Rattle leaves the Berlin Philharmonic

[Jose Echenique]

BERLIN – Simon Rattle will step down as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic when his contract expires in 2018, the orchestra said on Thursday. Mr. Rattle, who came to Berlin in 2002 after 18 years spent conducting the City of Birmingham Orchestra in England, made the announcement so far in advance, he said, to give the orchestra time to find a new conductor.

“As a Liverpool boy, it is impossible not to think of the Beatles’ question, ‘Will you still need me when I’m 64?’” Mr. Rattle, 57, said in a statement, noting that he will be stepping down just before he reaches that age. “I am sure that then it will be time for somebody else to take on the magnificent challenge that is the Berliner Philharmoniker.”

Under Mr. Rattle’s energetic baton the Berlin Philharmonic has expanded its outreach locally and internationally. In one of its best-known projects, aimed at making classical music more popular among young people, Mr. Rattle staged a performance of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” with 250 children from Berlin inner-city schools. It was documented in a 2004 film, “Rhythm Is It!”

In 2008 the orchestra created a digital concert hall and began streaming its performances over the Internet, allowing subscribers from Japan to New York to listen to concerts live from Berlin or download them for later use.

“This is very sad news for the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation and the city of Berlin,” Martin Hoffmann, the orchestra’s general manager, said of Mr. Rattle’s decision.

A planned appearance at the Easter Festival in the southwestern German city of Baden-Baden this year reflects Mr. Rattle’s attitude that just performing in concert halls is no longer enough: that even a world-class orchestra must have a mission to take music to the people. In addition to four staged performances of Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” musicians will appear in smaller spaces, from churches to a museum. They will also perform a special interactive version of the opera for children.

Peter Riegelbauer and Stefan Dohr, who represent the orchestra as chairmen, said the musicians regretted their director’s decision but respected it. Their focus in the next five years, they added, will be on the “many exciting projects which are already in the planning stage.”

[Seán]

Another five years of SSRattle at the helm! Who will replace him I wonder? They will probably go for another "popular choice".

[fergus]

It will be interesting to see how his legacy will be spoken of in the future. They all seem genuinely to regret his decision to leave. I do hope that we are not subjected to five years of continuous and tiresome speculation on who will succeed him although I am sure that this story will give the scribes something to write about.

[Diapason]

I ask out of ignorance: what's the issue with Rattle? Why do we dislike him?

[fergus]

I ask out of ignorance: what's the issue with Rattle? Why do we dislike him?

I personally am not so sure why there is such an issue with him. He did superb things in Birmingham but appears not to have repeated those high standards in Berlin. I cannot in honesty comment as I have not heard much of his later recordings. The UK media press do seem to have a strong bias in his direction but we would be exactly the same if he was ours.

[Ciaran]

I ask out of ignorance: what's the issue with Rattle? Why do we dislike him?

Because he was able to leave his second wife for the beautiful and talented Magdalena Kožená who is 18 years younger than him, and we feel bitter and resentful!

[Diapason]

LOL!! Now it all makes sense.

[Jose Echenique]

I ask out of ignorance: what's the issue with Rattle? Why do we dislike him?

Well, I can say that I´m not a big fan of his. I first heard Rattle in an early 80´s EMI Sibelius 5th with the Philharmonia (not his later remake with Birmingham) that was actually very good. But later things didn´t seem that remarkable. He has especially failed in core repertoire like Beethoven symphonies or Mozart operas. I really wanted to like his Cosi fan Tutte because it´s played in original instruments at a time when it was still kind of "improper" to be seen with a period orchestra. But with the best will in the world, it´s not very good, especially when compared with contemporaneous recordings by Östman, Gardiner and Kuijken. His Fidelio was another big let down. In Opera Rattle seems to be more successful with odd operas like Szymanowsky´s King Roger or Gershwin´s Porgy and Bess, but really who would care for a Rattle Carmen or Tosca?
His Beethoven cycle with the VPO is merely OK, but that is certainly not good enough with the formidable competition. About 2 years ago I heard him conduct in Boston a charity concert that included Mozart´s Piano Concerto #23 with Marc-André Hamelin and Brahms´ Second Symphony. It was a good concert, professional music making, but from the Chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic you expect much more, the exceptional, the glorious. I was shocked that that concert was NOT sold out, in fact it was half empty! (I doubt that Furtwängler, Karajan or Abbado EVER conducted a half empty concert after they became conductors of the Berlin Philharmonic, even when guest conducting other orchestras).
And it is very interesting to compare the Rattle Brahms Second with the Muti/Chicago Symphony that I just heard in october of last year. Both conductors had superb American orchestras: the Boston Symphony and the Chicago Symphony. But while Rattle only dutifully produced the notes, Muti gave us a powerful, joyous, warm performance that had many wonderful little details and yet didn´t miss the big picture. His was a truly great conductor´s Brahms. An unforgettable concert.
Though it was announced that it was Rattle´s decision not to renew his contract, I strongly doubt that the orchestra hadn´t something to do with that. After all, Rattle is much too young and in good health to leave the most prestigious musical post in the world.

[Diapason]

Thanks Jose.

After all, Rattle is much too young and in good health to leave the most prestigious musical post in the world.

That certainly struck me when I read the article originally.

[Jose Echenique]

Thanks Jose.

After all, Rattle is much too young and in good health to leave the most prestigious musical post in the world.

That certainly struck me when I read the article originally.

That´s exactly why I don´t think it was a personal decision. And now that Universal bought EMI, they must surely want a better selling conductor than Rattle.

More interesting is the search for a substitute. Both Muti and Barenboim wanted the job when Abbado decided to leave, but now Muti is not in good health and Baremboim is busy at La Scala, besides I doubt either would want the job after being rejected for Rattle.
Harnoncourt is also too old for the job, Gardiner at 70 is still in the right age, and his repertoire is enormous, but maybe he wouldn´t want to leave his Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique.
I would say that Myung Whun-Chung could be an interesting option, he is as good in opera as in orchestral repertire.