Continuing the list of major debuts he has made this season (which has included Concertgebouw, Orchestre de Paris, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Luzerne Symphony), Michael Sanderling will conduct the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time next week, with sell-out concerts in the Philharmonie on May 30, May 31 and June 1. The final concert will also be streamed live on the orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall platform.

He will be conducting Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major with the first principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, Bruno Delepelaire (which is particularly fitting as Sanderling himself is also a cellist) and concludes the programme with Shostakovich’s mighty Leningrad Symphony.

Shostavich’s symphonies have played a major part in Michael Sanderling’s repertoire in Dresden Philharmonic, with whom he has recorded all of the symphonies (paired with Beethoven Symphonies) for Sony Classisal. Of the pairing of Beethoven’s third symphony with Shostakovich’s tenth, MusicWeb International wrote “Characteristically stylish and entirely compelling under Michael Sanderling, the Dresdner Philharmonie demonstrates its prowess in these Beethoven and Shostakovich masterworks.”

His hugely successful 8 year tenure as Principal Conductor of Dresden Philharmonic ends in June this year, culminating in pair of sold-out concerts in Dresden with Julia Fischer (Brahms Violin Concerto) and Strauss Alpine Symphony, followed by an 8-concert tour of Japan and Korea.