Berliner Philharmoniker

Kirill Petrenko, conductor Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin

Symphony Hall

Sun. November 13, 8:00 PM

Kirill Petrenko makes his eagerly awaited Boston debut as music director of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Of Petrenko’s tenure as chief conductor, which began in 2019, Bachtrack writes, “this relationship is pushing the great Berlin orchestra to the very highest level of execution.”

Petrenko leads the orchestra in three pieces, beginning with Andrew Norman’s 2008 piece “Unstuck,” which gets its title from and evokes Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Slaughterhouse-Five. The program continues with Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1, with concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley as soloist, and culminates in a sweepingly dramatic, richly textured work that Petrenko deeply champions: Korngold’s Symphony.

An appearance by the Berliner Philharmoniker is always a landmark occasion, but the long-awaited local debut of Petrenko at the helm of this extraordinary ensemble promises to be a highlight of the new season: a truly unmissable event.

Program Details

Learn about works the Berliner Philharmoniker will perform

“An orchestra in which every player has the virtuosity and, more tellingly and as required, the attitude of a soloist.”
The Guardian

“Watching these players sweat their way through these symphonies, using every muscle to make them dramas of sight as well as sound…their commitment was palpable, their energy persuasive, their ability to communicate with one another superior.”
The New York Times