Technically, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall is a restaurant because it has food service. But, no duh, you are here for the music. * * * From the standpoint of classical music, A concert at the Berliner Philharmonie is the peak, The apex, The Bach's Mass in B Minor from which everything else is a step down. When I am not reviewing for Yelp, I am a classical music fiend. I have a vast collection at home. I stream classical music constantly. I have done classical music concerts all over Europe and the United States. Whether or not the Berlin Philharmonic is the best orchestra in the world Depends on what the piece is and who is conducting. But in terms of concert HALLS themselves, The Berlin Philharmonie is as good as it ever gets. Lots and lots and lots of concert halls claim to have good acoustics. No major concert hall can approach the Berlin Philharmonie for sound quality. Smoking gun evidence for this all out claim. There are two halls at the Philharmonie - a great hall for symphonies and a more intimate chamber music space. The more intimate chamber music space is still bigger than most high school auditoriums. Both halls are designed as theater-in-the-round. You can be in the back - with all the instrumentalists turned away from you at 180 degrees - And you get louder clearer sound than you would in most halls sitting next to the performers. The only concert space with sound quality to match is Saint-Chapelle in Paris ... And that is a small stone chapel with just enough room for twenty or thirty people. (The low hanging curved stone roof and walls work wonders.) The Philharmonie matches that while being ten times the size. * * * Architecturally the Philharmonie is stunning - but there are many many beautiful concert halls in the world. The Philharmonie is done in unpretentious German modern with an emphasis on polka dots and flying steel staircases. Of all of the concert halls, this is architecturally the most fun. * * * How is the food? The coffee is wretched. If you need caffeine before your concert, Drink a Red Bull before you go. But the Philharmonie has one brilliant idea. If you want food, the major food option is canapes. Most American readers will groan at the thought of canapes Being the only thing to eat at a concert. For us, canapes are tiny little snacks on crackers. You need about thirty of those to make a meal. Paying five euros for two of them seems outrageous. * * * BUT Heh heh heh ... GERMAN canapes are made on korn bread. Korn bread are those thin slices of brown bread That are microscopically thin but are majorly and totally filling. You can start your day with two slices of korn bread with something on top And you are literally good to go until lunch. The Philharmonie puts all sorts of wonderful things on their korn bread ... And yes you get two canapes in a serving. One serving of the Philharmonie's korn bread canapes And you are ready to sit through Wagner's entire Ring Cycle. Four operas? Three to four hours each? Bring it on! Hell, let's listen to the whole thing two times in a row! * * * A plate of the Philharmonie's wonderful canapes, A half hour looking at the polka dots and the flying staircases, And then Simon Rattle doing Beethoven's Seventh? What more do you want out of life? read more

We went to see the Berlin Philharmoniker conducted by the oldest active conductor Herbert Blomstedt whom is currently 97 years old! It was a great performance consisting of Mozart's Orchester No. 20 in D minor, followed by Bruckber's Symphony No. 9. The space itself is very big with interesting architecture and layout of seating, you can't really go wrong with any seat selection based on how seating is arranged. Downstairs you're able to grab a drink and a pretzel to enjoy before the showing or during intermission. There are lots of tables spread out to enjoy the drinks and then leave the glasses as no food/drink are allowed beyond the first level. There are lots of areas to check your coat and finding the seats was fairly easy. We followed everyone else's cues for clapping, and it was a wonderful experience. read more

Berliner Philharmonie - Performance stage - Music Venues Near Me - Berlin, BE

Excitement built as I approached Hans Scharoun's magnificently designed futuristic gold panel roof symphony hall. Once inside, at awe I was of the simplicity of blankness against the angular spaced interior. Up the stairs, at my seat, whoa, the orchestra is placed in the center of the room! Sensational acoustic from the very first note from tuning of the Berliner Philharmonic. An exhilarating performance it was with Simone Young as their guest conductor this evening; with each instrument heard, every note felt! CHEERS! read more

Berliner Philharmonie - Fascinating Architecture! (05/27/23) - Music Venues Near Me - Berlin, BE

