The Berlin Philharmonic in Liverpool

[miguel]

Incomparable is the word that best sums up the Berliner Philharmoniker. Bringing it and Liverpool-born conductor, Sir Simon Rattle to our Philharmonic Hall is a coup for the Liverpool Culture Company.
When von Karajan’s BPO visited New York in 1982 posters advertising the event had the ‘sold out’ stickers already pasted on. If you are privileged enough to attend you share the same experience of most heads of state since its inception 125 years ago. You and yours will be king and queen for the night.
The world’s greatest conductors have coveted its baton. Their names are as synonymous with achievement as the great composers whose music they perform. Its visit to Liverpool is comparable to the visit by the legendary Wilhelm Furtwangler before the war.
Technically it is two orchestras (and many ensembles) made up of the same players. Arguably the world’s foremost conductor, Herbert von Karajan conducted the BPO for 35 years. His was a podium upon which had stood Hans Richter, Felix von Weingartner, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms, Edvard Grieg and more latterly Claudio Abbado, a protégé of Karajan.
It has performed at the world’s most illustrious venues including La Scala, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome.
All very impressive but it is timely to remember that classical music is not for the well heeled few. It is the inspiration of the world’s greatest composers whose poverty in life made most of us rich by comparison.
Brahms we might well identify with. The composer said to be Beethoven’s comparable once played the piano for a living in Hamburg’s dockside taverns. They’re all coming back home. This truly is the people’s culture.