The Berliner Philharmoniker are saddened to hear of the death of Peter Eötvös on 24 March 2024. He was 80 years old. As one of the most important composers of our time and an outstanding conductor, especially of contemporary music, Peter Eötvös worked regularly with the orchestra. He made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 1999 with works by Wolfgang Rihm and Harrison Birtwistle, among others, followed by concerts with Béla Bartók’s one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle (2005) and Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Requiem for a Young Poet (2009).
Particular highlights were concerts in which Peter Eötvös conducted his own works, beginning in 2003 with his orchestral work Atlantis. In 2011, he lead the world premiere of his Cello Concerto Grosso with Miklós Perényi as soloist, and in 2019 the German premiere of his Third Violin Concerto Alhambra with violinist Isabelle Faust. On the occasion of his 70th birthday, Peter Eötvös was invited to a guest performance in 2014 at which he conducted his Violin Concerto No. 2 DoReMi with Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Performances of Peter Eötvös’ works under his direction were also planned for the future.
