The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the treasures of the city, and is consistently ranked as one of the finest orchestras in the world. Although the coronavirus has sadly forced them to close their doors until at least April 19, their Digital Concert Hall still provides a wonderful opportunity for fans and new listeners alike to experience the orchestra, without having to take public transportation, or even reside in Berlin.
As an added incentive, the Philharmonic is offering 30 days of free access to all who sign up before March 31 with the code BERLINPHIL.
The Digital Concert Hall offers live-streams of events from the Philharmonic, documentaries about the orchestra, a concert database, interviews, and film portraits of many members of the orchestra. However, its true value lies in the digital treasure-trove of over 600 concerts, mostly taken from the past ten years.
Viewers can easily bounce around, from a performance last year of the new chief conductor Kirill Petrenko performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, to a recording of Herbert van Karajan conducting Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” over 50 years ago.
The best part of the Digital Concert Hall is the phenomenal site organisation that allows for easy perusing of the catalogue. Visitors can easily filter and search through numerous categories including conductor, composer, genre, and era.
For example, just a few clicks reveal the 25 concerts in which former head conductor Simon Rattle performed works by Ludwig van Beethoven, in chronological order. This provides an easy way to sort through an overwhelming number of concerts as well as discover new gems.
The terrible consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are already spreading far beyond doctors and hospitals to damage cultural institutions all over the world. At a time like this, the arts are more important than ever to provide relief from the hardship around us, but they also, more so than ever, need our support as well.
If you enjoyed the 30 days of free access to the Digital Concert Hall, consider supporting the Philharmonic by paying to renew your subscription afterwards. Information on the Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall can be found on their website.