How is the Bernlin Philharmonic different from the BSO?
Oy! It’s difficult to say. I mean, in many ways the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra with, well, I don’t know how many people in the orchestra are soloists. You can start with the huge difference in the history of this orchestra, since the first moment when it existed, the Berlin Philharmonic was one of the really greatest orchestras in the world. And I don’t think that’s really changed very much. I don’t know — and this is more a question than a comment — if the Boston Symphony is the best orchestra in the world, I think that’s still the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I think what makes that orchestra really very astonishing is that every group — even if you take trombones, bassoons, flutes, trumpets, horns, violins, cellos, double bass, the level of musicmaking in every one of these groups is so astonishing. And it’s an orchestra that can anticipate, which is not really possible for every orchestra in the world. Give me one orchestra that’s able to play so many different styles. I think that’s really very singular. This orchestra is extremely flexible in styles. I did a lot of very different things with them. I did Mahler with them, I did Frank Martin, the Jedermann Monologues, I did Shostakovich Symphony No. 14, I did a lot of extremely different literature, and they’re all playing it very very beautiful. So maybe that also makes this orchestra very very special. And they have one of my absolutely favorite musical directors, but that is definitely comparable to Boston too. I like Jimmy Levine. The fact that every group is playing on an extremely high level — that is not really the case with every other first-class orchestra. Would you agree with me?
I would. I’ve heard the Berlin Philharmonic too often to disagree. In fact, I’ve heard you sing with the orchestra in Berlin, Schumann’s Faust, in 2002.
Then you know exactly what I mean. It’s an astonishing band.
The last time you sang in Boston in 2002, you had to reprimand the Jordan Hall audience for coughing and interrupting the Schubert Postludes. Are Boston audiences worse than elsewhere?
No. It’s even worse. Madrid has not really the coughing problem, but Madrid has cellphones. The last recital I did in Madrid, in the Auditorium Nacional, it was really — I think five times or six times that it started to ring, and the worst thing was that the last time the lady started to talk, she didn’t put it off, she started the conversation on the cellphone. And that’s very disgusting.
We usually try to keep it one interruption per performance!
I think it’s possible to speak with an audience about this, because it’s not really a need that they cough. I think it’s also to put away the tension that is in the hall. But I wouldn’t say that Boston is worse.
