Sir Simon Rattle in conversation with Sarah Willis (31 min.)

In the spring of 2018, Sir Simon Rattle, who ends his tenure as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker this year, was welcomed by horn player Sarah Willis to her popular Live Lounge. His last opera production together with the orchestra was Richard Wagner’s Parsifal in a staged production at the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden followed as usual by concert performances in the Berlin Philharmonie. During rehearsals in Berlin, the conductor answered questions put to him live by audience members from around the world. In addition to how Sir Simon sees Wagner’s “Festival Play for the Consecration of the Stage”, he was asked among other things about the challenges faced by a symphony orchestra such as the Berliner Philharmoniker when performing opera.