Berlin Philharmonic

February 21, 2006 at 12:31 AM · I think I read on here something that may apply to this situation:

A tourist asked someone on the street in New York "How do I get to Carnegie Hall"

The Response: "Practice, Practice, Practice"

Not all together helpful though, but I also would like to have an understanding of what it takes.

Note that getting into the Berlin Phil is by no means a measure that you have made it in the violin world, nor is it indicative that those that haven't made it to the Berlin Phil aren't any good. There are a number of good orchestras around the world that I for one would be pleased to get a place in.

BTW, I have heard my lecturers criticise the Berlin Philharmonic for they often use (or used to use) the whole triple-wind string contingent (16-14-12-10-8) when playing works by Mozart or Beethoven, where as a more stylistic approach would've been 10-10-8-6-4 or something like that. Just a little thing, and not indicitive of the quality of the orchestra in general though.

February 21, 2006 at 12:34 AM · Hi,

The best words for this a probably what I heard from Leon Spierer, ex-concermaster of the Berlin Phil: "One should be able to comply in absolute with the basics of playing in tune, in time and doing what's in the score. No amount of interpretation or "musicality" will excuse from complying with those basics." Good advice from someone who knows what it means to be there.

Cheers!

February 21, 2006 at 04:50 AM · "BTW, I have heard my lecturers criticise the Berlin Philharmonic for they often use (or used to use) the whole triple-wind string contingent (16-14-12-10-8)"

Eh? What does that mean? Are those the numbers of players in the string sections?

February 21, 2006 at 07:14 AM · yup, 16 firsts, 14 seconds, 12 violas, 10 celli and 8 dbl basses.

February 21, 2006 at 08:27 AM · The BPO plays Mozart with 8 double basses??

Hard to imagine, and surely not appropriate.

February 21, 2006 at 08:53 AM · Karajan used to quote one of Mozart letter's that the Paris court orchestra had large numbers of strings - that's why his BPO played Mozart with large forces. I watched the Leipzig Gewandhaus play Mozart Sym 41 with a full string section. It was very good despite the large string section.

February 21, 2006 at 09:23 AM · I wasn't trying to say that it couldn't be done - I personally enjoy my BPO recordings of some of the Beethoven Symphonies. And I agree that Mozart with a large string section can sound fantastic.

What I was trying to say is that the BPO isn't neccessarily the "best" orchestra, as there are different ways of determining the "best"

Who's to say that the Australian Chamber Orchestra isn't as good as the BPO? Just because they are a chamber orchestra and play with much smaller numbers doesn't mean that their technical ability is any less.

If when I finish studying I can get paid to play in an orchestra, I will be happy - whether it's the Berlin Phil or the humble old WASO, I shall be happy.

February 21, 2006 at 09:42 AM · what about the whole being an American? how will that affect my ability to get into any european orchestras?

February 21, 2006 at 10:00 AM · Nick, I don't think they'll care where you're from. You'd just had better be bloody good.

February 21, 2006 at 11:01 AM · I think I also heard somewhere that you had to be a student of a Berlin Philharmonic player, or go through a very rigorous mentorship with one of the players?

(Not sure if I've remembered accurately though...)

--Fiona

February 21, 2006 at 11:08 AM · A couple of first violinists' names from Berlin Phil musician roster:

Guy Braunstein leader

Daniel Stabrawa leader

Toru Yasunaga leader

Zoltan Almási

Maja Avramovic

Simon Bernardini

Alessandro Cappone

Madeleine Carruzzo

Aline Champion

Laurentiu Dinca

Aleksandar Ivic

Kotowa Machida

and from the second violinists:

Stanley Dodds

Christophe Horak

Romano Tommasini

You'll find actually more non-Germans in the first violin section, so I would not apply for a second position being a foreigner ;-)

The probation period is 24 months at present.

FMF

February 21, 2006 at 12:38 PM · Two years of smooth sailing then they throw you overboard.

February 21, 2006 at 03:33 PM · I have a DVD called "The Berlin Philharmonic Story". It is a documentary of the orchestra members. From this DVD, it seems like the orchestra members vote for who gets in or not. They have a lot of say in many different things from choosing pieces, choosing a conductor and so forth. It is a very interesting and educating DVD. It is from Euroarts. I think I got it at Borders bookstore.

February 21, 2006 at 08:05 PM · What are the most demanding works Berliner Philharmonics performed during the past year?

I am not very good at sightreading modern works but fast scales and arpeggios in 4/4 is usually not a big problem.

In other words I rank pieces with very frequent changes of timesignatures that are odd and unuasual as more demanding then fast works in 4/4.

February 21, 2006 at 11:16 PM · Greetings,

people tend to classify orchestral works as easy or difficult but this is really misleading and does not refelct the demands made on potential orchstra memebers during auditions. Younger players get really into who can play Don Juan or the Bartok cocnerto for orchestra loude r or faster (actually I think they are pretty easy compared to some stuff- always found them under the fingers assuming enopugh scales and etudes are done) but what may interets a panel more is the quality and beauty of sound you produce in a slow passgae from a Brahms symphony or the rythmic precision and phrasinf of Mozart. You can get away with a little in Strauss but a player who is producing glitches in a seamless Brahms pianissimo is just not woth hiring , period.

Put it another way, listen to an average perfoamnce of Mozart 40 and it sounds impressive but not something that is going to stay at the front of the cd cabinet. Then dig out say the recording by Szell with the Cleveland. Notice that every single repetiton of the theme in the first movement uses some sligh difference in articulation, tempo , dynamic or whatever. You can bet your bottom dollar that was rehearsed until the players were ready to driop and the recording was a kniofe edge experience even for an orchstra of the fantastic calibre the Cleveland was at that time.

Cheers,

Buri

February 23, 2006 at 02:16 PM · To complement what Stephen says, I once heard Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields (top London band) paying Berlioz's 'Beatrice and Benedict' overture, live - it was really noticeable exactly how it sounds when you get everyone in the section playing on a knife-edge, as mentioned above, and quite different to what the average provincial orchestra will produce.

February 23, 2006 at 03:01 PM · Jim - that's the first time I've heard the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields described as a "band"

February 23, 2006 at 05:50 PM · It seems that european orchestras like to hire people they already know, usually by substitution. I have a friend who subs with the Phil and is a member of the Berlin Phil Academy. She is American and many other countries are represented in this program. There is info on the program on their website.

February 24, 2006 at 09:36 AM · Ben - it's slang for any orchestra, in the UK

February 24, 2007 at 07:02 PM · Emm.. You just need to play extremely good. For the Concermaster job they don't ask you for orchestral excerpts. You play Mozart Concerto, romantic concerto and some Concertmaster solos (Straus and such). The orchestra members votes if they want you and for 2 years your on tryouts.

For Concertmaster auditions you need to be invited.

May 27, 2007 at 05:27 AM · My teacher used to play with them. From what he's said, it sounds so cutthroat that it transcends (somewhat) all of this business about studying with one of the players, knowing what they'll ask for in the auditions, etc. The quote from the old CM is spot-on though. German culture is very literal, and so the intonation, rhythm and score reading must be absolutely bang-on the entire time.