Berliner Philharmoniker

John Williams has made cinematic history with his film scores and transported entire generations into his musical worlds. He has composed the soundtracks for cinema blockbusters such as "Star Wars", "Jurassic Park", "E.T." and "Harry Potter". In this concert, he conducts some of his most famous film classics. At the same time, this is his debut on the podium of the Berliner Philharmoniker. May the Force be with him ...

The finest film themes and scores from the Berliner Philharmonie. Expect Jaws, Superman and Star Wars.

The finest film themes and scores from the Berliner Philharmonie. Expect Jaws, Superman and Star Wars.

The Berlin Philharmonic brings in the New Year with a festive concert featuring performances of music by Gershwin, Bernstein, Porter & Loewe.

The London Telegraph described pianist Alice Sarah Ott as the “hottest new talent in classical music”. She now makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker performing Ravel’s vibrant, jazz-influenced Piano Concerto in G major. Another artist making his debut is the Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, who shows the music of his homeland from its most passionate side: with Jean Sibelius’s Tchaikovsky-inspired First Symphony, and music by the internationally too little known Uuno Klami.

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 2018 concert was conducted by Daniel Barenboim. On the programme: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 26 in D major, K. 537 „Coronation”, Maurice Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole, Alborada del gracioso, Pavane pour une infante défunte, Boléro, George Bizet: Carmen-Suite No. 1.

The conductor of this New Year’s Eve concert is Daniel Barenboim, one of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s oldest friends. He also takes on the role of soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 – a work of sparkling beauty and nuanced expression. There are also four famous works by Maurice Ravel, which create an impressive synthesis of elegance and originality. The final highlight is the Boléro, perhaps the most stunning crescendo in music history.

For their annual season end concert, the Berliner Philharmoniker take the audience on a dreamy, magically journey through the river Rhine with Schumann’s beloved 3rd Symphony Rhenish. Pieces from Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen under the baton of dynamic conductor Gustavo Dudamel complete this evening.

Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin give an impeccable performance of the powerful biblical oratorio “The Gospel According to the Other Mary” by John Adams, one of the most renowned contemporary composers. The sophisticated score with a libretto by acclaimed theatre director Peter Sellars comes to life thanks to the Berliner Philharmoniker, whose intimate knowledge of Adams’s music stems from the composer himself: He attended the orchestra’s rehearsals. In the role of the Evangelist, Bubeck, Cummings and Medley lead through the narrative. A stunning highlight is Lazarus’s aria, sung by tenor Peter Hoare. But at the heart of the piece are Mary Magdalene and her sister Martha during the last days before Jesus’s death, impressively performed by mezzo-sopranos Kelley O’Connor and Tamara Mumford.

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 emotions and brilliant compositional ideas that reveal the qualities of the orchestra and its conductor as if under a magnifying glass.

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 orchestra performed some of Hollywood’s most famous film music. With film music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T. composed by John Williams. Live from the Waldbühne Berlin, 2015.

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.”

Conductor: Claudio Abbado. Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. 1.Symphony no 1 in C major, Op. 21 2. Symphony no 2 in D major, Op. 36 3. Symphony no 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 "Eroica" 4. Symphony no 4 in B flat major, Op. 60 5. Symphony no 5 in C minor, Op. 67 6. Symphony no 6 in F major, Op. 68 "Pastoral" 7. Symphony no 7 in A major, Op. 92 8. Symphony no 8 in F major, Op. 93 9. Symphony no 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral"

Recorded live at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore, 22 & 23 November 2010 The orchestra presents Mahler's unique and breathtaking First Symphony and Rachmaninov's late Symphonic Dances. The Philharmonic's beautiful rendering of Mahler's homage to nature and Rachmaninov's nostalgic ode to Russia is taken to a new level in this 3D recording using state-of-the-art video and audio technology. Join Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker on a musical journey that takes the concert experience to a breathtaking new level a feast for eyes and ears in 3D!

