John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker 14th/15th/16th Oct 2021

[BB-8 1,939]

14 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

I think the Philharmonie doesn't have the best reputation regarding acoustics, so you may be referring to that. But generally, yes, an empty concert hall will sound very different than a full one, with much more reverb, but assuming that it's built properly for the intended sound, the acoustics when full should produce the best sound, and the acoustics when empty will be problematic - e.g. too much reverb, which might in turn necessitate slower tempi, etc.

 

The Berlin Phil's acoustics are presumably outdated but generally still have a better reputation than the state-of-the-art Elbphilharmonie which apparently put Riccardo Muti and the Chicago off for good.

 

It's got to do with the Karajan-Maestro myth for whom the Berlin Phil was built in the early 70ties late 60ties or so.

 

The East-German counterpart built in Leipzig around Kurt Mazur, the Gewandhaus, is more or less identical.

 

 

[toothless 955]

1 minute ago, BB-8 said:

 

The Berlin Phil's acoustics are presumably outdated but generally still have a better reputation than the state-of-the-art Elbphilharmonie which apparently put Riccardo Muti and the Chicago off for good.

 

It's got to do with the Karajan-Maestro myth for whom the Berlin Phil was built in the early 70ties late 60ties or so.

 

The East-German counterpart built in Leipzig around Kurt Mazur, the Gewandhaus, is more or less identical.

 

 

 

 

Would you know how it compares to the philharmonie in Paris? It's basically the only "big" concert hall I know the acoustic realy well.

[BB-8 1,939]

1 minute ago, toothless said:

 

 

Would you know how it compares to the philharmonie in Paris? It's basically the only "big" concert hall I know the acoustic realy well.

 

I have no experience but have not heard anything negative about that hall.

 

Regarding Elbphilharmonie, some singers (Jonas Kaufmann) had difficulties being heard from the back rows, prompting some cheeky people in the audience to shout "louder please". That anecdote and Muti's complaint didn't help.

 

I've been several times to Berlin and never had a problem with the acoustics as I was very  close to the orchestra in E.

 

In Hamburg, I still find the old Laeisz-Halle good. In the Elphie, it all depends on where you sit. If you're high up in the back the orchestra may sound like it's playing behind a woollen curtain while the noise from the audience is amplified.

In conclusion, there is simply nothing that comes close to the Goldene Musikvereinssaal in Wien which has the largest myth/maestro-legacy.

[Damien F 984]

I've been to Berlin a few times and I remember hotels being surprisingly cheap for a European capital city.

[BB-8 1,939]

58 minutes ago, Damien F said:

I've been to Berlin a few times and I remember hotels being surprisingly cheap for a European capital city.

 

Yeah, especially when compared with hotel costs in London (strictly speaking not a European capital city anymore).

[crocodile 7,086]

The last I checked UK is still a part of the European continent. It hasn't gone anywhere. 

 

Karol

 

[MaestroUE 29]

Ah, I’ve never been so grateful for living in Berlin! 😀 I just bought the K-Subscription and I’m baffled by how good of a bargain this is. 6 concerts, including JW, Stravinsky, Mahler, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Bruckner works for 1/6 of the regular price, with relatively good seats (F Block). I remember paying half of this price for a single Mahler concert in Berlin Phil

[Madmartigan JC 72]

7 hours ago, BB-8 said:

(Jonas Kaufmann) had difficulties being heard from the back rows, prompting some cheeky people in the audience to shout "louder please".

 

They should've asked "better", too, while they were at it.

[eitam 344]

All right, series K: bought

[Cosmo 2]

It is a shame that they have started only with subscription plans, but nevertheless it is a wonderful news!

 

I am going to be able to attend in only 3 concerts from the "K" series hence my question - do you guys happen to know if it is possible to buy a subscription plan and resign during the series? Do they make a refund for the concerts you are not taking part in (if you inform them earlier of course)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bollemanneke 2,935]

I had a thought a few hours ago: I've always loved how the violins in that orchestra play in Karajan recordings. No vibrato, but still somehow very emotional. I hope they'll do the same here.

