Asia Tour 2025

Behind the music: Andreas Wittmann

Oboist Andreas Wittmann joins us on a visit to the famous Asakusa Shrine for a glimpse of old Tokyo.

#SharingMusic on tour

As well as participating in the Asia tour's twelve acclaimed concerts, more than thirty musicians took part in the Education & Outreach Programme.

A visit to Kawasaki

This was the Berliner Philharmoniker’s seventh trip to Kawasaki: it felt like a visit to old friends.

Behind the music: Eva-Maria Tomasi

Violinist Eva-Maria Tomasi introduces us to Suntory Hall in Tokyo and remembers a very special concert with Herbert von Karajan which she attended here.

An evening in Yokohama

For the final time on this tour, the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko performed two of the most famous ballets of the twentieth century: Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin and Stravinsky’s Petrushka.

Behind the music: Kotowa Machida

What is it like to study the violin in Japan and then move to Germany? The first violinist tells us during a visit to her former music academy in Tokyo.

Return to the Suntory Hall

Perfect acoustics and a design inspired by the Philharmonie Berlin: Tokyo's Suntory Hall feels like a second home to the Berliner Philharmoniker.

The Berliner Philharmoniker in Japan

When the Berliner Philharmoniker and Herbert von Karajan travelled to Tokyo for the first time in 1957, it was a pioneering achievement – and the start of a unique friendship between the orchestra and its Japanese audience.

Behind the music: Diyang Mei

Diyang Mei, originally from Hunan in China, has been 1st principal violist of the Berliner Philharmoniker since 2022. While on tour in Shanghai, we met up with him for an interview.

“A sea of happy faces”

The Berliner Philharmoniker’s current Asian tour is heading for its last stops – the perfect time for an interim review with General Manager Andrea Zietzschmann. Has the tour been a success so far? And what was the impact of the typhoon in Taiwan?

Two concerts in Shanghai

Thunderous applause greeted the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center! There are few other concert halls in Asia which have hosted the orchestra for so many years. In two concerts on this return visit, the musicians and Kirill Petrenko were received with tremendous enthusiasm. Here are some of our favorite pictures.

The Berliner Philhamoniker in China

When the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko travel to China this November, they will encounter a vibrant classical music scene. It was a very different picture when the orchestra performed in Beijing for the first time in 1979 under the direction of Herbert von Karajan. A retrospective.

A warm welcome in Taipei

It's become a tradition. When the Berliner Philharmoniker perform at Taipei’s National Concert Hall, a public viewing is set up for the crowds outside.

Behind the music: Olaf Maninger

Olaf Maninger is both the Berliner Philharmoniker’s principal cellist and a member of the orchestra’s media board. The Digital Concert Hall was founded on his initiative and has broadcast the orchestra’s concerts since 2008. In our video, Olaf Maninger talks about the first public screening by the Berliner Philharmoniker in Taiwan 20 years ago, a key inspiration for the idea of creating a dedicated video platform.

Return to Taipei

From concert moments and rehearsals to behind-the-scenes glimpses: take a scroll through our favourite photos from the Berliner Philharmoniker’s time in Taipeh.

Behind the music: Paula Ernesaks

We join our horn player Paula Ernesaks on a visit to the Gugak Museum of Korean Instruments in Seoul – a wonderful setting to reflect on the experiences of an Asia tour. She also talks about the challenges of her trial period and of the special bond within a horn section.

Tour stop Seoul: picture gallery

From concert moments and rehearsals to behind-the-scenes glimpses: take a scroll through our favourite photos from the Berliner Philharmoniker’s time in Seoul.

#SharingMusic: Seoul

On their major tour, the Berliner Philharmoniker are not only performing numerous concerts – they’re also running a variety of outreach events as part of their Education Programme. In Seoul, these included masterclasses for young music students and a special concert for little ones at the Goethe-Institut Korea.

Behind the music: Sunwook Kim

“This week is definitely the highlight week of my life,” says Sunwook Kim of his concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker in Seoul. Before his performances of Schumann’s Piano Concerto, we spoke with the Korean pianist.

A romantic opening at the Seoul Arts Center

The Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko launched their 2025 tour of Asia with Richard Wagner’s tender “Siegfried Idyll” and Johannes Brahms' powerful Symphony No. 1.

Start of the tour in Frankfurt

According to tradition, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Asia tour begins with a guest concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt. See some atmospheric impressions from the start of the tour here.

The six cities of the 2025 Asia tour

This tour takes the Berliner Philharmoniker to Seoul, Taipei, Shanghai, Tokyo, Yokohama and Kawasaki. A brief introduction to each of the six cities.

“Every tour is also a team-building exercise”

A concert tour by the Berliner Philharmoniker is both an exciting artistic project and a first-class logistical challenge. How do you make sure the musicians arrive well-rested? And how do you prevent cabin fever? We spoke about it with Nikolaus Römisch, cellist and the orchestra's tour manager.

“Upbeat”: Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 1

On the tour programme for Asia is, among other works, Johannes Brahms’s First Symphony. In this edition of our series “Upbeat”, First Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley offers personal insights into the work and the rehearsals with Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko.

Upbeat: Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka“

Sounds of the accordion and barrel organ, dances from Vienna and Paris – in his ballet Petrushka, Igor Stravinsky brings together a dazzling mix of musical worlds. This introduction features rehearsal excerpts, showing how the Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko work together to bring out the nuances of this multifaceted work. Cellist Stephan Koncz guides the programme, offering fascinating insights into the score and its history.