Larsson Soprano, Marina Prudenskaja Mezzo-Soprano, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Denis Comtet Chorus Master
- free
Interview
Andrea Marcon in conversation with Albrecht Mayer
Cameron Carpenter at the organ of the Berlin Philharmonie
With artistic ease, he lets his toes and heels dance over the pedals (sometimes simultaneously), while his hands move over the manuals at lightning speed: Cameron Carpenter pushes the limits of what the organ can do in terms of forces of sound and colour. In September 2012, his qualities were revealed in a spectacular concert on the Karl Schuke organ in the Berlin Philharmonie.
24 Sep 2012Works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Isaac Albéniz, Cameron Carpenter, Richard Wagner, Charles Ives and Franz Liszt
- free
Interview
Cameron Carpenter and Sarah Willis introduce the organ of the Berlin Philharmonie
The Berlin Baroque Soloists with an Anglo-Italian evening
“A perfect blend of ‘modern’ playing with ‘historical’ awareness,” was how the magazine Gramophone described the Berlin Baroque Soloists, which counts members of the Berliner Philharmoniker among its recruits. In this concert, they explore the fascinating relationship between English and Italian composers of the 17th and 18th centuries. The performers include the tenor Mark Padmore singing arias by George Frideric Handel.
21 Mar 2012Berlin Baroque Soloists
Bernhard Forck, Mark Padmore
Henry Purcell
Overture for strings and continuo in G major, Z 770Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
George Frideric Handel
Samson, oratorio, HWV 57: AriasMark Padmore Tenor, Bernhard Forck Violin, Direction
Charles Avison
Concerto Grosso No. 7 in G minor (after Domenico Scarlatti)Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
George Frideric Handel
Samson, oratorio, HWV 57: ExcerptsMark Padmore Tenor, Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
George Frideric Handel
Jephtha, oratorio, HWV 70: ExcerptsMark Padmore Tenor, Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
Francesco Geminiani
Concerto Grosso in E minor, op. 3 no. 3Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
George Frideric Handel
Jephtha, oratorio, HWV 70: ExcerptsMark Padmore Tenor, Bernhard Forck Violin and Direction
- free
Interview
Mark Padmore and Bernhard Forck in conversation and in rehearsal
Christian Thielemann and Albrecht Mayer with works by Strauss and Bruckner
Photo: Monika Rittershaus
Christian Thielemann’s international fame rests not least on his highly acclaimed interpretations of Bruckner. In this concert, he conducts the composer’s most popular work, the Fourth Symphony. As the epithet Romantic implies, Bruckner here creates a vision of a better past. Richard Strauss’s Oboe Concerto which opens the concert has a similarly nostalgic flavour. The soloist is Albrecht Mayer.
04 Mar 2012Berliner Philharmoniker
Christian ThielemannAlbrecht Mayer
Richard Strauss
Concerto for Oboe and small Orchestra in D major, o. op. AV 144Albrecht Mayer Oboe
Johann Sebastian Bach
Cantata, BWV 156: SinfoniaAnton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E flat major “Romantic” (1878/80 version)- free
Interview
Albrecht Mayer on the oboe concerto by Richard Strauss - free
Interview
Christian Thielemann on Strauss’s Oboe Concerto and Bruckner’s Fourth
Family concert: Autumn Sounds
Almost everyone knows Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and can hum along to the melodies of this cycle. But who knows exactly what scenes and stories the composer has depicted in these violin concertos? At this Family Concert with the Philharmoniker’s violinist Aleksandar Ivić, the examples of Autumn and Winter reveal the wealth of detail hidden in the score.
29 Oct 2011
Family concertMembers of the Berliner Philharmoniker
Aleksandar Ivić
- free
Antonio Vivaldi
Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons), concertos for violin, strings and basso continuo, op. 8: Autumn · Winter (with introductions in German)Aleksandar Ivić Presentation and Violin
Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand”
Photo: Kai Bienert
The choirs stretched into the audience galleries when Simon Rattle conducted a much applauded and cheered performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand in 2011. Even the premiere in 1910 attended by Siegfried Wagner, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Bruno Walter, Stefan Zweig and Thomas Mann was the most triumphant success in the life of Mahler. And the composer himself felt the symphony to be “the grandest thing I have done yet”.