[Thor 5,969]

I envy people with steady incomes who have seemingly no problem dishing out hundreds of euros for a subscription for that one Williams concert. Come August 8th(?), I wonder how many tickets will be left? And what the price range will be? And if they have cheap 'standing tickets' like they had in Vienna? It's ALL about price to me.

[MaestroUE 29]

8 hours ago, Cosmo said:

It is a shame that they have started only with subscription plans, but nevertheless it is a wonderful news!

 

I am going to be able to attend in only 3 concerts from the "K" series hence my question - do you guys happen to know if it is possible to buy a subscription plan and resign during the series? Do they make a refund for the concerts you are not taking part in (if you inform them earlier of course)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m afraid you won’t be able to get a refund or change the subscription. It was a mandatory thing to accept in the terms & conditions. What you can do later on though is to ask if they have people from other series, willing to participate in an exchange of tickets, which surprisingly works sometimes.

32 minutes ago, Thor said:

I envy people with steady incomes who have seemingly no problem dishing out hundreds of euros for a subscription for that one Williams concert. Come August 8th(?), I wonder how many tickets will be left? And what the price range will be? And if they have cheap 'standing tickets' like they had in Vienna? It's ALL about price to me.

As a regular guest of Berlin Phil concerts, I can only assure you that the prices won’t be quite as expensive as they were in Vienna Phil. There will still be plenty of tickets left for single sale, no worries but as this is will be a highly anticipated concert among many people from different countries, I suggest you to get ready for spending the whole day in front of your laptop to get a ticket. Berlin Phil doesn’t have standing audience (at least I’ve never seen that before) but they may offer some “portable” seats

[TownerFan 4,976]

I've been told the price range for this concert is going to be €28-€98. Definitely less expensive than Vienna.

[Thor 5,969]

€28 I could possibly do, but it probably means hanging upside down from behind a pillar with no view whatsoever.

[Steve 481]

2 minutes ago, Thor said:

€28 I could possibly do, but it probably means hanging upside down from behind a pillar with no view whatsoever.

So you can't afford 98€ to see one of your favourite composers conducting a world class orchestra? Maybe we should donate 1 € each for you 

[Cosmo 2]

2 hours ago, MaestroUE said:

I’m afraid you won’t be able to get a refund or change the subscription. It was a mandatory thing to accept in the terms & conditions. What you can do later on though is to ask if they have people from other series, willing to participate in an exchange of tickets, which surprisingly works sometimes.

 

 

Thank you. That is what I've thought at first, but there is a "Ticket Return for Subscribers" form on the website that totally got me confused. Tried to call the ticket office today, but they are not picking up the phone and do not answer e-mails as well. Will let you guys know if I'll get any new information.

 

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/abo-ticket-return/

 

 

 

 

[toothless 955]

3 hours ago, Thor said:

I envy people with steady incomes who have seemingly no problem dishing out hundreds of euros for a subscription for that one Williams concert. Come August 8th(?), I wonder how many tickets will be left? And what the price range will be? And if they have cheap 'standing tickets' like they had in Vienna? It's ALL about price to me.

 

 

I was in the same situation for Vienna so I totally hear you. Hopefuly, Williams will make other trips to Europe and you will be able to attend

[Marian Schedenig 6,512]

24 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

Thank you. That is what I've thought at first, but there is a "Ticket Return for Subscribers" form on the website that totally got me confused. Tried to call the ticket office today, but they are not picking up the phone and do not answer e-mails as well. Will let you guys know if I'll get any new information.

 

If it's similar to how they handle it in Vienna, then you can contact them if you have to miss a specific concert of your cycle, e.g. due to illness, and if they can find another buyer they will refund you (whether fully or partially I don't know). But I suppose that's a gamble, and I don't think they'd be happy if you did that for every single concert (except the one).

[Alex 2,523]

JW definitely seems to have reached the “Well, it’s now or never” stage in his life.

[TownerFan 4,976]

35 minutes ago, Alex said:

JW definitely seems to have reached the “Well, it’s now or never” stage in his life.

