Letter from Berlin
Berlin is a fantastic city for music lovers, and one of the very best times to visit is during the annual Musikfest, held for three weeks from late August to mid-September. Organized by the Berliner Festspiele in cooperation with the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, the 2017 edition hosted roughly 44,000 visitors who enjoyed over 30 concerts, from early music choral presentations to premieres by contemporary composers. An abundance of music was on offer, from the traditional to the quirky; and a number of renowned organizations took part, including the Staatskapelle Berlin (who opened Musikfest), the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin among them.
The Philharmonie Berlin was home to many Musikfest concerts, giving audiences ample opportunities to experience its acoustic wonders. Opened in 1963, the home of the Berlin Philharmonic is situated section was interpreted somewhat seriously, losing some of the movement’s intrinsic playfulness. Momentum thankfully returned in the evening’s second half with a myriad of Verdi works, including compelling performances of the overture to , the and the , with ’s overture as encore.
