In Vienna a few weeks ago, after Thomas Gansch's Don Ellis Tribute concert I was lucky enough to meet again Gabor Tarkövi, one of the Solo Trumpets of the Berlin Philharmonic. He is a close friend of Thomas'. He happened to be in Vienna and came to the concert. I played for Gabor at the Schagerl Brass Festival in 2008. He is a wonderful, open, friendly man, and a great, great player. We struck up a conversation at the after party of Thomas' concert and the idea of me coming up to Berlin to hang with him developed. Well, here I am.
I spent the day at the Philharmonie, watching two rehearsals: a Haydn Symphony in E flat, The Rachmanninoff Symphonic Variations, and the Mahler Symphony No. 1. In between I got to watch Gabor teach a student of his in the Karajan Acadamy, and and have a long chat about trumpet with him at a café in Potsdamer Platz. What a cool day.
For those who don't know the history of the Berlin Philharmonie, here is a short version.
During WWII the original Philharmonie (Philharmonic Hall) was bombed and burned to the ground. For years afterward the orchestra played in a converted ice skating rink and movie house, the Titania Palace. They also rented space from the Berlin Music Academy. When Herbert Von Karajan was elected Music Director in 1955, one of his first projects was to push for the building of a new hall for his orchestra. The city government hosted a competition, asking for designs. There were many applications. By far the strangest was from the Berlin Architect Hans Scharoun. His concept was one of a pentagon of vineyards, sloping down towards the musicians. He also forwarded the concept of "Musik im Mittelpunkt" (music in the center), in which the audience surrounds the players, like amphitheaters of ancient Greece and Rome. It was clearly the most modern and unique of the applications. Plus, no one had a clue whether it would work or not. Many thought it too odd, and unsuitable to such a bastion of German tradition as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Karajan, who never did anything in half measures, loved the concept and put his full support behind it.
The Hall opened in 1964, and is seen as a groundbreaking building. The acoustics are fabulous; not as warm and lush as Vienna or Boston - but clear, even, and, like new ball parks in America, audience friendly. No one is very far from the center of the hall, everyone gets a clear view. It's a great place to hear, and "watch" a concert.
It is the most influential new hall in the world. It's influence can be seen in concerts halls in: Mexico City, Denver, Leipzig, Köln, and most notably Disney Hall in Los Angeles. There is a fantastically modern hall being built "above" the harbor in Hamburg, Germany that also takes its DNA from Berlin.
From a orchestra with a groundbreaking concert hall, they now have paved the way for a new way to attend concerts. The Digital Concert Hall of the Berliner Philharmoniker allows anyone with a computer and a high speed internet connection to watch their concerts; live, or from a growing archive. The Philharmoniker now broadcast HD quality concerts to anyone who subscribes, or buys a single ticket... The rehearsal I watched today, will be available on the Digital Concert Hall live, as it occurs on Friday. Go on line and check it out. They have free samples!
Gabor (right) and former Solo Trumpet Martin Kretzer.
A video tour of the hall.
Just a snippet of the 4th movement of Mahler No. 1.Thanks for stopping by!
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