Simon Rattle conducts “Russian rhythms” at the Waldbühne

Around 22,000 people gathered at the Waldbühne to enjoy a festival of classical music with a picnic and wine. The atmosphere was fantastic: even before chief conductor Sir Simon Rattle took to the stage, the audience was already performing Mexican waves.

In keeping with the theme of “Russian Rhythms”, this time the wintery, dance-like sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker contrasted with the midsummer atmosphere. Afterwards, Yefim Bronfman, one of the most famous and sought-after pianists of our day, gave a powerful reading of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, eliciting storms of enthusiasm at the end.

During the intermission, a downpour soaked the audience – something which has almost become a tradition at the Waldbühne concerts – but no-one let it spoil the mood. Even Stravinsky’s powerful ballet Le Sacre du printemps could only dispel the dark clouds for a short while. In the words of the critic of Der Tagesspiegel, this work is “one of the Berliners’ warhorses, bleak and challenging, and almost deafeningly loud. The elements quake, mankind holds out beneath his rain covers. Water splashes in Tupperware containers.” After a storm of applause and a firework display of sparklers, the orchestra offered two encores: another titbit from The Nutcracker and Paul Lincke’s Berliner Luft, a piece that traditionally ends these concerts, encouraging the capacity audience to join in by clapping in time with it.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Sir Simon Rattle

Yefim Bronfman