Musical destinations – Berlin Germany

Jeremy Pound heads to the German capital’s Philharmonie concert hall to enjoy a late-summer feast of spectacular orchestral playing

- By Jeremy Pound

The first challenge when attending a concert at Berlin’s Philharmonie is to navigate the array of staircases and doors by which you get to your seat in the Grosser Saal auditorium. Go for the wrong door – as I do – and an attendant will cordially but firmly send you back to have another go. Do remember to leave enough time.

When you do find your allotted place, however, the rewards are immense. The Philharmonie tends to be talked about in revered tones by both musicians and concert-goers, and for good reason, as whichever of the Grosser Saal’s 2,440 seats you are in, you will enjoy a sound that is warm but crystal clear and with a gloriously rich bass. The hall’s ‘vineyard-style’ shape, meanwhile, means that none of those seats feels too far away from the stage. Was it really built nearly 60 years ago? It all looks and feels remarkably modern.

While the Philharmonie is usually associated with its most famous residents, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, other ensembles get to play here too, and for a month in late summer, the Musikfest Berlin welcomes famous orchestras from across the world, effectively kicking off the autumn concert season. Those invited over in 2022 include the Royal Concertgebouw, the LSO and the Philadelphia Orchestra, but it’s not all about the visitors. Playing the role of genial hosts, the Berlin Phil also performs, as do Berlin’s other professional symphony orchestras. And while orchestral music occupies the bulk of the programme, choirs, chamber music and song recitals are part of the mix too.