18 Sep 2011Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleRundfunkchor Berlin, Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin
Antonio Lotti
Crucifixus in C minor for chorus of eight voicesRundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
Thomas Tallis
“Spem in alium”, 40-part motetRundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand”Erika Sunnegårdh Soprano, Susan Bullock Soprano, Anna Prohaska Soprano, Lilli Paasikivi Soprano, Nathalie Stutzmann Contralto, Johan Botha Tenor, David Wilson-Johnson Baritone, John Relyea Baritone, MDR Rundfunkchor , Howard Arman Chorus Master, Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
- free
Interview
Sir Simon Rattle on Mahlers Symphony No. 8
Dance project: Season’s Whims
The appeal of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s music lies in its Baroque gracefulness, but at the same time, it is full of exciting expressiveness and variety. In addition to sarabandes, marches and chaconnes, there’s thunder, storms and the sounds of war – perfect for a student ballet, as the Berliner Philharmoniker demonstrated in their Education Programme. The conductor of this performance from 2011 is the Early music specialist, Emanuelle Haïm.
26 Jun 2011
Dance project from the Arena, BerlinBerliner Philharmoniker
Emmanuelle Haïm- free
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Season’s WhimsVivienne Newport Choreographer
Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Handel and Rameau
Photo: Stephan Rabold
In this recording from June 2011, the Early music specialist Emmanuelle Haïm conducts works by Handel, including his famous Water Music, plus pieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau who is still too little known outside France. The two suites, compiled especially for this concert from the composer’s stage works, demonstrate not only Baroque gracefulness but also the originality of Rameau, who experimented masterfully with sounds and effects.
23 Jun 2011Berliner Philharmoniker
Emmanuelle HaïmGeorge Frideric Handel
Concerto grosso in G major, HWV 319George Frideric Handel
Water Music, Suite No. 3 in G major, HWV 350George Frideric Handel
Water Music, Suite No. 1 in F major, HWV 348Jean-Philippe Rameau
Suite No. 1 from Stage WorksJean-Philippe Rameau
Suite No. 2 from Stage Works- free
Interview
Emmanuelle Haïm in conversation with Catherine Milliken
Vladimir Jurowski conducts Mahler and Stravinsky
Gustav Mahler’s Das klagende Lied, conducted here by Vladimir Jurowski, combines horror and fantasy. The composer himself was convinced that in this work he had found his own style. And indeed, although there is a wealth of forest murmurs and leitmotifs in the best Wagner style, there is also that difficult to describe but unmistakeable Mahler sound.
12 Jun 2011Berliner Philharmoniker
Vladimir JurowskiJohann Sebastian Bach
Chorale Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch da komm‘ ich her” (arr. for choir and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky)Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
Igor Stravinsky
Requiem Canticles for soloists, chorus and orchestraIris Vermillion Contralto, Markus Brück Baritone, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
Gustav Mahler
Das klagende LiedChristine Schäfer Soprano, Iris Vermillion Contralto, Michael König Tenor, Markus Brück Baritone, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master
- free
Interview
Simon Halsey on Mahler, Bach, Stravinsky
Simon Rattle conducts Mahler’s Fifth Symphony
Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony owes its popularity to its Adagietto, a movement full of tenderness, dreaming and hopeful longing. Yet it is easy to overlook the many facets of the other movements: the vehemence of the second and third movements, and the exuberant high spirits of the finale. The press described this performance from 2011 with Simon Rattle simply as “breath-taking” and “deeply moving”.
07 Apr 2011Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleHenry Purcell
Funeral Music for Queen MaryRIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann Chorus Master
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 5- free
Interview
Sir Simon Rattle on performing Mahler’s symphonies (Part 2)
From Bach to Beethoven with Giovanni Antonini
This concert from 2010 features Bach’s splendid Orchestral Suite No. 1 for only the second time in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Giovanni Antonini, one of the most prominent conductors of the Early music movement, takes the work as the starting point for a musical journey which takes us from the Baroque to early Classical music to Beethoven’s Second Symphony: a fascinating panorama of expressiveness and emotion.
