Sir Simon Rattle's first UK concert as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the legendary Berliner Philharmoniker took place at the Royal Festival Hall on Friday.

Rattle conducted works by Schoenberg and Bruckner, with soprano Dawn Upshaw.

"There was an energy and clarity to the interpretation which is most definitely Rattle's own. But Abbado is a hard act to follow: the jury's still out on whether this charismatic leader is a truly great conductor," wrote BBC Music Magazine Editor, Helen Wallace.

But what did you think?

Was it an impressive performance?

I watched Rattle's start in Berlin and therefore in the Philharmonic I could also see the concerts he presents on his tour in London. Rattle conducts in a very energetic way and the orchestra responds to that (you will find out after having heard Mahler Five).

I have heard the Berlin Phil quite often during the last 10 years but they were never as tense as they were on September 7 when they did Mahler Five. But something that probably lacks in Rattle's way of conducting is (especially if you compare him to Abbado or Karajan) is the calm, the quiet, the rather philosophical approach to the great classical works e.g. of Bruckner and Mahler.

Rattle puts more emphasis on the musical moment, while Abbado could give you an impression of the piece as a whole. Therefore Abbado's performances had a more "transcendental" or philosophical touch while in Rattle's concerts you can feel more direct energy and joy.

Sometimes after Rattle concerts I felt that Rattle could show you more (new) details in classical pieces than any other conductors before, but sometimes it didn't fit together as a whole. Anyway, the way orchestra and Rattle work together is quite promising and we are quite happy that we got him in Berlin.
Stefan Kerne, Berlin, Germany

I never seen any symphony orchestra performance before this Friday. It was tremendous, an AMAZING night. There is no doubt that this is the best symphony with the best conductor at the moment. Hopefully they can sustain their superiority for a long time. Thanks for the wonderful evening.
Joni Chu, Indonesia

The performance was entirely absorbing, filled with passion and musical clarity. I have never heard an orchestra play with such "oneness". Rattle clearly brought out the best in the players, particularly the orchestral "heart" - the string section. Brilliant stuff!
David Neasham, UK

This was the first time I had seen the Berlin Phil in concert, having admired them for many years. The first half was a work by Schoenberg, which, to his credit Rattle controlled superbly. The second half was Bruckner's epic 9th Symphony. The performance was electric. However, it was clear that this was not Rattle's vision, rather the superb quality and experince of the orchestra showing through. I think Rattle is a very gifted conductor, I just hope that he realises that he has Karajan and Abbado to follow and that he must be careful not to force his modern tastes along with his predecessors specialties.
David Mercier, UK

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