Die 12 Cellisten der Berliner Philharmoniker

Kirill Petrenko Berliner Philharmoniker

Kirill Petrenko, chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2019/20, directs Mahler's 9th Symphony in Essen. Born in Omsk, Petrenko strives for a unique orchestral sound, evident in his interpretation of Mahler's final completed work, a magical piece bridging Romantic and modern eras.

Berliner Philharmoniker | Kirill Petrenko

While composing his Ninth Symphony, Gustav Mahler declared, "I am thirstier for life than ever." The Berlin Philharmonic, under Kirill Petrenko, explores this tension-filled work. Despite moments of defiance, rawness, and humor, the grand apotheotic breakthroughs of earlier symphonies fade. The sound becomes increasingly gentle, transparent, and finally dissolves into peaceful acceptance.

Chamber music with Berliner Philharmoniker soloists

Four soloists from the Berliner Philharmoniker and the pianist Eric Le Sage take us on a foray through the chamber-music repertoire from Viennese Classical to Modern. Along with such famous works as Beethoven’s “Gassenhauer” Piano Trio, there will also be discoveries – for example, the charming Sicilienne, which was long attributed to Mozart's contemporary Maria Theresia von Paradis, and the young Anton Webern’s highly-romantic pieces for cello and piano. The climax of the programme comes with its concluding work, Schoenberg’s visionary Chamber Symphony No. 1.

Matinee of the Friends of the Berliner Philharmoniker e. V. “Introduced: New Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker”

A welcome matineeEvery orchestra is a living organism and is constantly changing: With the Berliner Philharmoniker, too, familiar faces leave and retire year after year. New musicians come in their place - and many of them quickly become audience favourites. We would like to use the summer matinee to introduce you to some of these newcomers. Among them is first principal viola Diyang Mei, who has already made history by being the first Chinese to join the orchestra. He has lived in Germany since 2014, where he won the prestigious ARD Music Competition in 2018. You can also look forward to the new principal timpanist, the young Austrian Vincent Vogel, who inherited his teacher Rainer Seegers in this position in 2022: almost a Philharmoniker dynasty. A total of four new members will be available to answer questions at this welcome matinee. And, of course, they will also inspire you with their instrumental skills.

K&K Philharmoniker, K&K Ballett

Stipendiat*innenkonzert der Essener Philharmoniker

Once per season, scholarship holders of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra Academy demonstrate their skills in a chamber concert. The academy, founded in 1999, prepares up to eight talented musicians annually for top orchestras. This includes participation in opera, ballet, and symphony concerts. Almost all graduates secure permanent positions in major orchestras, some with the Essen Philharmonic. The program will be announced soon.

Europakonzert Riccardo Muti and the Berliner Philharmoniker in Bari

With its brick-red façade, a gleaming white entrance area and a magnificent red and gold auditorium, the venue for this year’s European Concert, Bari’s Teatro Petruzzelli, is an architectural jewel. Under the direction of Riccardo Muti, the Berliner Philharmoniker will present a mixed programme of Italian and German music. Rossini’s rousing William Tell Overture and the atmospheric ballet music from Verdi’s opera The Sicilian Vespers exude Italianità. Completing the programme, the dusky mixture of yearning and consolation in Brahms’ Second Symphony make the work a seminal example of late German Romanticism.

Joana Mallwitz makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker

When she is on the podium, says Joana Mallwitz, she wants to take the audience with her “from the very first note”. This approach has already brought her a remarkably successful career. After holding positions as General Music Director in Erfurt and Nuremberg, she has been Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin since 2023. In her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, she leads us through very different worlds of sound with works by Prokofiev, Hindemith and Ravel. Anna Vinnitskaya will be the soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work full of dreamy melancholy and pianistic brilliance.

Joana Mallwitz makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker

When she is on the podium, says Joana Mallwitz, she wants to take the audience with her “from the very first note”. This approach has already brought her a remarkably successful career. After holding positions as General Music Director in Erfurt and Nuremberg, she has been Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin since 2023. In her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, she leads us through very different worlds of sound with works by Prokofiev, Hindemith and Ravel. Anna Vinnitskaya will be the soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work full of dreamy melancholy and pianistic brilliance.

Joana Mallwitz makes her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker

When she is on the podium, says Joana Mallwitz, she wants to take the audience with her “from the very first note”. This approach has already brought her a remarkably successful career. After holding positions as General Music Director in Erfurt and Nuremberg, she has been Chief Conductor of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin since 2023. In her debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, she leads us through very different worlds of sound with works by Prokofiev, Hindemith and Ravel. Anna Vinnitskaya will be the soloist in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work full of dreamy melancholy and pianistic brilliance.