The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is to begin its new season with a concert broadcast live around Europe. In a first for the 118-year-old ensemble, over 60 cinemas will be showing the opening night from the orchestra's home in the Philharmonie, Berlin.
In the UK, the concert will be beamed by satellite to the Odeon Cinema in Covent Garden, and Haslemere Hall in Surrey, while audiences can also enjoy the concert in countries including Austria, Spain and Poland.
Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony opens the programme, while the second half features Mahler’s First Symphony – marking the start of a complete cycle of his symphonies over the coming year. Also under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, the Berlin Philharmonic will be performing the same programme at this year's Proms.
The Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall has allowed viewers around the globe to watch its concerts, but this is the first time one of its performances has been broadcast live, in high definition, in cinemas.
The orchestra is in good company – the Royal Opera House in London has been live broadcasting selected productions for the past two years, following a trend set by Glyndebourne Opera in Sussex, and New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
The opening night will be broadcast on Friday 27 August at 5.45pm.
Rebecca Franks