Classical Music in Berlin (Oct 19 - 24)

This week we attended 3 classical concerts in this culture rich city. On Thursday we went to the Berliner Philharmoniker's free monthly concert. The modernist concert hall near Potsdamer Platz has an eye catching exterior because it is bright yellow with an unusual angular shape.


In an interior designed for maximum satisfaction, students of the Karajan Academy performed some delightful pieces, traditional as well as some new, experimental compositions, which came as no surprise. We've come to expect avant garde from Berlin.

With seating arranged in tiered arcs around the orchestra pit, we had an excellent view of the musicians. How fortunate we are to enjoy music in this great concert hall.

The next day, Friday, we were seated inside the magnificent neo classical Berlin Konzerthaus on Gendarmenmarkt. Taking in the white and gold décor, crystal chandeliers, busts of famous composers, the ornate ceiling, I wondered about all the famous people who had enjoyed music here through its 200 years of existence.

The acoustics of this concert hall rank in the top 5 in the entire world and this was where Beethoven's Ninth premiered. Our evening of opera music sung by a chorus, a soprano, and a baritone in this grand setting provided excellent escapism. (California friends who've been asking how we are coping with the gloomy news from back home -- we fill our days with activities we love - easy to find in this city.)

On Sunday night we journeyed through Mahler's Symphony No. 2 at Deutscher Oper Berlin. Under the baton of a dynamic Donald Runnicles, the orchestra delivered a phenomenal performance of this epic symphony also known as The Resurrection. We especially appreciated Mahler's most significant work after having seen and loved all his other symphonies performed by major orchestras, many conducted by Mahler aficionado, Gustavo Dudamel at the LA Phil. The best for last, I guess.

For 90 spellbinding minutes we were transported through the theme of Death in 5 movements. Funeral rites to start, then in the second movement, a celebration of the person, followed by a contemplation of life and its meaning. In the 4th movement an allusion of futility, eliciting probing questions, the music melancholic, intense. In the final movement, the Resurrection, hope and eternal bliss are glorified by a powerful orchestral force. All instruments in play, accompanied by trumpets in the distance, a choir, and a soprano, led by the supremely energetic Donald Runnicles. What a night!