 

Possibly, but it's also European musical institution like Vienna and Berlin that are finally accepting him worthy of their illustrious tradition. And it's great to see this while JW is still alive and kicking, despite being almost 90.

[Marian Schedenig 6,512]

5 minutes ago, TownerFan said:

Possibly, but it's also European musical institution like Vienna and Berlin that are finally accepting him worthy of their illustrious tradition. And it's great to see this while JW is still alive and kicking, despite being almost 90.

 

So the "now or never" also applies to our European institutions.

[Fabulin 3,442]

Let's remember it was the orchestras who invited Williams, who had been trying to get him to visit them for a few years each.

 

Nonetheless, I am amazed that they had their turn of heart on time.

[TownerFan 4,976]

Sure, both Vienna and Berlin courted him for years, and he was eager to visit them. Anyway his schedule has always been incredibly busy, plus JW is very loyal to Spielberg, to the BSO and to the people toward whom he feels a great amount of respect and commitment. Scheduling these concerts is something that really can take years of planning.

[Pawel P. 652]

4 hours ago, TownerFan said:

I've been told the price range for this concert is going to be €28-€98. Definitely less expensive than Vienna.

 

They just listed prices officially. 35 to 98 €

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/53783/

[eitam 344]

By the way, are we fully confident the subscription won't be cancelled if one doesn't show up at the first concert ? 

[Marian Schedenig 6,512]

1 minute ago, eitam said:

By the way, are we fully confident the subscription won't be cancelled if one doesn't show up at the first concert ? 

 

It's a regular subscription cycle. You paid for the tickets, you're not required to attend. Nobody can know one year in advance if they'll be available, and healthy, for each date, so it's normal to miss one or two of the concerts (or give the tickets to someone else).

[eitam 344]

3 minutes ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

It's a regular subscription cycle. You paid for the tickets, you're not required to attend. Nobody can know one year in advance if they'll be available, and healthy, for each date, so it's normal to miss one or two of the concerts (or give the tickets to someone else).

 

Thank you. You're right, I was just being paranoid 

[BB-8 1,939]

 

39 minutes ago, eitam said:

By the way, are we fully confident the subscription won't be cancelled if one doesn't show up at the first concert ? 

 

You will need a positive COVID test to be allowed to stay at home ;-)

[eitam 344]

Tempting, but no, I think I'll keep things simple and just hire an actor to impersonnate me at that first subscription concert 

[MaxTheHouseelf 297]

7 hours ago, TownerFan said:

I've been told the price range for this concert is going to be €28-€98. Definitely less expensive than Vienna.

 

2 hours ago, Pawel P. said:

 

They just listed prices officially. 35 to 98 €

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/53783/

 

Where did you get that information from? I can't find the concert category on their website (nor in the link above), only the normal price list which says that depending on concert category prices can be up to 290€/ticket.

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/floor-plan-price-list-philharmonie/

[eitam 344]

41 minutes ago, MaxTheHouseelf said:

 

 

Where did you get that information from? I can't find the concert category on their website (nor in the link above), only the normal price list which says that depending on concert category prices can be up to 290€/ticket.

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/floor-plan-price-list-philharmonie/

 

There was a new button a few hours ago, "buy tickets" or something like that, with an indication of price range. It led to an error page. Now it's gone.

[MaxTheHouseelf 297]

3 minutes ago, eitam said:

 

There was a new button a few hours ago, "buy tickets" or something like that, with an indication of price range. It led to an error page. Now it's gone.

Ahh okay, thanks!

[Pawel P. 652]

1 hour ago, MaxTheHouseelf said:

 

 

Where did you get that information from? I can't find the concert category on their website (nor in the link above), only the normal price list which says that depending on concert category prices can be up to 290€/ticket.

https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/floor-plan-price-list-philharmonie/

 

From here. https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/53783/ 

 

But now those prices are gone. Here is the print screen.

 

[Marian Schedenig 6,512]

Let's hope those are the real prices and not just temporary assignments for the subscription cycles.

