Discover music with
Simon Rattle
In the mind of the conductor
A conductor's mind must be like a six-lane highway. What if you could take a look inside? In a new video series, Discover Music with Simon Rattle, the Chief Conductor of the BRSO offers insights into selected works and his rehearsal process. Filmed in the BRSO Container in Munich’s Werksviertel-Mitte, each episode shows rehearsal footage and Rattle’s personal commentary.
© BR/Astrid Ackermann
Trailer #1
Get a sneak peek into the first episode of our new format Discover music with Simon Rattle. The chief conductor of the BRSO vividly explains why Anton Webern's miniatures are so important for the music history of the 20th century. Simon Rattle offers insights into the rehearsal process and thus a glimpse into the engine room of a top-class orchestra.
© BR/Astrid Ackermann
#1 Anton Webern
Six Pieces, op. 6
For Simon Rattle, the “Six Pieces” op. 6 by Anton Webern are one of the most important works of the 20th century. They have to be put together like a jigsaw puzzle; it is not enough to play them through once or twice in rehearsal. “We are in Vienna around 1909. Mahler was working on his 9th Symphony. Webern, on the other hand, was writing these six tiny, incredibly condensed miniatures. Two works that could not be more contrasting in their dimensions. But Webern manages to create the same kind of depth, the same emotional intensity in just a few notes. These pieces are like six nightmares!“, says Rattle about this work.
© BR/Astrid Ackermann
Video on demand
Would you like to hear Anton Webern's “Six Pieces,” op. 6, in full?
The concert on November 15, 2024, at the Isarphilharmonie in the Gasteig HP8 in Munich was recorded by BR-KLASSIK and is available in the ARD Mediathek.
Episodes of the following works are planned until the end of the season:
#1 Anton Webern: “Six Pieces”, op. 6 (version from 1928)
Recording of the rehearsal on 12 November 2024
#2 Johannes Brahms: “Ein deutsches Requiem” for soloists, choir and orchestra, op. 45
Recording of the rehearsal on 12 February 2025
#3 Pierre Boulez: “Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna”
Recording of the rehearsal on 27 May 2025
