Trip to Asia: The Quest for Harmony

Journey with the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic and their conductor Sir Simon Rattle on a breakneck concert tour of six metropolises across Asia: Beijing, Seoul, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Tokyo. Their artistic triumph onstage belies a dynamic and dramatic life backstage. The orchestra is a closed society that observes its own laws and traditions, and in the words of one of its musicians is, “an island, a democratic microcosm – almost without precedent in the music world - whose social structure and cohesion is not only founded on...

Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9 (Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle)

Recordings of all the Beethoven symphonies with their chief conductor are always a milestone in the artistic work of the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was with Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado, and expectations are correspondingly high for this cycle conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Where does the special status of these symphonies come from? Simon Rattle has an explanation: “One of the things Beethoven does is to give you a mirror into yourself – where you are now as a musician.” In fact, this music contains such a wealth of extreme em...

Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1-5 - Uchida, Rattle

There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. The complete recording of all five works with Mitsuko Uchida and Sir Simon Rattle ...

Berliner Philharmoniker - Mozart Symphonies Nos. 39, 40, 41

Bach: St. John Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the outstanding events of the past season. As before with the St Matthew Passion, star director Peter Sellars succeeded in creating a staging which made the spiritual and dramatic content of the Passion story even more intensive. The New York Times also praised the “brilliant and energetic” playing of the orchestra, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung the “haunting, almost unsurpassable singing of all those involved.”

Wonderful Town

The classic musical by Bernstein, Comden and Green is performed live in concert in Berlin, starring Audra McDonald, Thomas Hampson, Brent Barrett and Kim Criswell, and conducted by Simon Rattle.

New Year's Eve Concert 2015 - Berlin Philharmonic

Europakonzert 2008 from Moscow

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s European Concert, held each year on 1 May, is invariably an international highlight. Performing in 2008 in Moscow's renowned Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle presented outstanding performances of works by Beethoven, Stravinsky and Bruch, whose Violin Concerto featured one of today’s most fascinating artists, the Russian violinist Vadim Repin. Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements Bruch: Concerto for Violin No.1, op.26 Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A major, op. 92

Silvesterkonzert der Berliner Philharmoniker 2017 - Mit Sir Simon Rattle und Joyce DiDonato

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2009

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2009 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Lang Lang (piano). On the programme: Sergej Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18, Frédéric Chopin: Etude, Op. 25, No. 1, Pyotr Tchaikovsky: “The Nutcracker”, op. 71.

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2008

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2008 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Pauline Malefane (soprano), Thomas Quasthoff (bass-baritone). On the programme: George Gershwin: Cuban Overture, Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings, op. 11 , Aaron Copland: Old American Songs...

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2007

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2007 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle. On the programme: Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from the Opera "Prince Igor", Symphony No. 2 in B Minor, Modest Mussorgsky: Introduction to the opera "Khovantchina", Pictures at an Exhibition, Dm...

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2004

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2004 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Sally Matthews (soprano), Lawrence Brownlee (tenor), Christian Gerhaher (baritone), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Knabenchor des Staats- und Domchores Berlin. On the programme: Ludwig van Beethoven: ...

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2002

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2002 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Wayne Marshall (piano). On the programme: Leonard Bernstein: Wonderful Town.

Waldbühne 2015 | Lights, Camera, Action!

The Waldbühne in Berlin, one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheatres on the European continent, is the home of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s summer concerts. With over 20.000 in attendance, they are some of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. In 2015 the Berliner Philharmoniker surrounded themselves with plenty of celebrities, including not only conductor Sir Simon Rattle, but also many figures from film history: Indiana Jones, Robin Hood, Ben Hur and many more. They were all brought to life musically when the orchest...

Europa Konzert 2011 from Madrid

Rodrigo / Chabrier / Rachmaninov / Cañizares / Berliner Philharmoniker / Sir Simon Rattle

Berliner Philharmoniker - Europakonzert 2016

The Highest Level

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2017

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2017 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano). On the programme: Antonín Dvořák:Carnival: Overture, Op. 92 , Igor Strawinsky Apollon Musagète. No. 8, Pas de deux 5:03, Richard Strauss: Zueignung Op. 10, No...

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 2016

The annual New Year’s Eve Concert is one of the highlights in the calendar of every classical music fan in Berlin and beyond. On New Year‘s Eve, the Berliner Philharmoniker invite an exceptional soloist for a festive gala. Together, the musicians bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. The 2016 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Daniil Trifonov on piano. On the programme: Dimitri Kabalewsky: Overture Colas Breugnon, Op.90, Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, Nikolai Medtner: Fairy Tale F mi...