23 Sep 2010Berliner Philharmoniker
Giovanni AntoniniJohann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Symphony in F major, Wq 183 no. 3Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 2 in D major, op. 36- free
Interview
Giovanni Antonini in conversation with Raimar Orlovsky
András Schiff plays Bach, Mozart and Haydn
In the words of one critic, András Schiff is “a magician of sound who breathes life into works, and who upholds the almost forgotten ideal of piano playing”. In this recording from 2010, he takes on the roles of both soloist and conductor in two austerely bleak D minor piano concertos by Bach and Mozart plus Joseph Haydn’s Military Symphony, a work which also takes its listeners close to the abyss with idyllic scenes which time and again are interrupted by the horrors of war.
17 Apr 2010Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir András SchiffJohann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052Sir András Schiff Piano
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 100 in G major “Military”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Don Giovanni: Overture · Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 20 in D minor, K. 466Sir András Schiff Piano
- free
Interview
András Schiff in conversation with Jonathan Kelly
Bach’s “St Matthew Passion” with Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars
Sir Sir Simon Rattle left no doubt: For him the performance of the St. Matthew Passion, which he realised with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin in early 2010, was “the most important thing we’ve ever done here”. Critics around the world agreed with him and praised both the semi-staged production by the American star director Peter Sellars and the outstanding musical performances.
11 Apr 2010Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleJohann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244: Part 1Mark Padmore Tenor (Evangelist), Christian Gerhaher Bass (Jesus), Camilla Tilling Soprano, Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano (Musician), Topi Lehtipuu Tenor (Arias), Thomas Quasthoff Baritone (Arias), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Simon Halsey Chorus Master, Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin, Kai-Uwe Jirka Chorus Master, Peter Sellars Staging
Johann Sebastian Bach
St Matthew Passion, BWV 244: Part 2- free
Interview
Peter Sellars in conversation with Simon Halsey
Ton Koopman conducts Bach
Ton Koopman – one of the great interpreters of Early Music – admires Johann Sebastian Bach more than any other composer because in his music, “mind and emotion are in a fantastic balance”. And so Bach – in addition to Haydn’s Symphony No. 98 – is also the focus of this concert. We hear courtly splendour in the Orchestral Suite No. 3 and the glories of Baroque vocal music in his Magnificat and the motet “Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden”.
30 Jan 2010Berliner Philharmoniker
Ton KoopmanRIAS Kammerchor Berlin
Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 98 in B flat majorJohann Sebastian Bach
“Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden”, motet, BWV 230RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann Chorus Master
Johann Sebastian Bach
Magnificat in D major, BWV 243Klara Ek Soprano, Rachel Frenkel Mezzo-Soprano, Ingeborg Danz Contralto, Werner Güra Tenor, Klaus Mertens Bass, RIAS Kammerchor Berlin, Hans-Christoph Rademann Chorus Master
- free
Interview
Works by Bach and Haydn: An introduction by Ton Koopman
Peter Eötvös conducts Zimmermann’s “Requiem for a Young Poet”
Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Requiem for a Young Poet from 1969 is a heart-wrenching and unconventional mass for the dead. Written for two speakers, vocalists, chorus, orchestra and tape, it reveals a powerful, multifaceted panorama of the half century that comprised Zimmermann’s life before he committed suicide in 1970. The conductor of this powerful performance from 2009 is Peter Eötvös, one of Zimmermann’s students.
