Sir Simon Rattle has been named Honorary Conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin, recognising a collaboration with the orchestra that spans nearly two decades.
The title was announced following a concert at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden on 10 March, where Rattle conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” with the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Staatsopernchor, and soloists Christiane Karg and Karen Cargill.
The certificate was presented on stage by Noémi Makkos from the orchestra’s board, in the presence of the Staatsoper’s artistic director Elisabeth Sobotka, general music director Christian Thielemann, and Berlin’s Senator for Culture Sarah Wedl-Wilson.
The honour reflects a long artistic relationship between Rattle and the Staatsoper. The British conductor made his debut with the company and the Staatskapelle in 2008 in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Since then he has led numerous productions and concert programmes, including a cycle of operas by Leoš Janáček, which unfolded over roughly 15 years and recently concluded with a new staging of The Cunning Little Vixen at the Staatsoper.
Beyond opera, Rattle has appeared regularly with the Staatskapelle Berlin in symphonic repertoire ranging from Haydn and Beethoven to Mahler, Bruckner, and Dvořák, as well as works by Janáček, Weill, and Harrison Birtwistle.
With this distinction, Rattle joins a select group of honorary conductors associated with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, which has previously included Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, and Otmar Suitner, alongside honorary chief conductor Daniel Barenboim.
Rattle’s ties to Berlin extend well beyond the Staatsoper. From 2002 to 2018 he served as Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, a tenure that helped shape the orchestra’s artistic identity in the early 21st century.
Today he continues an active international career and currently serves as Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
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