A few of the conducting greats of the world , previous and current, have headed up the Berlin Philharmonic (one of many greatest orchestras on the earth), from founder Benjamin Bilse to Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle.
Who’re the Berlin Philharmonic’s previous chief conductors?
Benjamin Bilse
Tight-fisted and autocratic, Benjamin Bilse was the conductor who unwittingly brought on the Berlin Philharmonic to be fashioned. In 1882, 54 gamers from the Bilsesche Kapelle orchestra he’d based 15 years earlier misplaced endurance with their employer’s imply nature and arrange their very own ensemble, initially known as the Philharmonische Orchester.
Hans von Bülow (1887-1892)
A serious champion of Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Wagner – even after the latter had run off together with his spouse Cosima – von Bülow secured each the popularity and the way forward for the Berlin Phil in his 5 years as its conductor. Underneath him, efficiency requirements have been raised and quite a lot of prestigious visitor conductors, together with Brahms and Grieg, have been engaged.
Arthur Nikisch (1895-1922)
Very a lot the pioneer, Nikisch’s spell as conductor noticed the Berlin Phil set up itself additional afield with excursions and a number of the first recordings ever made. The Hungarian additionally broadened the orchestra’s repertoire, notably in his beloved Bruckner and modern composers similar to Mahler, Sibelius and Richard Strauss.
Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922-1945)
Furtwängler’s achievement in sustaining the Berlin Phil’s excessive requirements by way of the Nazi period shouldn’t be underestimated. Having initially resisted the Nazi regime, his determination to stay in Germany meant that he later turned related to it – his personal clarification was that he had stayed to guard German music in opposition to those that may misuse it for propaganda. His many recordings, notably of the German Classical and Romantic repertoire, reveal a conductor whose interpretations ranged from subjective to plain idiosyncratic however who at his greatest may muster astonishing energy and depth of emotion.
Leo Borchard (Might-August 1945)
Put in publish by the Soviets after the German give up in Might 1945, the Russian-born Borchard’s anti-Nazi actions throughout the battle made him an apparent option to succeed Furtwängler, who had fled to Switzerland in 1944. His time as principal conductor was short-lived, as he was mistakenly shot useless by an American sentry guard simply three months later.
Sergiu Celibidache (1945-1952)
His famed refusal to enter a recording studio makes Celibidache’s Berlin Phil legacy arduous to guage. The Romanian’s performances that we are able to get pleasure from on disc at the moment – usually marked by very gradual tempos – have been recorded in live performance and arguably miss the purpose: he was involved solely with making a transcendental second for these experiencing the music first hand. However his spell in cost noticed the orchestra re-accepted into the worldwide fold.
Wilhelm Furtwängler (1952-1954)
A quick return for the good maestro, who was appointed conductor for all times. His dying was adopted by the person he liked to hate…
Herbert von Karajan (1954-1989)
Cherished the studio as a lot as Celibidache shunned it. Embracing each advance in expertise, from stereo to the daybreak of the CD, his meticulously ready recordings set new requirements. Together with his personal picture fastidiously honed, each he and the orchestra loved the celebrity standing that within the latter case persists to at the present time. Plying their commerce within the new Philharmonie corridor, in-built 1963 inside view of the Berlin Wall (which fell inside months of his dying), they turned an emblem of not simply West Germany however of Western tradition itself.
Claudio Abbado (1989-2002)
A really completely different character from Karajan, the reserved, considerate Abbado led a interval of stability for the orchestra at a time of huge change in post-wall Berlin itself. Vastly well-liked with gamers and public alike, the Italian stepped down in 2002 for causes of ill-health.
Simon Rattle (2002-2018)
Has made it his mission to carry the Berlin Phil into the twenty first century whereas preserving conscious of its historical past and custom – not a simple job. In addition to involving his gamers in important out-reach programmes, he has pioneered the digital live performance corridor venture, that enables concert events to be loved stay on-line.
Simon Rattle: the most effective recordings
This text first appeared within the October 2009 situation of BBC Music Journal
