Berlin Philharmonic bass retires after 44 years
NewsThe doublebass player Ulrich Wolff, who joined the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra aged 22, has reached the mandatory retirement age.
He signed on in 1978 after a spell with Leonard Bernstein’s world youth orchestra and broke away from 1981 to 1985 in to play principal doublebass for Sergiu Celibidache at Stuttgart Radio. In the late 1990s he played in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and was a member of the Berlin Philharmonic’s ruling council. Since 2005, he has taught at the Gustav Mahler Academy founded in Italy by Claudio Abbado.
Anyone remember the scene in “Titanic” near the end when the leader of the string quintet tells his fellow players they’ve done there duty and try and save themselves? Well they go shuffling off still carrying their instruments, including the bass player! I always think “where is this guy taking this huge instrument”? Use it as a floater?
LOL. Yes, I wouldn’t fancy the chances of the other players trying to use their instruments as flotation devices, but the bass player … 🙂
I hope so, he had a true boat to keep him afloat. Pity the poor flute and sax players of the dance band…
That IS what basses are for as well. I am sure the actual bassist of the Titanic survived that way. What’s with all these humorless thumbs down?
Congratulations, Ulrich, on a wonderful career! I played trombone at the same time as Ulrich in the world youth orchestra mentioned in the article. Great fun.
Congrats to Ulrich Wolff on his years of service and fine bass playing!
And congrats to Piotr Zimnik for winning Uli’s spot as a tutti player in the Berliner Philharmoniker bass group in an audition last year!
There isn’t quite a much players who are retiring after nearly 45 years! That is so respectful so hat’s off! Happy retirement and thank you for all these years playing the best string instument in one of the world’s top3 orchestras!
Berlin Phil is wrong to have a mandatory retirement age. Also wrong to only accept underhand bows.
It’s not the BPO’s rule, Herr Binx, he has reached the mandatory retirement age for Germany’s pension system.