Simon Rattle bows out at Berlin with Mahler, Merkel and standing ovations

After 16 years at the helm of Europe’s most prestigious symphony orchestra, the conductor’s final concerts were emotional affairs. His energy and skills have won him more friends than enemies

After 16 years not just at the heart of Europe but also at the head of the continent’s most prestigious symphony orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle bowed out as the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic this week, in an emotional farewell concert in the German capital.

The Liverpool-born conductor, who in 2002 became the first Briton ever chosen for the Berlin job, was never the traditionalists’ choice to take charge of the jewel in Germany’s musical crown. But, in his last performance in Berlin’s Philharmonie Hall before returning to the UK to take over at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra, all that was history. Rattle received the kind of loud cheering, standing ovation and bouquets of flowers from admirers that used to be reserved for opera divas.

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