Sir Simon Rattle talks about the new season (18 min.)

At this press conference, music director Sir Simon Rattle presents the plans for the 2013-14 season. The home base of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Hans Scharoun’s inspired concert hall, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its opening. Which is why in a festive concert all the building’s acoustic and visual possibilities will be explored with music ranging from the Italian Renaissance to a Wolfgang Rihm premiere. But “there will be ‘Raummusik’ spatial music throughout the season,” as Sir Simon promises in his wonted charming address. These include staged performances of Bach’s Passions, a concert of Arnold Schönberg’s monumental Gurre-Lieder, and The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives – a short composition that is extremely important for modern music. It’s also the 50th anniversary of the orchestra’s collaboration with Daniel Barenboim, who will play Brahms’s First Piano Concerto and also conduct the Europe Concert. One of this season’s debuts particularly stands out: that of pianist Menahem Pressler, who is performing with the Berliner Philharmoniker for the first time at the age of 90.