There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. The complete recording of all five works with Mitsuko Uchida and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the most spectacular projects of the Berliner Philharmoniker during the Rattle era – and at the same time the highlight of the collaboration between the orchestra and the pianist, which began in 1984.

Imagine a window into the past. Imagine finally connecting singers' bodies to the voices you have al...

Utopia, the new orchestra of conductor Teodor Currentzis, can be experienced for the first time in V...

Based on the famous Gustav Holst musical suite, this musical film takes watchers on a magnificent jo...

Karajan conducts these symphonies with eyes closed, often intently enraptured by the music, smiling ...

From the very first bars of the Coriolan Overture, it is apparent that this is Beethoven at his very...

The Nutcracker is Mikhail Baryshnikov's breathtaking and critically acclaimed Emmy-nominated product...

For Mahler, symphonies always were a means of interpreting the most convoluted philosophical problem...

For their annual season end concert, the Berliner Philharmoniker take the audience on a dreamy, magi...
The Christmas I Love’ is a very special Christmas gift – a collection of some of the most tender car...

Layar, a popular film star who feels bored with his career wants to make a musical theater set in a ...
Pierre Boulez conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a special concert from the Barbican,...

Surely Bach’s French Suites, which he composed during his years at Cöthen (1717–1723), are among the...

Live performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat, BWV 243 from Herbert von Karajan's New Year'...
This video depicts Tanglewood in its very early years. It contains very rare footage of Serge Kouss...


In Anton Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, the listener encounters a music characterized by great spaciousnes...

Anton Bruckner’s 6th Symphony was written between 1879 and 1881: a very happy time in his life. Unli...

“Clarity was one thing that made this performance a marvel. Another was the flexibility of Barenboim...

This large-scale live recording (Gardiner's second) was made in Venice's St Mark's Basilica. It capt...

Every year, the Berliner Philharmoniker hold a kind of classical-music fête with a bright, cheerful ...