The end of an era: The British maestro conducted his last concert as the Berlin Philharmonic’s music director at a sold-out open-air event. During his 16-year tenure, Simon Rattle revamped the reputed orchestra’s image.
Simon Rattle conducted on Sunday his final concert as the director of the Berlin Philharmonic after 16 years that have revamped the image of the prestigious orchestra.
Sunday’s open-air event, titled “Goodbye, Sir Simon,” marked Rattle’s very last appearance as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, after his farewell concert at the orchestra’s concert hall on June 20.
The playbill at Berlin’s Waldbühne featured works by George Gershwin, Gabriel Faure and Aram Khachaturian, and Rattle’s wife, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena, also performed as a soloist.
Many musicians wore wigs in tribute to the conductor’s trademark curly white hair.
“See you very soon,” the conductor promised, as “Sir Simon” will not disappear completely from Berlin. Rattle plans to remain a resident of the German capital and to lead orchestral and opera performances there.
Rattle’s switch to the London Symphony Orchestra was announced in 2015, and he has stood at the helm of both orchestras since September 2017. He will be succeeded in Berlin by Kirill Petrenko.
Strong numbers in the Rattle era
In his 16-year tenure, Sir Simon Rattle led the Berlin Philharmonic in some 1,100 concerts.
The 63-year-old’s achievements include a strong public relations campaign, multimedia dissemination of music notably with the “Digital Concert Hall” program, the establishment of the orchestra’s own CD label and various projects exposing non-concert goers to classical music. The Berlin Philharmonic’s sponsorship of the National Youth Orchestra of Germany is a further achievement.
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