Magdalena Kožená’s Velvet Revolution
Lady Rattle talks about growing up Czech, managing diaries and bringing up a musical family.
Lady Rattle talks about growing up Czech, managing diaries and bringing up a musical family.
The Russian maestro beats Thielemann and Dudamel to succeed Sir Simon Rattle in 2018.
Change and the artists who have been at the forefront of change.
We look at Broadway’s operatic lineage with a nod to Sondheim, Bernstein & Co.
After 11 hours of secret voting the orchestra have failed to select a new chief to replace Simon Rattle. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
Currently head of the Berlin Philharmonic, Rattle will take up the reins in 2017.
The Sydney-born heldentenor will make his stage debut in the role in 2016.
Daniel Barenboim among those wishing a happy birthday to the distinguished British maestro. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
Sir Simon Rattle reveals why the Berliner Philharmoniker decided to launch its own record label.
For long regarded as a lower grade symphonist by sniffy critics of the past, Robert Schumann’s orchestral output has been reassessed thanks to illuminating period aware performances that have aerated his supposedly thick orchestration and revealed a timbral spectrum that was obscured by the overlay of late-19th-century orchestral technique. Conductors on the traditional side have overcome problems with textual tampering while revelling in the weighty sound at their disposal, so it’s no surprise that Sir Simon Rattle chooses to sit on that particular fence considering the character of his orchestral forces. Despite the essay espousing the Berliner Philharmoniker’s long tradition of Schumann performance, today’s orchestra sounds very different to earlier incarnations with a vibrant transparency and a responsive flexibility that allows the ensemble to turn on a dime – a long way from the luxurious juggernaut of yesteryear. The string sound, while still luxuriant, is exquisitely focused and supple while the wind section is predictably magnificent, boasting starry names such as Emmanuel Pahud and Albrecht Mayer. Symphonies 1 & 4 (here in its original 1841 form) inhabit a Mendelssohnian sound world that suits Rattle’s approach and for me the fourth symphony is the standout performance of the… Continue reading Get…
Sir Simon becomes the AWO’s latest big-hitter, and this time he’s bringing the wife! Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in
Chief Conductor and orchestra support their colleagues in the Berlin Radio Choir.
After a century on record, why has the world’s most famous orchestra decided to strike out with its own label?