Philipp Bohnen: My Berliner Philharmoniker Top Five
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings, 2nd violinist Philipp Bohnen shares his favourite recordings from the label. A member of the orchestra since 2008, he has also assisted with the label by serving as a member of the Media Board. Enjoy Bohnen's most cherished recordings with one of the world's leading orchestras.
Read more…Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto is one of those works about which one feels there isn’t a single note too many and that each is exactly where it belongs. Listening to it is like being permanently in the “Golden Section”. The work is marked by purity but also by great emotion. And these two parameters are masterfully integrated by our soloist, Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Gustav Mahler himself wanted each of his symphonies to form a world and embrace everything. When one listens to the Third, there is the sense of standing in the middle of a vast mountain range, surrounded by the sounds of nature and being able to distinctly hear the elements of folk music. At the same time, one feels oneself being transported away from all earthly things. Playing this symphony is a journey into one’s inner self every time.
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10
The performances of Shostakovich’s Symphonies 8-10 during the COVID-19 pandemic were very special experiences for our orchestra. The Ninth Symphony was given before a significantly reduced audience, while the Eighth, only two weeks later, took place without any listeners at all. Finally, the Tenth was played a year later under strictly controlled hygienic measures. The pandemic was an extremely difficult period. One became aware of just how fragile our environment is. Uncertainty about how it would play out was clearly apparent in our orchestra as well. Though not to be compared with the circumstances in which Shostakovich lived, this special time brought us perhaps a bit closer to grasping the mood of his symphonies.
Schubert: Symphony No. 7
Nikolaus Harnoncourt was absolutely a forward thinker and trailblazer in historical performance practice. Rehearsing, performing and recording all the Schubert symphonies with him was a pivotal experience for our orchestra. And the ripple effects of this music-making with Harnoncourt can still be felt today.
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 1
Mozart’s First Violin Concerto is performed too seldom. It possesses a youthful freshness, and breathes the spirit of the young Mozart’s genius, which is a lovely thing to discover. For us to play this particular work with Kirill Petrenko and our 1st concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley on the first major concert tour after the pandemic was a great experience. And on a very personal level, it was wonderful to be part of the realization of one of Noah’s dreams as a violinist: we began by playing this First Violin Concerto of Mozart together at our home, the Berlin Philharmonie; then, a week later, we performed it at Carnegie Hall in New York.