[Henry Sítrónu 463]

lecture about the Berlin Philharmonic Hall's architecture and architect, to warm up for the event.

 

„The hall remotely recalls a tent […] and allows for as many different experiences as there are listeners. Instead of ideal seats and cheaps one, all democratically different.“

[Biodome 682]

How stable is their website? Does anyone have experience with it? I want to get a few tickets in decent locations for the 16th, and I wonder if it's going to be the Vienna scenario where everything crashes, or if they actually do have a decent queueing system.

[bollemanneke 2,935]

On 6/16/2021 at 4:13 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

 

So the "now or never" also applies to our European institutions.

I think we're way past that moment and the answer was never.

[Biodome 682]

How do you actually pay by IBAN, though? I've never done it, and I assumed I should input the IBAN and BIC for my own bank account in there, but it just says it's invalid. Isn't IBAN used for the recipient of a payment anyway, and not the sender? It's so weird, and there are apparently no other options, at least online.

 

[ChrisAfonso 170]

I had the same thing some time ago, trying to pay in Germany with an Austrian bank account, and found out that the number of digits differ between countries (D: 22, AT: 20 - no idea about Norway). In short, theoretically IBAN should be international, but practically it isn't with every payment provider.

[Biodome 682]

58 minutes ago, ChrisAfonso said:

I had the same thing some time ago, trying to pay in Germany with an Austrian bank account, and found out that the number of digits differ between countries (D: 22, AT: 20 - no idea about Norway). In short, theoretically IBAN should be international, but practically it isn't with every payment provider.

Thanks for the info! I'll try booking the tickets by phone, then. I can only hope they open up other payment options for the Saturday concert. Not having an online booking option for that one would certainly result in a mess.

[rough cut 1,470]

But it’s a month and a half until general sales open, right? Aug 8?

[Biodome 682]

10 minutes ago, rough cut said:

But it’s a month and a half until general sales open, right? Aug 8?

Yeah, but if you purchase a subscription for the concert series C and K, you can get tickets for the concerts on the 14th and 15th already now. That's what I am trying to do. There aren't that many seats left, and I think they'll be gone by August.

[Luke Skywalker 1,508]

the regular tickets go on sale in august right?

 

I asked my wife...and surprisingly she liked the idea so we may attend the concert

[Biodome 682]

By the way, for anyone struggling with the IBAN system, just contact them here, write what tickets you want to book, and they will reserve the seats for you within a day. Just got my seats for the concerts on the 14th and 15th!

[Jurassic Shark 9,799]

48 minutes ago, Biodome said:

By the way, for anyone struggling with the IBAN system, just contact them here, write what tickets you want to book, and they will reserve the seats for you within a day. Just got my seats for the concerts on the 14th and 15th!

 

Did you have to purchase a subscription?

 

When do you have to collect the reserved tickets?

[Biodome 682]

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

Did you have to purchase a subscription?

Yeah. I'll try to use most of them, so I feel less guilty about leaving an empty seat for those amazing concerts. There are some convenient dates, like Fridays and Saturdays, and flights to Berlin are quick and cheap.

 

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

When do you have to collect the reserved tickets?

In the e-mail they sent me, they said "when it is time". Sounds vague, though dramatic.

[Jurassic Shark 9,799]

1 minute ago, Biodome said:

I'll try to use most of them, so I feel less guilty about leaving an empty seat for those amazing concerts

 

You can usually tell the ticket office when you don't have time to use your seat, and they'll get a chance to fill it up.

 

[Biodome 682]

2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

You can usually tell the ticket office when you don't have time to use your seat, and they'll get a chance to fill it up.

That's a good idea, I'll do that.

[TownerFan 4,976]

13 hours ago, Luke Skywalker said:

the regular tickets go on sale in august right?

 

August 9. They will give important information about the sale the week before, or at least that's what they told me.

 

I have a hard time believing they will fill up both the 14th and the 15th concerts just with subscription sales. I'm sure there will be plenty of seats available on Aug 9.