Berliner Philharmoniker & Sir Simon Rattle - Walton - Martinů (2024) [Hi-Res]

“It can be asserted without hesitation that every member of a first-class orchestra deserves to be called an ‘artist’,” Arthur Nikisch once wrote. With this credo, the chief conductor of what at that time was called the Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester played an important role in allowing the musicians to conceive of themselves as soloists — something that remains one of the unmistakable qualities of the Berliner Philharmoniker to this day.

Our series aims to introduce the soloists of the Berliner Philharmoniker in selected recordings. The spotlight here is on Amihai Grosz, the orchestra’s 1st Principal Viola. He studied with David Chen in Jerusalem, with Tabea Zimmermann in Berlin and with Chaim Taub at the Keshet Eilon Music Center. For many years Grosz was a member of the renowned Jerusalem Quartet before he took his position with the Berliner Philharmoniker in 2010. He regularly appears as a soloist, displaying the uncommonly dark, rich sound of his viola from the school of Gasparo da Salò.