The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Party (13 min.)

The members of the Berliner Philharmoniker are not only experts when it comes to music; they also have considerable insider knowledge of a range of cultural festive customs. As a warm-up act for the 2015/2016 New Year’s Eve Concert, some of the musicians demonstrated the festive rituals from their home countries: How, for example, do people in Serbia, Scotland, Venezuela and Spain celebrate this time of year? Liquor was as much in evidence in this entertaining ‘exploration’ as were top-class musical performances. And as the orchestra has a native of Vienna in its ranks in principal clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer, horn player and presenter Sarah Willis had the perfect partner at hand for a waltz.