An Israeli leading the symbol of Berlin

[Kellanved]

Guy Braunstein is the Berlin Philharmonic's concertmaster, the highest status a musician can attain. All the more amazing considering he has never played in or led an orchestra in his life.

BERLIN - At the end of a concert about a month ago, the members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra gathered in the musicians' cafeteria, had drinks, talked and exchanged quips until late into the night. This is not a common occurrence on the musical scene: In most cases, the members of a symphonic orchestra go their own way as soon as the final applause dies down. But the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic "simply like to play and spend time together," says the orchestra's first violin - its concertmaster - Guy Braunstein, 33, the leader and representative of the entire orchestra, over a stein of beer and a cigarette.

Two hours earlier, when he took to the stage before an audience of thousands, Braunstein looked no less relaxed. The orchestra was already seated, as is the Berlin custom, and everyone waited for him. Silence filled the Berliner Philharmonie, the orchestra's uniquely constructed concert hall, subtle and simple in design, located near Potsdamer Platz. Applause greeted the entry of the first violinist, and Braunstein mounted the stage unaffectedly, even nonchalantly, without even a hint of arrogance. He bowed to the audience and began to supervise the tuning of instruments. Only after that did the conductor, Mariss Jansons, enter.

The sweetness of the sound that emanated from the round stage located in the section d'or (golden section) of the asymmetrical hall, with the audience sitting all around, was unlike anything produced by any other orchestra in the world. When the musicians entered, about one hour before the concert, Braunstein joked: "Welcome to Berlin's youth orchestra." He was referring to the upheavals that the orchestra, considered the best in the world, has undergone in recent years. From a symbol of the rigid German classical tradition, especially under the authoritarian musical direction of Herbert Von Karian - during the Nazi era too - the orchestra turned into a representative of a young, free musical spirit.
...

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/460660.html