(AP Photo/Herbert Knosowski)

This afternoon the Berlin Philharmonie, the renowned (both acoustically and visually) concert home of the Berlin Philharmonic, had its roof catch fire due to (purportedly) a welding mishap.  The full extent of the damage is not yet known, but according to the Times, the Berlin fire service reports that the main auditorium (where the Philharmonic rehearses and gives concerts) was not seriously damaged.

Here are some recently updated links to the story.

• AFP
• Associated Press
• The Guardian
• Scotsman
• Google News page

I know that I’m just about the last music blogger in the world to mention this, but I thought I’d add the twist that I’ve received a few wistful emails (typical of musician gallows humor) from OSO musicians wondering why this couldn’t have happened to the Schnitz…

What would a Mahler symphony be without a sprawling, hectic, and by turns achingly beautiful scherzo? Well, quite a bit shorter, for one. Mahler is often in the habit of taking a huge movement in cut time and making a huge journey out of it, and the Ninth Symphony is no exception. [Read more →]

Carrie Dennis, the phenomenal violist who has (by the anything but grizzled age of 30!) already been Assistant principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and was just named as Principal violist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has a couple videos up on youtube. See and hear her for yourself - viola ain’t second fiddle no more! [Read more →]

Carrie Dennis, currently one of the principal violists of the Berlin Philharmonic (you might have seen her on the front desk for Monday’s broadcast of the BPO’s Mahler 9 with Simon Rattle), has been hired as the new principal viola of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. [Read more →]