Raging storms, shimmering waves, or raindrops – for centuries, composers have drawn inspiration from nature. Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Claude Debussy’s La Mer, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s »Pastoral« Symphony are among the best-known works to depict natural scenes through music. But how can the sounds of nature be created by an orchestra? What role is played by instruments like the cor anglais or the glockenspiel?
In this video, First Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, percussionist Raphael Haeger, and cor anglais player Dominik Wollenweber explain how the beauty and power of nature can be translated into music.
What does nature sound like in music?
Nature and music
Composers of all ages have been inspired by nature to write magnificent works: only their aesthetic outlook and their individual approach have changed with the passage of time. Here is a brief survey of this subject
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Biennale: “Paradise Lost?”
In February 2025, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Biennale will focus on the threat to nature. A festival with concerts, guests from the world of science and much more.
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Antje Boetius in conversation
Marine biologist Antje Boetius will join a discussion at the Philharmonie as part of this year’s Biennale, “Paradise Lost?”. In our interview, she talks about the role that climate change will continue to play in society, and whether we will ever truly learn to see the ocean as a gigantic habitat.
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