Rehearsals for the Be Phil Orchestra Japan start on Wednesday, 22 November. The 98 participants will work together with members of the Berliner Philharmoniker on a programme for the big final concert on 26 November in Suntory Hall, Tokyo. Follow the project here with our exclusive live ticker.
The time has come… The hard work and intensive rehearsals have paid off; the concert of the Be Phil Orchestra Japan is a huge success!
None of the participants in the Be Phil Orchestra Japan are music professionals. What does the opportunity to work with members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and perform on stage mean to them? We asked.
It’s time for the dress rehearsal: the last few days have flown by and the Be Phil Orchestra has grown together. The performers are fine-tuning the final details, the mood is exuberant and there’s only one thing left to wish for: Good luck for tomorrow’s concert!
The next tutti rehearsal is in the Blue Rose Hall - the Suntory Hall’s small auditorium. Its name comes from the fact that Suntory, the drinks manufacturer and owner of Suntory Hall, succeeded in developing a new type of blue rose in 2004. The Small Hall was renamed "Blue Rose" to inspire artists to similar successes. And things are looking rosy for the Be Phil Orchestra Japan!
This is where the music happens! On Thursday afternoon the horn-players of the Be Phil Orchestra Japan gather for a spontaneous flash mob in front of Suntory Hall. The onlookers are completely enthralled by Weber’s Freischütz, and sing along to O Tannenbaum.
After a highly concentrated day of rehearsals, everyone meets in the Suntory Hall in the early evening for the first tutti rehearsal with Raphael Haeger. General Manager Andrea Zietzschmann briefly welcomes all participants, and then it’s straight on to Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
The kick-off of the Be Phil Orchestra Japan is decentralised. Individual orchestra sections begin their work at two different locations in Tokyo: the Tiara Koto multi-purpose hall, and the Edogawa City Cultural Centre. Once everyone has settled in, the rehearsals start.
Since its inception in 2002, the Berliner Philharmoniker’s education programme has been made possible by support from the Deutsche Bank. The aim of both partners is to make the work of the orchestra accessible to a wide audience and to inspire people of all ages to participate in music and culture.