Even after eight years as General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin I am still struck by the stylistic versatility demonstrated daily by this orchestra. Be it with Meyerbeer, Wagner, Britten or Reimann, the musicians manage to find their own, distinctive key into each individual work, embossing it with a resounding “made at Deutsche Oper Berlin” stamp. This diversity is also reflected in our symphonic programmes.
Over recent years I have had the privilege of working with the orchestra conducting a range of pieces including symphonies by Brahms, Sibelius, Mozart, Mahler and Strauss, and every evening has been a blissful communal experience of musical fulfilment. This season, too, the musicians will again be required to embrace the distinctive tonal vocabulary of each individual concert - this applies to the familiar music of Richard Wagner in our performance as part of the Musikfest Berlin as much as it does to works by Gustav Mahler and Anton Bruckner.
More information on these programmes, the chamber-music activities and also the jazzy side that some members of the orchestra like to give vent to is available on the following pages. The programmes are not simply an affair of the heart for the musicians; each programme is also an invitation for you to share these precious moments with us. We look forward to seeing you.
Donald Runnicles
