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Back to Press Release List > 10/06/2009 - Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker Return to Carnegie Hall November 11–13

CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS THREE CONCERTS FEATURING THE
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER LED BY SIR SIMON RATTLE ON NOVEMBER 11–13



Orchestra’s Three Programs Pair Works by Brahms and Schoenberg

Soprano Evelyn Herlitzius Joins Orchestra for Schoenberg’s Erwartung on November 12

The Berliner Philharmoniker, led by Music Director and Conductor Sir Simon Rattle, will perform in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on Wednesday, November 11; Thursday, November 12; and Friday, November 13, with all three performances starting at 8:00 p.m. For their Carnegie Hall programs, the orchestra will perform a complete cycle of Brahms’ symphonies over the course of three evenings, juxtaposed with music by Schoenberg. The first performance of the series will include both Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in C Minor as well as Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, orchestrated by Schoenberg. The following evening, soprano Evelyn Herlitzius joins the orchestra for Schoenberg’s Erwartung; the orchestra also performs Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1 and Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major. The series concludes on November 13 with Brahms’s Symphonies No. 3 in F Major and No. 4 in E Minor as well as Schoenberg’s Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene.

These performances kick off a six-city U.S. tour by the Berliner Philharmoniker, which continues on to Boston, Chicago, Ann Arbor, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The tour follows the October 6 release of orchestra’s recording of the complete Brahms symphonies on EMI Classics, recorded at the Philharmonie Berlin in fall 2008.

Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker last appeared at Carnegie Hall in November 2007. Their eight-day residency was a central part of Berlin in Lights, Carnegie Hall’s 17-day citywide festival celebrating Berlin’s cultural landscape.

Artist Information
Sir Simon Rattle was chosen by the musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker to succeed Claudio Abbado as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director in June 1999, capping a relationship that began 12 years earlier. For 18 years (1980–1998) as Principal Conductor, Artistic Advisor, and then Music Director, he led the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, Sir Simon served as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s first Principal Guest Conductor from 1981–1994, a position he now holds with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; and forged long-term bonds with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic. Also a distinguished opera conductor, he has performed works of Mozart, Strauss, Wagner, Beethoven, and Janácek, and led the world premiere of Nicholas Maw’s Sophie’s Choice. An exclusive EMI artist, Simon Rattle has made more than 60 recordings with the CBSO, Berliner Philharmoniker, and other orchestras. He was named a K.B.E in 1994 in recognition of his contribution to the arts.

Soprano Evelyn Herlitzius, was born in Osnabrück, Germany. She initially trained as a dancer before she began studying voice with Professor Hans Kagel and Eckart Lindemann in Hamburg. Very early on in her career, she received many opportunities to give concerts in Germany and internationally. Since 1989, Ms. Herlitzius has been a grant-holder of the Oskar and Vera Ritter Foundation and she was awarded her Diploma in Opera cum laude in the summer of 1990 from the Hamburg School of Music. She won first place in the Nuremberg Meistersinger Competition in 1993. Ms. Herlitzius made her operatic debut in 1993 as Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Flensburg Regional Theatre. In October 1994, she made her debut at the Hamburg State Opera House as Ortlinde in Wagner's Die Walküre with music conducted by Gerd Albrecht. That December, Ms. Herlitzius appeared in a debut performance at the Saarland City Theatre in Saarbrücken as Marie in Wozzeck. She made her debut at the Bavarian City Opera House in Munich in May 1997 with Henze's Venus and Adonis. Since 1997, Ms. Herlitzius has worked with the Saxony State Opera (designed by Semper) in Dresden.

The history of the Berliner Philharmoniker has been written by the legendary music directors who preceded Simon Rattle. They include Hans von Bülow, who helped establish the orchestra’s high musical standards; Arthur Nikisch, who during his 27-year tenure brought the ensemble to international stature; Wilhelm Furtwängler, who significantly expanded its repertoire to include works by major 20th-century composers; Herbert von Karajan, who cultivated the orchestra’s distinctive sound, made countless recordings, and founded its Salzburg Easter Festival; and Claudio Abbado, who developed cycles of concerts having specific thematic concepts, and who brought more than half of the current players to the ensemble. Under Simon Rattle’s direction, while upholding this tradition of excellence, the Berliner Philharmoniker is expanding its cultural mission by developing projects designed to bring music and music education to the widest possible audiences.


Program Information
Wednesday, November 11 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER
Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor

JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25 (orch. Schoenberg)
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
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Thursday, November 12 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER
Sir Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor
Evelyn Herlitzius, Soprano

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9b
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Erwartung, Op. 17
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with Ara Guzelimian, Provost and Dean, The Juilliard School.
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Friday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER
Simon Rattle, Music Director and Conductor

JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene, Op. 34
JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
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The Carnegie Hall presentations of the Berliner Philharmoniker are made possible by a leadership gift from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information
Tickets priced at $67, $81, $105, $145, $198, and $219 are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts.


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Images from top of release: Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berliner Philharmoniker at Carnegie Hall; Photography by Jennifer Taylor

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