Washington, New York, Boston, Ann Arbor and Chicago – the Berliner Philharmoniker’s 2024 US tour takes the orchestra to these cities. In honour of Anton Bruckner’s 200th birthday, the programme includes his fifth symphony, with has already been enthusiastically received by audiences in Salzburg, Lucerne and London when the orchestra and chief conductor Kirill Petrenko were there earlier this year. Another highlight is the collaboration with Vilde Frang and BenjaminBeilman, who will each perform Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto. Programmes also feature works by Antonín Dvořák and Sergei Rachmaninoff, who, like Korngold, had a special connection to the USA. You can find out more about the music, the composers and, of course, all of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s travel adventures on our blog.
Grande Finale in Chicago
The USA tour ends with Bruckner’s Fifth at the Symphony Center.
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The penultimate tour stop
Three days and two concerts in Ann Arbor.
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#SharingMusic on tour
School visits, a concert for the homeless, a youth orchestra rehearsal and masterclasses - the Berliner Philharmoniker's members are also touring in smaller ensembles.
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Behind the music: Dvořák in America
Flautist Jelka Weber and horn player Johannes Lamotke put themselves in the composer’s shoes in our video, as they talk about his fruitful years in the US.
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Nerd Alert!
How well does AI compose? Why does music hit us right in the heart? And can it perhaps ultimately cure Alzheimer’s? Orchestra members discussed these and many other fascinating questions with scientists at MIT in Boston.
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Bruckner in Boston
A rare guest, a gorgeous concert hall and an incredibly attentive audience.
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Between frustration and freedom
Do all good things come in threes? Not when it came to Sergei Rachmaninoff and his relationship with the US. He went to the “New World” three times – twice involuntarily and once rather reluctantly.
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Behind the music: Sebastian Krunnies
You’ve all heard the jokes, and you may know the clichés, but beyond these, there is a world of magic to discover around the viola. In New York’s Central Park, Sebastian Krunnies tells us what he loves most about his instrument.
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Carnegie State of Mind
The Berliner Philharmoniker’s first concert in the legendary Carnegie Hall was on 1 March 1955 under Herbert von Karajan; since then, the orchestra has given 76 further concerts there. This year, they return for three more.
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Behind the music: On Korngold’s tracks
The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. is home to countless fantastic exhibits. Among them is the manuscript of Korngold’s violin concerto. Stephan Koncz and Bruno Delepelaire search for clues in the depths of the library.
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From the capital to the capitol
After more than 20 years, the Berliner Philharmoniker once again perform a celebrated concert in Washington D.C..
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#anticipation
Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker explain what they are most looking forward to on their tour of the USA.
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A journey back in time
Knut Weber (cello) and Cornelia Gartemann (violin) dig through boxes, photos and newspaper articles: The mission is to discover the Berliner Philharmoniker's first tours in the USA.
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Back in the USA
American fans are particularly loyal supporters and followers of the orchestra. This was not always the case. An eventful tour history.
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“Upbeat”: Sergei Rachmaninoff's “Isle of the Dead”
Kirill Petrenko rehearses Sergei Rachmaninoff’s tone poem Isle of the Dead. Violist Julia Gartemann gives us some personal insights into this enigmatic work.
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Yearningly successful
His two-and-a-half-year stay in America was an ambivalent time for Antonín Dvořák – characterized by triumphs, enthusiasm about new impressions, but also yearning for his Bohemian homeland.
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Erich Wolfgang Korngold
In the 1920s, Korngold was one of the most frequently performed opera composers of the time. The Nazi regime forced him to emigrate to the USA, where he embarked on a second career.
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