Meet Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker!

A new chapter in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker was opened when Kirill Petrenko took up his post as chief conductor in the summer of 2019. He made his debut with the orchestra in 2006, and their joint performances caused a sensation as a result of detailed rehearsal work and his irresistible personality. This free playlist includes highlights of the core repertoire with works by Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Strauss.

In June 2015, Kirill Petrenko was elected as the new chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and took up office on 23 August 2019. Through the rare combination of in-depth, detailed work in rehearsals and irresistible personality in performances, Kirill Petrenko knows how to inspire musicians and audiences alike. As he said himself after his election, precision and emotionality are interrelated: “Above all, I hope for many moments of artistic happiness from making music together, which will reward our hard work and fill our artistic life with meaning.”

The present selection presents performances that were seen by all participants as moments of such artistic happiness: In Kirill Petrenko’s first concert as chief conductor designate, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique was played, which in this performance is characterised not only by formal precision but also by emotional power. Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, which Kirill Petrenko conducted in February 2020, is a composition of similar passion and tragedy. For the chief conductor’s acclaimed inaugural concert in August 2019 and an open air concert at the Brandenburg Gate, which can be heard here, he chose to present Beethoven’s Ninth, a masterpiece of the musical canon.

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