Everyone knows that Berlin is the capital of electronic music. But only few people are aware of the fact that it is also the capital of classical music. The city has three opera houses, two major concert halls and seven big symphony orchestras. Additionally, there are numerous smaller ensembles located here. There are many musicians living here, and Berlin is also home to the two biggest record companies in classical music. After all, you won’t find this kind of diversity in Paris, London, New York or Tokyo.
Berlin has also several festivals for classical music. The most important one is the Musikfest Berlin, which starts on 31 August at the Philharmonie. This year, the festival will be opened by the the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Get more information and take your chance to win 2 tickets for the concert after the jump.
Photo: Deniz Saylan
The Mahler Chamber Orchestra is an extraordinary orchestra. Although their office is located in Berlin, they only play here very rarely here. The reason why: It is an touring orchestra, playing all over the world and being on the move more than 200 days each year. On their international tours to Europe and beyond, they are celebrated not only by their audiences, but also by the critics: In 2008, the French newspaper Le Monde called the Mahler Chamber Orchestra “the best orchestra in the world”.
Now they are playing the opening concert of the Musikfest Berlin. The concert on 31 August features an programme with works by Charles Ives and will be conducted by Kent Nagano. We are raffling two tickets for this concert. To win, please send us a comment and tell us who your favourite composer is. The raffle will end on Wednesday, 29 August.
