Berliner Philharmoniker

Founded in 1882, the Berliner Philharmoniker have been among the world’s most eminent orchestras for a long time. In the first decades, the defining chief conductors were Hans von Bülow, Arthur Nikisch and Wilhelm Furtwängler, followed by Herbert von Karajan in 1955 and Claudio Abbado in 1989. In September 2002, Sir Simon Rattle assumed the post. Kirill Petrenko will succeed him in 2019.
Since 1963 the pentagonal-shaped concert hall the Berliner Philharmonie is the home of the Berliner Philharmoniker, which consists of a great hall and a chamber music hall. This is the first hall in which the orchestra is placed in the center, surrounded by the audience.
In 2008, the orchestra officially announced a unique, innovative project: the Digital Concert Hall, which broadcasts the orchestra’s concerts live via internet.