The musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker are greatly saddened by the death of Christoph von Dohnányi, who was closely associated with the orchestra as a guest conductor over many decades. He made his debut in June 1958, at the age of just 28, with a programme featuring Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony alongside works by Zoltán Kodály and Antonín Dvořák. This choice of repertoire already pointed in the direction of the collaborations to come: at their core was Romantic repertoire, complemented by regular forays into Hungarian and Czech music. On two occasions Christoph von Dohnányi conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Berliner Festwochen, including, in 1972, a programme devoted entirely to contemporary music. During his tenure as chief conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, he also frequently brought American works to the Philharmonie. A planned recent appearance was to have featured Béla Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, highlighting his distinguished opera career; but the performance was cancelled for health reasons. Christoph von Dohnányi died on 6 September. He was 95 years old. The Berliner Philharmoniker will remember him with respect and affection.