In 2012 the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic will celebrate a milestone anniversary as they mark their 40th year. It was a chance encounter that inspired their founding: The cello section of the Berlin Philharmonic had been engaged to make a radio recording of Julius Klengel’s Hymnus für zwölf Violoncelli in 1972. The appealing sound of this particular formation and its musical perspectives seemed so promising that the musicians determined from then on to organize a permanent ensemble. To this day the personnel is drawn from the ranks of the Philharmonic; younger colleagues who are new to the orchestra immediately become members of the “12.” Boris Blacher was the first contemporary composer to create a new work for the ensemble; since then, Jean Françaix, Iannis Xenakis, Günter Bialas, Wolfgang Rihm, Brett Dean, Frangis Ali-Sade, Tan Dun, and Kaija Saariaho among others have written original works for the 12 Cellists. This summer Sofia Gubaidulina adds to this impressive lineup with her composition Labyrinth. The 12 Cellists are also pioneers in the area of “crossover”: They perform arrangements of songs by the Beatles, spirituals, numbers from musicals, jazz compositions, and film scores, thus offering a diversity in their programming that also appeals to audiences outside the confines of the classical world. Not surprisingly, they have been recognized for this twice by the Echo Klassik Award. Along with their concert appearances around the world, the 12 Cellists are committed to fundraisers for people in need and serve as prominent musical ambassadors for Berlin: The “12” have played for the American President, have accompanied the German President on state visits, and have been guests of the Japanese imperial couple on several occasions.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 30 August 1980 in works by David Funk, Julius Klengel, Helmut Eder, Rudolf Kelterborn, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Boris Blacher.
August 2011