Die 12 Cellisten der Berliner Philharmoniker

Low strings reach musical heights. The success story began in Salzburg: the local ORF studio asked the Berliner Philharmoniker to record Julius Klengel’s Hymnus for 12 cellos – a complete success with musicians and the public. Detached from the rest of the orchestra, the 12 cellists have since unfurled a rich panorama of sound in no way inferior to the full cast. At the Festspielhaus this dynamic ensemble presents an exciting mixture from its rich repertoire: its gentle strings tease a surprisingly enigmatic tone from Duke Ellington’s jazz classic Caravan. Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade, an iconic hit of the swing era, becomes an over-sized sound experience, while Piaf’s La Vie en Rose is transformed from a chanson into a symphonic epic. John Williams’s melodies from the film Catch Me If You Can flow from their strings just as sublimely as the music of Shostakovich, Piazzolla and Scotto. From the highest notes to the richest of depths: the 12 cellists master everything their wooden instruments are capable of producing, from the scroll to the spike.