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What an amazing orchestra! Probably the best orchestra concert I have ever seen. Also the tickets are reasonably priced even in nicer seats that would cost way more in the US. highly recommend seeing them in Berlin! read more

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Almost as an afterthought, we purchased tickets to a performance. It was the unexpected highlight of our visit to Berlin. After arriving almost too late on a hot June evening, we were amazed not only by the principal special guest, but also by the decorum of the audience. Between movements, I listened to silence: not a whisper, not a cough, not a cough-drop wrapper crinkling. Complete respect and appreciation for the opportunity to hear the music. Thanks, Berliner Philharmonie, for a sublimely joyful evening. read more

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This was glorious. Do yourself a favor and go see a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic. This orchestra is breathtaking. I went twice, once to a proper concert on a Sunday evening and then again to a FREE (yes!!! Free!!!) Tuesday afternoon lunch concert. They have them every Tuesday. The Sunday concert was the Mozart A Major Violin Concerto, Saint-Saens Rondo Capriccioso, and Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges. Both concerts were exquisite. These are some of the best musicians in the world. If you are a classical music lover it is a MUST. If you aren't into classical, you will still love it, go for the afternoon concert where you can have a drink while listening :) The Tuesday concert is more casual, usually a chamber music 1 hour concert in the lobby, you can sit on the floor and grab a beer, glass of wine and some lunch. You will leave feeling inspired! read more

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I know nothing about classical music, or any sort of cultured music. But my Stephen wanted to get tickets for the Philharmonic, one of the most famous places in the world. We were very fortunate to get tickets online the day they went on sale, so we had to pick up our tickets at the box office. We arrived at 7:00 PM for the 8:00 PM show. Picking up the tickets at will call was very easy with proper ID. After entering the lobby, we went to check in our coats, and picked up a program for €3,00. There were not too many people there so we went to the concession stand for a bite to eat. This place had many concession stands, all a little different. We were told by one of the staff members to go to the very back where they had sandwiches and small bites to eat as well as beverages. We got three small sandwiches for €7,50 and two diet sodas. We walked around the building admiring the artwork on the walls, and decided to use the toilet. There is an attendant in the WC, so be sure to bring loose change to tip the attendant. It seems they open the doors about half hour before showtime. After the show, and after you pick up your coats, they are many buses waiting as well as taxis. Within half hour after showtime, the staff will kick you out telling you they are closed. I can now take this off my bucket list that I have been to the Berlin Philharmonic, read more

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Berliner Philharmonie is a place which I pass by quite often, but never really got a chance or a plan to pay a visit. It was pure luck, my friends because of something couldn't make it, so they gave the tickets for my partner and me. Therefore we could finally check out this place. It was a mazing, much better than I expected. I'm really glad that could visit this place, it was privilege experience. Here are few facts that you might like to know. Berliner Philharmonie founded at 1882, formerly Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester (BPO) it is an orchestra based in Berlin. As I heard, it is also on a list of "top ten European Orchestras", after the Vienna Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, sounds pretty badass, right! Although it has been built up in the very early time, I found the design of the whole place actually very modern. When I first walked in to the music hall, it was totally stunning, very grand but modern. It was definitely the place to enjoy music. Speak about music, usually you could find many different kind of the shows here, of course perform by Orchester. I was there for Jazz. It was simply brilliant. At the show, it simply became one of my favourite place. I will like to visit again, for sure. The price of the ticket isn't really cheap, but it's totally worth it. Sometime they also got promotions online, just look it up. You might find something interesting and cool. read more

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Magnificent. It doesn't really matter where you're seated, the sound travels beautifully. The piece we saw was a bit too avant-garde. The singers were very talented and the orchestra was awesome, but I would have preferred to see something a bit more classical. I'm docking it one star because I found that the access was very limited. There are a lot of stairs to get around, which worked fine for me as I skipped out on high heels, but not so much for company who had knee problems. Waiting for the lift seemed like a big old waste of time given how small and slow it was. Coat check was quick and painless. I'm docking a second point for public transport... Most places I've been to tend to have a service within the establishment that helps ensure guests can find transport home at the end of the event. There is one bus (200), which was jam-packed and not running too often. We were left standing for nearly 45 minutes for a ride, and people, though lined up in order, were often robbed their ride from people stepping into the street and taxis not stopping where they should. I do feel that, if the establishment took an interest in setting a system up, it'd be a lot more interesting to come back. Most of the people waiting out late were in their 80s, and it was cold and windy and there was no way to wait indoors. read more

