“40 Years of the Orchestra Academy” Gala Concert with Simon Rattle
Ten double basses, twelve French horns, sextuple woodwind: the orchestra with which Simon Rattle performed Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony on 2 December 2012 was certainly ample. But what was more remarkable was not its size, but the origins of the orchestral musicians. They were all former or current members of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Karajan Academy and came together for this concert to celebrate the 40th birthday of this renowned institution.
Former students of the Karajan Academy can be found everywhere, whether in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre de Radio France, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Vienna and Munich Philharmonic orchestras – and of course the Berliner Philharmoniker. “Learn from the pros” is the motto of the Academy. Founded in 1972 and funded by private donors, highly talented young musicians are taught by members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and are prepared for the life of professional orchestral musicians. A commitment that bears abundant fruit: About a quarter of the members of the Berliner Philharmoniker today are former students of the Academy.
To mark the anniversary, Sir Simon Rattle conducts an orchestra of former and current members of the Academy who came together for one day only to perform Anton Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. The Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation also presented the Academy with a new work by British composer Benedict Mason to mark the anniversary: an exciting introduction to Bruckner, which was premiered here.
© 2012 Berlin Phil Media GmbH
