Sir Simon Rattle conducts Bruch, Beethoven and Stravinsky — With Vadim Repin

Since 1991, the Europakonzert has been a tradition for the Berliner Philharmoniker, celebrating the anniversary of its creation with a concert given in a different European city each year. The greatest conductors have succeeded one another to fittingly honour one of the most prestigious formations in the world, and in 2008, it was Simon Rattle's turn to pay tribute to the European culture and history, along with Vadim Repin.

Violonist Vadim Repin has appeared with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors. He is a frequent guest at festivals such as the Hollywood Bowl, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Rheingau, Verbier and the BBC Proms, and his chamber-music partners have included Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Evgeny Kissin, Nikolai Lugansky, Mischa Maisky and Mikhail Pletnev. The violinist has won numerous prizes including an Echo Award as “Instrumentalist of the Year 1999”, the Diapason d’or, the Prix Caecilia and the Edison Award.

In 2008, the Europakonzert took place in the Great Hall of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory where the Berliner Philharmoniker gave their first concert in 1969, which turned out to be a milestone in their history: Dmitri Shostakovich had personally thanked Herbert von Karajan for his interpretation of his Tenth Symphony.

This year, the Europakonzert was held in the name of Stravinsky, Beethoven, and Bruch.