Simon Rattle

Underestimated by his contemporaries, but today acclaimed as one of the greatest and imaginative composers of his time. Anton Bruckner was a genius of tones. Such great conductors like Kent Nagano, Valery Gergiev and Simon Rattle let the composer comes alive in the documentary „Anton Bruckner – The Making of a Giant“ telling the ups and downs of life through his music.

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This film captures Rattle's very first performance as Music Director; a programme in which British composers took centre-stage. The world-premiere of Helen Grime's Fanfares, which became the first movement of the work Woven Space, opened the concert before violinist Christian Tetzlaff took to the stage to perform the concerto written for him in 2010 by Harrison Birtwistle. Two more works close to Rattle's heart followed: Thomas Adès' Asyla and the pocket-sized Symphony No 3 by the late Oliver Knussen. Finally, Rattle's stunning interpretation of the Enigma Variations brought the concert to a close and then the audience to its feet, filling the Barbican Hall with rapturous applause.

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Staatsoper Berlin’s new production of Rameau’s tragédie lyrique, directed by Alletta Collins; featuring costumes, sets and lighting designed by Ólafur Eliasson; and musical direction by Simon Rattle, who makes his debut with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.

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There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. The complete recording of all five works with Mitsuko Uchida and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the most spectacular projects of the Berliner Philharmoniker during the Rattle era – and at the same time the highlight of the collaboration between the orchestra and the pianist, which began in 1984.

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Sir Simon Rattle was chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker for 16 years, and the length of this time alone gives his tenure the feeling of an “era”. But also in a qualitative sense, this was a special chapter in the history of the orchestra. This is shown in Eric Schulz’s documentary, which traces the many highlights and achievements of Sir Simon’s Berlin years in interviews, concert excerpts and archive material. The relationship between upholding tradition and innovation is just as much a theme of this documentary as the collaboration between the conductor with his creative powers and his self-assured orchestra. And this much is certain: the fact that the British conductor quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the city of Berlin itself means that for them, the Rattle era will remain in the memory for many years to come.

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Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO are joined by revered French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard in a concert film that brings together music by Anton Bruckner and Olivier Messiaen: two composers as united in their devotion to the Catholic faith as they are divergent in their approaches to writing music.

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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 2017 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano). On the programme: Antonín Dvořák:Carnival: Overture, Op. 92 , Igor Strawinsky Apollon Musagète. No. 8, Pas de deux 5:03, Richard Strauss: Zueignung Op. 10, No. 1; Wiegenlied Op. 41, No. 1; Muttertändelei Op. 43, No. 2; Morgen Op. 27, No. 4; Die heiligen drei Könige aus Morgenland Op. 56k, No. 6, Leonard Bernstein: Three dance episodes from "On the town“, Take Care of this House from "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue", Dmitri Shostakovich: Suite from The Golden Age, Op. 22a, Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance Op. 72, No. 2, Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor.

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Simon Rattle is one of the most distinguished Sibelius conductors of our time. Consequently, his recording of all the composer’s seven symphonies, which he performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2015, attracted all the more attention.

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Sir Simon Rattle is joined by virtuosic soprano Barbara Hannigan for a modernist programme that showcases the immense capabilities of the London Symphony Orchestra. At the heart of this concert is The Rite of Spring. Once decried, it is now a cornerstone of orchestral repertoire and considered by many to be the greatest work of the 20th century. Its elemental nature is best summed up by Stravinsky, who, in an unaccustomed moment of humilty, said that he didn’t feel he was the composer of the piece, but simply the vessel through which it passsed. Sir Simon Rattle says: ‘I’ve been conduting it since I was 19...it’s one of those pieces that reminds you what the shock of the new is about and it’s still one of the great challenges and one of the great thrills to perform.’

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Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker draw their inspiration from Tosca, the most brilliant of all the Puccini operas. And that is deservedly so, since Tosca is not merely a work of art, but also a gripping suspense-packed story – Puccini at its best •In a spectacular staging by Philipp Himmelmann, this production offers a fresh, sexy view on this beloved classic •Kristine Opolais changes into the well-behaved pristine prima donna and shows how to wrap the men on stage round her finger, as she performs with fierce and full physical commitment •Marcelo Alvarez sings with powerful, but smooth tenor. Marco Vratonga’s modern take of Scarpia convinces with brutal elegance and a great voice

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Recorded in January 2016, this beautiful programme of French music was chosen by Music Director Designate Sir Simon Rattle and features world class soloists Leonidas Kavakos and Julia Bullock.

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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.

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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 2016 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Daniil Trifonov on piano. On the programme: Dimitri Kabalewsky: Overture Colas Breugnon, Op.90, Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, Nikolai Medtner: Fairy Tale F minor, Op. 26/3, William Walton: Orchestral Pieces from Façade arranged in form of a suite by Sir Simon Rattle, Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dances, Dimitri Kabalewsky: The Comedians, Op. 26: Galop, Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. in 1 G-Minor.

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Argentinian cellist Sol Gabetta made her Philharmoniker debut at the 2014 Easter Festival in Baden-Baden with Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the final great work of the composer. The orchestra and conductor also performed the prelude to Wagner’s Lohengrin, György Ligeti’s orchestral piece Atmosphères and Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, a work which is entirely focused on the future and pushes the boundaries of classical music in terms of sound, rhythm and energy.

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Met audiences were fascinated by Mariusz Treliński’s gripping, visionary production of Wagner’s epic opera. In the daunting title roles of the doomed lovers, Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton are passionate, overwhelming, and heartbreaking as they battle every obstacle that separates them from their true destiny. René Pape is King Marke, betrayed not only by Isolde but by Tristan, the man he most trusts and loves like a son. With Ekaterina Gubanova as Isolde’s confidante Brangäne and Evgeny Nikitin as Kurwenal, Tristan’s loyal lieutenant. Simon Rattle conducts a surging, shimmering account of Wagner’s monumental score.

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The Europakonzert has brought the Berliner Philharmoniker to almost every major European city. In 2016, the orchestra chose a somewhat more remote location: Røros - a small, but beautiful town in Mid-Norway that was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. They played in the town‘s beautiful church. The orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle were joined by Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang - making for a truly Nordic concert. The program includes Grieg: Evening in the mountains, Mendelssohn: Violin Concert in E minor, Bjarne Brustad: Veslefrikk, and Beethoven: Symphony No. 3.

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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.

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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 Bjarne Brustad: Veslefrikk Edvard Grieg: Evening in the Mountains, Op. 68/4

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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 2015 concert was conducted by Simon Rattle and featured Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin). On the programme: Emmanuel Chabrier: Overture to L'Étoile, Camille Saint-Saëns: Introduction et Rondo capriccioso for violin and orchestra in A minor, Jules Massenet: Pieces for orchestra from Le Cid (Suite), Maurice Ravel: Tzigane, Francis Poulenc: Les Biches, Ballet Suite, Maurice Ravel: La Valse, Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 1.

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The performance of all of Beethoven’s symphonies in the autumn of 2015 was a high point in the collaboration of the Berliner Philharmoniker and its chief conductor, Sir Simon Rattle. The film Living with Beethoven accompanies the ascent of this “Mount Everest” (Rattle) with many views behind the scenes. The conductor and orchestra musicians all contribute, clearly inspired by the desire to make the often performed works sound again as if they were just written.

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