The open question
How long do the rehearsals for a  concert usually last?

In this section we answer questions that you have always wanted to ask the Berliner Philharmoniker:  about what happens on and off the stage and about the orchestra in general.

The musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker rehearse a new programme almost every week. This programme is then generally performed at three successive concerts. As a rule there are four rehearsals for each programme, as well as the Generalprobe  (dress rehearsal). If soloists are involved, they will, as a rule, arrive on the second day of rehearsals. But there are also exceptions, depending on the complexity of the music. In the case of large-scale choral works there will already have been a series of special chorus rehearsals, and the same is true of opera performances, where additional rehearsals are necessary. Some soloists also want to be involved in the orchestral rehearsals at an earlier date, and this can, of course, be arranged.

In addition to the scheduled rehearsals, each member of the orchestra also practises alone. How much time the player invests in this depends on various factors: if it is a mainstream piece that is already familiar to the musician, then it is often enough merely to go over the particularly difficult passages. But if the programme includes a relatively unknown work or one which is rarely performed or is highly complex, then more time and effort will need to be invested. Often the musicians begin to prepare their parts weeks or even months in advance, coming to terms with the score, so that by the time orchestral rehearsals begin, they are fully prepared.