Berliner Philharmoniker / Alan Gilbert / Wenzel Fuchs

About

Also known as: BPO, Berliini Filharmoonia Orkester, Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester, Orchestre philharmonique de Berlin, Orquesta filarmónica de Berlín, The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, ベルリン・フィルハーモニー・ブラスオルケスター, ベルリン・フィルハーモニー管弦楽団

The horn section of the Berliner Philharmoniker is widely considered the finest in the world, and while its eight players ordinarily serve the full orchestra, they occasionally step out as a standalone ensemble. The group draws its members from across the globe, including Finland, Hungary, the United States and China, and their programmes reflect that international mix. A typical concert might pair a Mozart Rondo from his Fourth Horn Concerto with an arrangement of Yesterday by The Beatles, showing just how wide a range the instrument can cover. The horn itself has a long history as a hunting instrument, but it gained a far more expressive role in the symphony orchestra once valve technology arrived in the late Romantic era. That development allowed composers to write lyrical lines and melodic nuance into horn parts, something heard throughout the Wagner overtures and the orchestral works of Bruckner, Mahler and Strauss. The Berliner Philharmoniker horn group brings that full spectrum to life in an intimate chamber setting.