{"id":18413,"date":"2022-08-06T04:03:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-06T02:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=6522"},"modified":"2022-08-06T22:00:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T20:00:08","slug":"who-are-the-berlin-philharmonics-past-chief-conductors","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/who-are-the-berlin-philharmonics-past-chief-conductors\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the Berlin Philharmonic\u2019s past chief conductors?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Rebecca Franks\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Saturday, 06 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Some of the conducting greats of the world , past and present, have headed up the Berlin Philharmonic (one of the \u00a0best orchestras in the world<\/a>), from founder Benjamin Bilse to Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who are the Berlin Philharmonic\u2019s past chief conductors?<\/h2>\n
Benjamin Bilse<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tight-fisted and autocratic, Benjamin Bilse was the conductor who unwittingly caused the Berlin Philharmonic to be formed. In 1882, 54 players from the Bilsesche Kapelle orchestra he\u2019d founded 15 years earlier lost patience with their employer\u2019s mean nature and set up their own ensemble, initially called the Philharmonische Orchester.<\/p>\n
Hans von B\u00fclow (1887-1892)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A major champion of Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Wagner \u2013 even after the latter had run off with his wife Cosima \u2013 von B\u00fclow secured both the reputation and the future of the Berlin Phil in his five years as its conductor. Under him, performance standards were raised and a number of prestigious guest conductors, including Brahms and Grieg, were engaged.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who are the BBC Philharmonic\u2019s past principal conductors?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Arthur Nikisch (1895-1922)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Very much the pioneer, Nikisch\u2019s spell as conductor saw the Berlin Phil establish itself further afield with tours and some of the first recordings ever made. The Hungarian also broadened the orchestra\u2019s repertoire, particularly in his beloved Bruckner and contemporary composers such as Mahler, Sibelius and Richard Strauss.<\/p>\n
Wilhelm Furtw\u00e4ngler (1922-1945)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Furtw\u00e4ngler\u2019s achievement in maintaining the Berlin Phil\u2019s high standards through the Nazi era should not be underestimated. Having initially resisted the Nazi regime, his decision to remain in Germany meant that he later became associated with it \u2013 his own explanation was that he had stayed to protect German music against those who might misuse it for propaganda. His many recordings, particularly of the German Classical and Romantic repertoire, reveal a conductor whose interpretations ranged from subjective to plain idiosyncratic but who at his best could muster astonishing power and depth of emotion.<\/p>\n\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/6-best-beethovens-overlooked-works"\"><strong>Six of the best: Beethoven\u2019s overlooked works<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Leo Borchard (May-August 1945)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Put in post by the Soviets after the German surrender in May 1945, the Russian-born Borchard\u2019s anti-Nazi activities during the war made him an obvious choice to succeed Furtw\u00e4ngler, who had fled to Switzerland in 1944. His time as principal conductor was short-lived, as he was mistakenly shot dead by an American sentry guard just three months later.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Leo\" borchard=\"\" conducts=\"\" j.=\"\" strauss=\"\" ii=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t0TTmWfyQag?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Sergiu Celibidache (1945-1952)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>His famed refusal to enter a recording studio makes Celibidache\u2019s Berlin Phil legacy hard to judge. The Romanian\u2019s performances that we can enjoy on disc today \u2013 often marked by very slow tempos \u2013 were recorded in concert and arguably miss the point: he was concerned only with creating a transcendental moment for those experiencing the music first hand. But his spell in charge saw the orchestra re-accepted into the international fold.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Beethoven\" egmont=\"\" overture=\"\" philharmoniker=\"\" sergiu=\"\" celibidache=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/G3346Dq9fXM?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-contemporary-female-composers"\"><strong>9 of the best contemporary female composers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Wilhelm Furtw\u00e4ngler (1952-1954)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A brief return for the great maestro, who was appointed conductor for life. His death was followed by the man he loved to hate\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Herbert von Karajan (1954-1989)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Loved the studio as much as Celibidache shunned it. Embracing every advance in technology, from stereo to the dawn of the CD, his meticulously prepared recordings set new standards. With his own image carefully honed, both he and the orchestra enjoyed the superstar status that in the latter case persists to this day. Plying their trade in the new Philharmonie hall, built in 1963 within view of the Berlin Wall (which fell within months of his death), they became a symbol of not just West Germany but of Western culture itself.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Tchaikovsky:\" symphony=\"\" no.=\"\" karajan=\"\" berliner=\"\" philharmoniker=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DmAEPhc7eWI?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/20-greatest-conductors-all-time"\"><strong>The 20 Greatest Conductors of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Claudio Abbado (1989-2002)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A very different character from Karajan, the reserved, thoughtful Abbado led a period of stability for the\u00a0orchestra at a time of massive change in post-wall Berlin itself. Hugely popular with players and public alike, the Italian stepped down in 2002 for reasons of ill-health.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Dvo\u0159\u00e1k:\" symphony=\"\" no.=\"\" the=\"\" new=\"\" world=\"\" abbado=\"\" berliner=\"\" philharmoniker=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S5sB4B2lCaQ?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Simon Rattle (2002-2018)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Has made it his mission to bring the Berlin Phil into the 21st century while keeping mindful of its history and tradition \u2013 not an easy task. As well as involving his players in significant out-reach programmes, he has pioneered the digital concert hall project, that allows concerts to be enjoyed live online.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\""standard-card-new__article-title"\" href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/rattles-best-recordings\/"\">Simon Rattle: the best recordings<\/a><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Beethoven:\" symphony=\"\" no.=\"\" rattle=\"\" berliner=\"\" philharmoniker=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VHDZ2isd4xg?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul><li><a href=\""http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-electronic-orchestral-music"\"><strong>The best electronic orchestral music<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><p><em>This article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of BBC Music Magazine<\/em><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Rebecca Franks Published: Saturday, 06 August 2022 at 12:00 am Some of the conducting greats of the world , past and present, have headed up the Berlin Philharmonic (one of the \u00a0best orchestras in the world), from founder Benjamin Bilse to Claudio Abbado and Simon Rattle. Who are the Berlin Philharmonic\u2019s past chief conductors? 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Who are the Berlin Philharmonic\u2019s past chief conductors?…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/18413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}