The new recording released by Kirill Petrenko and the Berliner Philharmoniker captures a central moment of the current season: Brahms’ First Symphony, presented to great acclaim at the Philharmonie Berlin this autumn. The album is complemented by the Tragic Overture, which the orchestra recorded in 2024. Both works will be released on 21 November 2025 in a deluxe hardcover edition, accompanied by an extensive booklet with essays by Maren Goltz and Peter Gülke. The digital album will be available from 7 November.
Since the Berliner Philharmoniker's foundation, the orchestra has maintained a special connection with Brahms – who conducted the ensemble himself. His symphonies continue to shape the Philharmoniker's musical identity and form a central part of Kirill Petrenko’s repertoire. A key source of inspiration for Petrenko’s Brahms interpretations can be found in Meiningen, where Fritz Steinbach once cultivated an extraordinary culture of interpretation in close collaboration with the composer, meticulously noting Brahms’ performance intentions in the scores. These annotations, preserved to this day, provide Petrenko with invaluable guidance for an approach that convincingly bridges tradition and the present. Available via berliner-philharmoniker-recordings.com and at specialist retailers.