Page 969 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

• 10 best choirs in the world
• Who are the Berlin Philharmonic's past chief conductors?

Claudio Abbado carved a new identity for the orchestra during the 1990s, with a greater
amount of opera and modern music. Next, Simon Rattle brought the orchestra screaming

into the 21st century (he was appointed in 1999) with a still wider gamut and an
engagement with the broader Berlin community. Politically, the Berlin Phil has been slow

to catch up – it wasn’t until 1982 that the it appointed its first female player –
clarinettist Sabine Meyer.

Recommended recording:

Beethoven: Symphonies Nos 1-9 Berlin Philharmonic/Sir Simon Rattle Berliner
Philharmoniker BPHR 160091 (5 CDs +2 Blu-rays + 1 Pure Audio Blu-ray)

Read our review here.

• Buy on Amazon
• Buy on Presto Classical
Budapest Festival Orchestra

The Budapest Festival Orchestra has, under its director of music Iván Fischer, become one
of Europe’s most important ensembles. In fact, it was Fischer who co-founded the
ensemble almost 40 years ago with Zoltan Kocsis. Since then, the orchestra has become

renowned for its stunning surround-sound recordings of Mahler. Fischer is a dynamic
leader and refuses to play by the book – which is why he gets the results he does.

• Five of the most unusual Budapest Festival Orchestra concerts