This 2002 concert features Gil Shaham with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado in works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, and Verdi.

Repertoire Modest Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain; Antonín Dvořák: Song to the Moon from “Rusalka”, Op. 114; Aram Chatschaturjan: Adagio from “Spartacus”; Richard Strauss: Final Scene from “Capriccio”, Op. 85; Richard Wagner: Overture to “Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen”; E. W. Korngold: Mariettas Lied from “Die tote Stadt”; Richard Strauss: Zueignung, Op. 10 No. 1; Sir Edward Elgar: Salut d’amour; Giacomo Puccini: Donde lieta uscì from “La bohème”; Tu che di gel sei cinta from “Turandot”; Ruggero Leoncavallo: Musette svaria sulla bocca viva from “La bohème”; Mimì Pinson, la biondinetta from “La bohème”; Piotr Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” (Fantasy Overture)

Sir Simon Rattle was in no doubt: the performance of the St Matthew Passion which he realised together with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Rundfunkchor Berlin in 2010 was for him “the single most important thing we ever did here”. Critics around the world agreed. They praised the semi-staged “ritualization” by American star-director Peter Sellars, as well as the outstanding musical performances by the soloists, including Magdalena Kožená, Christian Gerhaher, Thomas Quasthoff and Mark Padmore as the Evangelist.

Every year, the Berliner Philharmoniker hold a kind of classical-music fête with a bright, cheerful concert to end the season. In 2009 about 22,000 people had come together at the Berlin Waldbühne to enjoy the traditional summer picnic concert. The theme of the evening was “Russian rhythms”, and star conductor Sir Simon Rattle, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Yefim Bronfman, one of the most famous pianists in the world today, presented a superb selection of Russian music. Repertoire Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, op. 71, Overture, The Christmas Tree, March, Pas de deux (Intrada) Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, op. 30 Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps Lincke: Berliner Luft

In 2007, the Berliner Philharmoniker celebrated their 125th anniversary. Film director Enrique Sánchez Lansch took this occasion to tell a hitherto unknown chapter in the history of the Berliner Philharmoniker: the years of National Socialism from 1933 to 1945. The film, “The Reichsorchester”, made in collaboration with musicians of the orchestra and its archive.

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual summer concert at the Waldbühne in Berlin is legendary. The Millennium concert, recorded live on 25 June 2000, gathered more than 22.000 people in one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheaters in Europe for one of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. Kent Nagano named his program of popular and rather unusual music from the 20th century “Rhythm and Dance”. It turned out to be an inspiring combination of classical pieces, show tunes, pops, and Far Eastern music, all brought together in a tasty musical stew and rightly labelled as one of the most exciting programmes ever performed at the Waldbühne. It featured Gershwin classics with an outstanding performance by the American mezzo soprano Susan Graham, music by Ravel and the soundtrack to the successful Chinese film “Farewell My Concubine.”

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 22.000 in attendance, they are some of the most popular classical music concerts in the world. This year the outstanding orchestra under the baton of Neeme Järvi take us on a trip to arabian "Thousand and One Nights", with soloist Janine Jansen, a rising star who quickly gained the reputation of one of the foremost young violinists on the international concert stages.

Herbert von Karajan directs the Berlin Philharmonic in an Italiannate take of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and an assured rendering of the Fifth, while the "Pastoral" Symphony, conceived and directed by Hugo Niebeling in 1967, is a revolutionary mix of styles - Fantasia meets Expressionism meets film noir.

This set was recorded in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Herbert von Karajan is widely acknowledged to be one of the finest conductors of the 20th century, and around 1970 he was at his peak.

Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in these 3 great Beethoven symphonies. Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Jess Thomas and Walter Berry are featured vocal soloists with the Choir of the Berlin Opera in the 9th Symphony.