Came for the free Tuesday lunchtime concert and it did not disappoint. I arrived 10 minutes before it started on a June afternoon and was able to get in still. read more

State of the art classical music, in the heart of Berlin (Potsdamer Platz). The prices are very affordable such concerts (down to 9 EUROS), because it is supported by the state. I am not a classical music expert by any chance, but such a concert brings your senses to sing. A MUST VISIT for any berlin-local or visitor. read more

Perfectly beautiful and amazing musicians. World class experience. Recommend attending

The philaharmonic hall is part of Europe's cultural heritage. Magnificent architecture, a stunning history and one of the worlds finest orchestras conducted by sir Simon Rattle. It's such a privilege to have the best musicians in the world playing here. Get your tickets online well in advance - it's ALWAYS worth a visit. read more

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Jesus Christ, what a night. The Berlin philharmonic is hands down the best sounding orchestra in the world...and two weeks ago, I had the chance to see them live at their home concert hall. It was such a treat. I haven't seen them in about 10 years directly in Berlin, but I was so excited and blown away that I literally teared up during the Mahler. What an incredible orchestra. I always joke with my employer that the only reason why I moved over from California to Germany, is partly because of the Berlin Philharmonic...but am I really kidding.... read more

Saw Madredeus perform here back in 2008. It's the most cozy, unique, and accoustically perfect concert hall I've ever been to.

The music was modern classical Marek Janowski | Gil Shaham Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin Britten | Schostakowitsch It was quite extreme modern. Not the stuff I'd buy. But played live by these virtuose experts was very thrilling. With your eyes closed you could believe to be on a horror trip. Oh by the way Gil Sharam is one of the best violinist' I've ever heard. read more

Pretty good up and coming band. I hope they make it big!

This is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever been in or have seen. The sound and acoustics are astounding! I feel so blessed to have seen the recent performance. That being said, I know that you're up is not big on air conditioning, but this building was very uncomfortable during my visit. Maybe crank the a/c on days that it's above 30 degrees C. read more

Berliner Philharmonie - End of performance 6/07/15. - Music Venues Near Me - Berlin, BE

Absolutely world class venue and music. Efficient crowd control, stellar seats everywhere in the hall, and of course some of the best musicians, conducting, and programming in the world. We heard guest conductor James Levine leading the Staatsoper Orchester in Mahler's Third Symphony one night, and then returned for Sir Simon Rattle conducting Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky with the Berlin Philharmonie. A classical music lover's dream all around. read more

I like those pics..

The Tuesday lunch concerts they do are amazing! Free concert in the gallery, where the sound of beautiful music fills the whole building. I would always bring a sandwich with me and sit in the back and enjoy it. Definitely go if you have a chance! read more

Not only is the orchestra fantastic, the building is an architectural wonder. Also hosts free music events during the week. read more

i stayed up till 3 am in my EST zone to buy tickets for Sir Simon Rattle conducting Beethoven. (whenever the programs are of German composers they seem to get sold out quickly. so you must plan ahead and check the start date of ticket sales.) It was way worth more than losing some sleep and will do it again. if you are an once-aspiring-classical-musician like myself, it would be memorable to sit on the benches right behind the orchestra which seemed uncomfortable but you could pretend you are being conducted by the maestro. (I didn't this time but will try next time.) The written program was 3 euros and entirely in German. Everyone working there was so nice and seemed very happy to be working there: especially the sweet old lady who was wiping toilet seats after each person in the ladies room. read more

Beautiful building. Went to a smaller concert, but everything about the visit was pleasant and enjoyable. Very impressive architecture and interior design here. Definitely check it out. read more