25 Apr 2009Berliner Philharmoniker
Peter EötvösJohann Sebastian Bach
Chorale Preludes “Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist” and “Schmücke Dich, o liebe Seele”Richard Wagner
Siegfried IdyllBernd Alois Zimmermann
Requiem for a Young PoetCaroline Stein Soprano, Claudio Otelli Baritone, Michael Rotschopf Speaker, Thomas Wittmann Speaker, Rundfunkchor Berlin, James Wood Chorus Master, MDR Rundfunkchor , Howard Arman Chorus Master, Philipp Ahmann Chorus Master, Celso Antunes Chorus Master, João Rafael Sound Direction
- free
Interview
Peter Eötvös on Zimmermann’s “Requiem für einen jungen Dichter”
Sir Simon Rattle conducts “Carmina Burana” at the 2004 New Year’s Eve Concert
What could be more obvious than to ring in a new year with an appeal to the goddess Fortuna? And this is precisely what happened on 31 December 2004, when Sir Simon Rattle conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker in a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana – a bright musical panorama which wondrously unites the most diverse spheres of expression: the archaic and the modern, grandiosity and humour, and the finest sophistication with raw power.
31 Dec 2004
New Year’s Eve ConcertBerliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleLudwig van Beethoven
Leonore Overture No. 3 in C major, op. 72Carl Orff
Carmina buranaSally Matthews Sopran, Lawrence Brownlee Tenor, Christian Gerhaher Baritone, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin
George Frideric Handel
Messiah: “Halleluja”
Daniel Barenboim conducts dance music from all round the world
In 2001, the Berliner Philharmoniker and conductor Daniel Barenboim celebrated New Year’s Eve with dance music from three centuries, revealing the lively variety of the genre, beginning with a Gavotte by Bach, and music by Mozart, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky to the present with the catchy, jazz-inspired Tico Tico. And it could hardly be a concert of dance music without the waltz king Johann Strauss – otherwise a rare guest in the Philharmonie.
31 Dec 2001
New Year’s Eve ConcertBerliner Philharmoniker
Daniel BarenboimJohann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Gavotte I and IIWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento in D major, K. 334: MenuettoWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Rondo for piano and orchestra in D major, K. 382Daniel Barenboim Klavier
Giuseppe Verdi
Aida: Dance of the Little Moorish SlavesAntonín Dvořák
Slavonic Dance in G minor, op. 46 no. 8Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker, op. 71: Waltz of the FlowersJean Sibelius
Valse triste, op. 44Johann Strauss II
Emperor Waltz, op. 437Zoltán Kodály
Dances of GalántaHoracio Salgán
A fuego lentoZequinha de Abréu
Tico TicoJohann Strauss II
Thunder and Lightning, op. 324José Carlí
El FiruleteJohannes Brahms
Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G minor
Simon Rattle conducts Berlioz’s “Symphonie fantastique” in 1993
It is no exaggeration to claim that this live recording from November 1993 is a document of historic importance, for it is the first visual and acoustic record of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s work with the man who was to become their chief conductor. The performance shows a young Simon Rattle who inspires the orchestra to perceptive interpretations of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Jean-Philippe Rameau’s suite Les Boréades.
08 Nov 1993Berliner Philharmoniker
Sir Simon RattleJean-Philippe Rameau
Les Boréades, ballet suiteHector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, op. 14
Kurt Sanderling conducts Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns
Kurt Sanderling was one of a group of legendary conductors that included Sergiu Celibidache, Georg Solti and Günter Wand, all of whom were born in 1912. For the present concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1992, he chose two 19th-century masterpieces: Saint-Saëns’s Second Piano Concerto, in which the brilliant soloist was the young Yefim Bronfman, and Tchaikovsky’s impassioned Fourth Symphony, one of Sanderling’s calling cards.
08 Jun 1992Berliner Philharmoniker
Kurt SanderlingYefim Bronfman
Camille Saint-Saëns
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in G minor, op. 22Yefim Bronfman piano
Domenico Scarlatti
Sonata in C minor, K. 11 (L. 352)Yefim Bronfman piano
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36
Karajan conducts Bach
Although Herbert von Karajan was a great admirer of Bach, his interpretations of the composer’s music were rarely recorded on video. Here we present two of these productions with the Third Brandenburg Concerto and the Orchestral Suite No. 2, which Karajan conducts from the harpsichord. The soloist in the Suite is Karlheinz Zöller, who was principal flautist with the Philharmoniker for many years. The recordings were made in Paris in 1967/68.
1967–1968
From the Salle Pleyel, ParisBerliner Philharmoniker
Herbert von KarajanJohann Sebastian Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067