A Spanish Night - Domingo - Berliner Philharmoniker, Sarah Chang, Ana Maria Martinez

Sir Simon rattle conducts the Berliner Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No. 5 i The video is useful for conveying Simon Rattle's expressive gestures, his fine control of the Berlin Philharmonic, and its precise playing in this his first performance as the orchestra's music director. Ades's Asyla (the plural of "Asylum," used in both its meanings, as a place of refuge and a scene of madness) is available only in the video format, which is sonically quite good and visually striking. It is energetic music, with a lot of percussion, including one piece that looks like a tomato juice can, and one movement that annotator Andrew Porter describes as "a sort of Rite of Spring cum disco." A video interview of Rattle is a fine bonus. --Joe McLellan

The music is not Beethoven's most familiar, but it is absolutely charming. The concerto is appealing in its melodic material and the intricate interactions among the soloists and orchestra. The Choral Fantasy features a long piano solo that Beethoven wrote for himself, plus a choral melody that sounds like a preliminary sketch for the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. Both works pose unusual balance challenges, to which Barenboim and the recording engineers rise impressively.

One day in June 2003, thousands of people came to the Waldbühne Park to spend the night with Gershwin, the composer of Porgy and Bess, the super energised Seiji Ozawa conducting the venerable Berliner Philharmoniker and the famous Marcus Roberts jazz trio.

Claudio Abbado conducts the prestigious Berliner Philharmonikerfor during a concert dedicated to Beethoven. The programme includes the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 with the Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev whose dazzling technique adding to a delicate sensitivity merges instinct and intellectual rigour, and the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.

Claudio Abbado conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in this gala New Year's Eve performance, organized to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi's death. Recorded in 2000, the program includes excerpts from the composer's "La Traviata," "Falstaff," "Rigoletto," "Don Carlos" and "Un Ballo in Maschera," with solos by Andrea Rost (soprano), Ramon Vargas (tenor), Alan Titus (baritone) and Lucio Gallo (bass-baritone).

Featuring performances of music by Mussorgsky, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, from Suntory Hall in Japan

Claudio Abbado conducted Beethoven’s symphonies on many occasions in the Philharmonie in Berlin. But only at the end of his tenure as chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker did he decide to give a performance of the complete symphonies. It was left to audiences of his native Italy to witness these concerts in February 2001 in the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

Symphony No. 8 is as different musically from the Seventh Symphony as it is close in time since it was finished only five months later. It appears to be caught between the Dionysian scale of the Seventh Symphony and the titanic universality of the Ninth Symphony. The carefree nature of the "little symphony", as the composer called it himself, should not make one forget its welcome smile.

Stockholm's Vasa Museum harbours an extraordinary historical attraction: a large, fully intact sailing ship from the 17th century, the Vasa. Nowadays, the huge exhibition hall of the Vasa Museum is home to the ancient ship. These unusual surroundings formed the venue of the Berliner Philharmoniker's 1998 European Concert in Sweden, which was conducted by Claudio Abbado. Works of Wagner, Tschaikovsky, Debussy and Verdi Vasa Museum Stockholm, 1. May 1998 Berliner Philharmoniker Claudio Abbado Swedish Radio Choir Eric Ericson Chamber Choir Richard Wagner Der fliegende Hollander: Overture (11:32) Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky The Tempest. Symphonic Fantasia after Shakespeare (23:02) Claude Debussy Nocturnes (23:10) Giuseppe Verdi Quattro pezzi sacri (41:34)

Seiji Ozawa conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in this 1993 performance at Berlin's Waldbuhne, an amphitheater tucked into a natural valley and modeled on a similar structure in the ancient Greek city of Epidaurus. From this lovely vantage point, viewers are treated to an evening of Russian favorites, including Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird," Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" suite, Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance" and more.

Famed conductor Herbert Von Karajan leads the Berlin Philharmonic in a performance of what may be Vivaldi's best-known composition -- "The Four Seasons" -- in this sparkling video. Recorded in 1987 at the Chamber Music Hall, this concert features Anne-Sophie Mutter as a guest violin soloist.

