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    Piano Concerto No.2 in F major Opus 102 (2) Dmitri Shostakovich Download 'Piano Concerto No.2 in F major Opus 102 (2)' on iTunes

    Piano Concerto No.2 in F major Opus 102 (2) artwork
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    Berlin Phil

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    Berlin: Home of the Berlin Philharmonic

    Discover the city that's home to the Berlin Philharmonic, steeped in history, architecture, and of course, music.

    1. Reichstag Berlin

      1. Reichstag

      The Reichstag building was opened in 1894, and formed the home of the German parliament until 1933, when it was damaged in a fire. It has since been rebuilt with the addition of a dome, designed by Norman Foster.

    2. berlin reichstadt

      2. Reichstag dome

      Now a famous landmark in its own right, the Reichstag dome, designed by Norman Foster, is a popular destination for tourists. Visitors can enter the dome and enjoy a 360 degree view of the city, as well as a look into the parliamentary chamber, thanks to the mirrored cone structure in the centre.

    3. berlin philharmonic orchestra

      3. The Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall

      Since January 2009, the Berlin Philharmonic have streamed their concerts live online, and music-lovers can listen again in the video archive.

    4. berlin tv tower

      4. TV Tower

      Measuring an impressive 368 metres, the Berliner Fernsehturm (TV tower) is the tallest building in Germany, and one of the tallest constructions in Europe. Tourists can visit the top of the tower and even enjoy a drink in the revolving bar!

    5. berlin ampelmann

      5. Berlin's traffic lights

      The first set of traffic lights in Europe was put into service in Potsdamer Platz in 1924. These days you can expect to see the cult former East German symbol, known as the Ampelmann, telling you when it's safe to cross.

    6. Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche

      6. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

      The original 1890s building was badly damaged in a bombing raid in 1943, so a new church building was built on the same site between 1959-63. The concrete walls house 21,292 pieces of blue, red, yellow, and green stained glass, creating a glowing blue interior.

    7. berliner dom cathedral

      7. Berliner Dom

      Despite using the German name for the Cathedral, 'Dom', the building is not the house of a bishop. In 1465, the St. Erasmus Chapel which stood on the site was elevated to the status of a collegiate church, or 'Domkirche', from where the name 'Dom' was taken.

    8. brandenburger tor

      8. The Brandenburg Gate: the original city limits

      The Brandenburg Gate was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace, and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788-1791. It was fully restored between 2000-2002 after having suffered considerable damage in World War II.

    9. baby polar bear knut

      9. Knut the Berlin Zoo polar bear

      Born in 2006, Knut was the first polar bear to survive past infancy at Berlin Zoo for more than 30 years. He sparked a media phenomenon, prompting Knut-themed merchandise from toys to DVDs before he died suddenly in 2011.

    10. Berlin Station hauptbahnhof

      10. Berlin Central Station

      This unusual building is Berlin's Central Station, which was completed in 2005. Its design is partly due to its five levels, the highest of which is 10 metres above street level, and the lowest of which is 15 metres underground.

    11. Sir Simon Rattle Berlin Phil

      11. Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic

      Sir Simon Rattle has been the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002. He made his conducting debut with the orchestra in 1987, performing Mahler's Symphony No. 6.

    12. East Side Gallery Berlin Wall

      12. The East Side Gallery

      The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, measuring an impressive 1.3km, is now the longest open air gallery in the world. The wall was divided up into 101 sections and painted by 118 artists from 21 countries.

    13. berlin wall

      13. Berlin Wall

      The Berlin Wall completely cut off West Berlin from the surrounding East Germany and East Berlin, which were under Socialist control. It was destroyed in 1990, paving the way for German reunification.

    14. Teufelsberg

      14. Teufelsberg

      The only hill in Berlin is an artificial hill, created from rubble after the clean up of Berlin following World War II. The US National Security Agency built a listening station on the hilltop, but it was abandoned after German unification.

    15. berlin flag

      15. Berlin Flag

      The bear on the Berlin flag is a pun on the city's name: the German word 'Bärlein' means 'little bear'.

    16. music conservatory Hanns Eisler Berlin

      16. Music conservatory

      The Hanns Eisler music school is one of two music conservatories in Berlin, alongside Berlin University of the Arts. It was established in East Berlin in 1950 because the Hochschule für Musik Berlin (now the Berlin University of the Arts) was in West Berlin.

    17. berlin wall

      17. Berlin Wall

      Original graffitied sections of the Berlin Wall remain in the city, displaying information boards for tourists. The former course of the wall is marked by a row of double paving stones.

    Berlin Philharmonic latest features

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    Lang Lang performs in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland, California.

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    Elliot Page plays the violin as Vanya Hargreeves in season 1 of The Umbrella Academy.

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    Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ musical analysis

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    Yunchan Lim performs Rachmaninov to win the final of the Van Cliburn competition under Marin Alsop.

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