Berlin Phil claims the most ‘likes’ of any classical org

Berlin has 1.2 million left-clicks on Facebook, bragged its bosses at today’s season launch.

Anyone beat that?

In other news, Yuja Wang will kick off the next season.

Press release below.

The Berliner Philharmoniker will present 121 symphony concerts and 6 opera performances during the 2018/2019 season, including:
90 concerts in the Philharmonie with 31 different programmes
2 concert opera performances in the Philharmonie
1 concert in the Schlüterhof (central courtyard of the Zeughaus)
1 concert in the Waldbühne
29 concerts on tour
4 concerts at the 2019 Easter Festival in Baden-Baden
4 opera performances at the 2019 Easter Festival in Baden-Baden

Chief conductor designate Kirill Petrenko will conduct 13 concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker. The 2018/2019 season is a time of transition for the Berliner Philharmoniker. After Sir Simon Rattle’s departure as chief conductor and artistic director and before his successor Kirill Petrenko begins his tenure, the coming season offers an opportunity to experience many different guest conductors on the orchestra’s podium. The theme “transition” can also apply in the figurative sense to the many conductors of the younger generation who have been engaged for two programmes each – some with tours. During the past few years, conductors such as Daniel Harding, Andris Nelsons, Gustavo Dudamel, Tugan Sokhiev, Paavo Järvi and Yannick Nézet-Séguin have also made the transition
from young talent to established artist on our stage. In addition to the concerts at the Philharmonie we will go on tour with Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Harding, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Tugan Sokhiev. The latter will also conduct the final concert of the season in the Waldbühne, and Paavo Järvi will support our Education Programme by conducting the Meet the School Orchestra rehearsal and concert. In the tradition of his predecessor Claudio Abbado, in future Sir Simon Rattle will conduct at least one programme every season. Conductors Sakari Oramo and Valery Gergiev will return to the Berliner Philharmoniker again after a long absence.

Debuts by Conductors and Soloists
Jakub Hrůša (11/12/13 October 2018), chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, Michael Sanderling (30/31 May and 1 June 2019), chief conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic, and Constantinos Carydis (13/14/15 June 2019), who is a regular guest at the Bavarian State Opera, will make their debuts conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker during the 2018/2019 season. Violinist Carolin Widmann (13/14/15 September 2018), mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa (26 June 2019 at the Düsseldorf Tonhalle, 27 June 2019 at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and 29 June 2019 in Berlin’s Waldbühne), pianists Cédric Tiberghien (8/9 September 2018) and Paul Lewis (9/10/11 May 2019) and percussionist Martin Grubinger (28 February and 1/2 March 2019) will appear for the first time as
soloists with the orchestra. In addition, the Arod Quartet and the Jack Quartet will perform for the first time in the Chamber Music Hall.

Artist in Residence and Composer in Residence
The Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov is Artist in Residence for the 2018/2019 season. He will be heard in 5 concert programmes: a solo recital on 21 February 2019, as soloist in a symphony concert conducted by Andris Nelsons (20/21/22 June 2019) and in 3 chamber concerts (30 September 2018, 6 January 2019 and 23 June 2019). Daniil Trifonov will also appear in a concert with the Karajan
Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker on 30 September 2018.

The Berliner Philharmoniker, in cooperation with the Musikfest Berlin, have invited the English composer George Benjamin to serve as Composer in Residence during the 2018/2019 season. His works will be heard during eight concerts in the Great Hall, the Chamber Music Hall and at the Easter Festival in Baden-Baden. He will conduct one of these concerts himself.

World, European and Berliner Philharmoniker Premieres
Two world premieres, a work by Mark Andre with the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin and a work by Gregor Mayrhofer with the Karajan Academy as well as 2 European premieres, Brett Dean’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Metacosmos, will be presented during the coming season.

Several works will be heard on Berliner Philharmoniker programmes for the first time during the coming season: the Concerto for Two Pianos by Max Bruch, Detlev Glanert’s Weites Land, conducted by Semyon Bychkov, Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” and Divertimento for Orchestra with Gustavo Dudamel, Speaking Drums by Peter Eötvös with Martin Grubinger and Zubin Mehta,
My Melodies for eight horns and orchestra by Helmut Lachenmann, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, and Wilhelm Stenhammar’s Second Symphony under Herbert Blomstedt.

In Retrospect: The Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation during Fiscal Year 2017
138 symphony concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker, including:
103 concerts in the Great Hall and 35 concerts during tours
38 concerts in the Chamber Music Hall
93% capacity in the Great Hall for internal events, which is equivalent to more than 227,00 paying
patrons / tickets sold
77% capacity in the Chamber Music Hall for internal events, which is equivalent to 36,000 paying
patrons / tickets sold
371 rentals of the Great Hall and Chamber Music Hall
65.5% self-financing level (coverage of expenditures through internal earnings)