Philharmonie Berlin
world-class orchestra in unique architecture
The Philharmonie is home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the most famous and best orchestras not only in Berlin, but in the whole world. This is why the building is not a normal concert hall, but rather exhibits an entirely unique architecture designed by Hans Scharoun, and thus outstanding sonic quality.
A bang at the start
Bang! A pistol shot echoes through the hall. What had happened? Did an angry orchestra member shoot the despotic conductor? No, shortly before the opening of the new concert hall, experts tested the acoustics with pistol shots. This gave the Philharmonie its perfect surround sound.
ELIAS - Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
On December 1st at 3:00 PM, the Konzertchor Schlachtensee and the Akademisches Orchester Berlin will present the oratorio Elijah by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, one of the composer's most famous works.
Did you know that at the end of the 19th century, the musicians of the Bilesian Chapel rehearsed a revolt against their stingy director and founded the first "Philharmonic Orchestra"?
Our App ABOUT BERLIN presents the story behind the musicians' revolt and many other exciting stories about Berlin's history.
Sounding room: The concert hall
Unlike in classical concert halls the orchestra in the Philharmonie sits in the centre of the room, surrounded by the audience. There are even seats behind the orchestra, where concert-goers can look the conductor in the face. The audience tiers are arranged like terraces. Thanks to the folded walls and the tent-like ceiling, listeners in all in all 2,440 seats have a great sound experience. The Kammermusiksaal also follows this design and is constructed in a similar way.
An extraordinary orchestra: The Berliner Philharmoniker
The full and silky sound is the trademark of the orchestra under the current chief conductor Kirill Petrenko. Major conductors such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, Sergiu Celibidache, Claudio Abbado and most recently Sir Simon Rattle have left their mark on the orchestra - even Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot, has been allowed to wield the baton.
And another special feature: the 128 musicians elect their chief conductor collectively by secret ballot. In 2015, they decided in favour of Kirill Petrenko, who has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berliner Philharmoniker since the 2019/20 season. The Philharmoniker do not celebrate the end of the season in their main building, but open air every year at the Waldbühne. In good old tradition, they play This is the Berlin air as the very last piece - enthusiastically accompanied by the entire audience.
Architecture
The shimmering gold Philharmonie is an unusual eye-catcher even from the outside.The famous architect Hans Scharoun designed and planned the building, which opened in 1963, from the inside with a tent-like raised roof, which was nicknamed "Circus Karajani" after heated debates about its shape. The creative and unusual design of the interior offers guests a great acoustic experience. In addition, the interior architecture, based on the ideas of Hans Scharoun, a passionate exponent of "organic" modernism, creates a weave of relationships between people, space and music. Hans Scharoun used the image of ascending vineyards on the slopes of a valley to organise the rows of seats in the concert hall.
The Philharmonie is part of the Kulturforum near Potsdamer Platz, along with other major cultural centres:
- Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
- Painting Gallery
- Museum of Decorative Arts
- Musical InstrumentMuseum
- Neue Nationalgalerie
- Cabinet of Prints and Drawings
- Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut
- St. Matthäus-Kirche
Come with us behind the scenes of the Philharmonie
Description
Das Video gehört zur Folge „Klassikstadt Berlin“ von dem Podcast Berlin Unboxed, den visitBerlin betreibt. Der Podcast stellt die Berliner Philharmonie vor. In dem Video ist ein Standbild des Innenraums der Berliner Philharmonie zu sehen sowie das visitBerlin Logo im linken unterem Eck. Die Untertitel des Videos können im YouTube Player unter Einstellungen an- und ausgeschaltet werden. Für eine Transkription sollte das Video direkt auf YouTube angeschaut werden.
Our Podcast Berlin Unboxed takes you to places that are otherwise not so easily accessible.
In this episode, we accompany Maja Avramovic, violinist with the Berliner Philharmoniker since 1994, into the vocal room and experience the magic of a live concert with Frederik Hanssen, who has been writing about Berlin's classical music scene for the Tagesspiegel for decades. Listen in right now!
Delicious and melodic: free lunch concerts
Tip to check it out: Every Tuesday at 1 pm during the concert season, orchestra members perform a small lunch concert without admission, which is also accompanied by a buffet.
The Berliner Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall
Listen in: Concerts by the Philharmoniker are available online in the Digital Concert Hall - albeit for a fee.
Your visit
You can easily reach the Philharmonie by public transport to Potsdamer Platz U2, S1, S2, S25 and S26. Some regional trains also stop within walking distance. The bus lines M48, M85 and M29 also stop nearby. There are also parking spaces for bicycles.
Parking spaces at the Philharmonie
The Philharmonie car park is currently a construction site, as the berlin modern, the new Museum der Moderne, is being built next to the Neue Nationalgalerie. You can park in the nearby Center and The Playce at Potsdamer Platz.
Sights near the Philharmonie
The Philharmonie is located at the Kulturforum with all its famous museums and institutions. For a walk after or before a long concert, we recommend a stroll through the Tiergarten or the neighbouring Diplomatic Quarter with its many interesting buildings and embassies. You will find a wide range of restaurants and shopping opportunities at Potsdamer Platz and a little further behind in the Mall of Berlin at Leipziger Platz.
Information for school classes
The Philharmoniker have launched an extensive education programme for young musicians and music lovers, with special offers aimed at school classes.