Shot over a two-year period observing Abbado: a) Rossini, Overture to 'll Barbiere di Siviglia' b) Schubert, Symphony no. 2 B-Major, D. 125 c) Arnold Schonberg, Kammersinfonie no. 1 E-Major op. 9 (Filmed in Venice, Gran Teatro La Fenice, in February 1995, Chamber Orchestra of Europe). a) Richard Strauss, Elektra (Deborah Polaski, Karita Mattila, Marjana Lipovsek, Ferrucio Furlanetto) b) Beethoven, Symphony no 6 F-Major, op. 68, 'Pastorale' (Filmed in the Festspielhaus Salzburg on the occasion of the Easter Festival, April 1995, Berlin Philharmonic). a) Beethoven, Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 3 C-MINOR, OP. 37 (Maria Joao Pires) b) Bruckner, Symphony no. 9 D-Minor (Filmed in Paris, Cite de la Musique, in August 1995, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra).

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker in performances of Beethoven's 'Triple Concerto' and 'Choral Fantasy'. Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma are joined by Carola Höhn, Katherina Kammerloher, Andrea Bönig and Endrick Wottrich, amongst others.

European Concert 1994 From the Staatstheater Meiningen.

Daniel Barenboim conducts the Beethoven and Brahms Violin Concertos with the soloist Itzhak Perlman.

Some concerts are important simply as occasions: The “Joint Concert Tel Aviv” was a celebration of reconciliation, a performance shared by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra that would have been inconceivable a few years earlier. Zubin Mehta takes a massive band consisting of both orchestras through performances of Ben Haim’s fascinating “Psalm”, Ravel’s “La Valse” and Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony”.

A live performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera.

The legendary Berlin Philharmonic conductor Herbert von Karajan is chronicled as he conducts two important classical pieces. Music director Von Karajan led the orchestra from 1956 until his death in 1989, creating a legacy of outstanding performances. In 1984, Von Karajan agreed to have a camera crew record a Berlin Philharmonic performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphonies 1 and 8, two of the composer's finest.

Karajan's very best video Beethoven 9th Symphony, recorded December 31, 1977. The Quartet of vocal soloists and Chorus in IV are superb. This is much better than Karajan's 1968 Berlin Philharmonic Beethoven 9 video (DG), filmed in the Philharmonie with no live audience present.

Recording of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan playing Beethoven's 8th Symphony.

Recording of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan playing Beethoven's 7th Symphony.

The Waldbühne in Berlin is one of the most appealing outdoor amphitheatres, with over 20.000 in attendance, the annual concert of the Berliner Philharmoniker in the Waldbühne is a highlight of every concert season. In 2007 Sir Simon Rattle conducted a superb selection of symphonic rhapsodies. Pianist Stephen Hough is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive pianists of his generation.

An all Bartók programme featuring one of the leading violinists - Gidon Kremer - and one of the world's leading viola players - Yuri Bashmet. The Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Pierre Boulez, conclude this concert with the The Miraculous Mandarin, a work composed in 1918-1919. By the time it was premiered, the score caused a scandal due to the eroticism of its argument.

Austrian maestro Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in this 1984 performance of Tchaikovsky's last completed work -- Symphony no. 6 in B minor ("Pathétique"), op. 74 -- recorded live in Vienna. One of classical music's most revered conductors -- and top-selling recording artists -- Herbert von Karajan led the acclaimed Berlin Philharmonic for 35 years until his death in 1989.

With the Fifth Symphony, the Symphony No. 9 is the most famous piece. Its unusual length, the adjunction of soloists and of choruses, the choice of the Ode to Joy by Schiller, all of this concurs to its fame. The Ninth Symphony is a "Big Bang" in symphonic terms. A grandiose apotheosis, sublimating all of Beethoven's work by being the most universal and immediately understood piece ever written.