Editing Simon Rattle (section)

===Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra===
Rattle made his conducting debut with the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] (BPO) in 1987, in a performance of [[Gustav Mahler]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 6]]. In 1999, Rattle was appointed as successor to [[Claudio Abbado]] as the orchestra's principal conductor.<ref>{{cite news | author=Andrew Clements | title=Picking up the baton | url=https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,,288989,00.html | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=24 June 1999 | access-date=22 March 2007 | location=London | archive-date=17 December 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217191628/http://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,,288989,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The appointment was decided on in a 23 June vote by the orchestra's members. At the time the vote was considered somewhat controversial, as several members of the orchestra were earlier reported to have preferred [[Daniel Barenboim]] for the post.<ref>{{cite news | author1=Fiachra Gibbons | author2=Kate Connolly | title=Rattle set for classic music's top job | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,292499,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=12 June 1999 | access-date=22 March 2007 | location=London | archive-date=19 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819095701/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jun/12/fiachragibbons.kateconnolly | url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, Rattle won the post and proceeded to win over his detractors by refusing to sign the contract until he had ensured that every member of the orchestra was paid fairly, and also that the orchestra would gain artistic independence from the [[Berlin Senate]].<ref>{{cite news | author=Ivan Hewett | title=Wilkommen Sir Simon! | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/09/07/bmrat07.xml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040322211120/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/09/07/bmrat07.xml | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 March 2004 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]| date=7 September 2002 | access-date=22 March 2004 | location=London}}</ref>

Before leaving for Germany and on his arrival, Rattle controversially attacked the British attitude to culture in general, and in particular the artists of the [[Britart]] movement,<ref>{{cite news | author=Kate Connolly and Amelia Hill | title=Rattle fires parting shot at Brit Art bratpack | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/aug/25/arts.artsnews | work=The Observer | date=25 August 2002 | access-date=30 January 2007 | location=London}}</ref> together with the state funding of culture in the UK.<ref>{{cite news | author=Vanessa Thorpe | title=Rattle's rage at 'amateur' Arts Council | url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,560610,00.html | work=The Observer | date=30 September 2001 | access-date=30 January 2007 | location=London}}</ref>

Since his appointment, Rattle has reorganised the Berlin Philharmonic into a foundation, meaning its activities are more under the control of the members rather than politicians. He has also ensured that orchestra members' wages have increased quite dramatically, after falling over the previous few years.<ref>{{cite news | author=Kate Connolly | title=Roll over Beethoven, here comes Sir Simon | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,788189,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=8 September 2002 | access-date=17 August 2007 | location=London | archive-date=19 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819100253/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/sep/08/arts.artsnews1 | url-status=live }}</ref> He gave his first concert as principal conductor of the BPO on 7 September 2002, leading performances of [[Thomas Adès]]' ''[[Asyla]]'' and Mahler's [[Symphony No. 5 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 5]], performances which received rave reviews from the press worldwide<ref>{{cite news | author=Kate Connolly | title=Rattle's rapturous debut | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,788529,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=9 September 2002 | access-date=22 March 2007 | location=London | archive-date=19 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819100443/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/09/germany.arts | url-status=live }}</ref> and were recorded for CD and DVD release by EMI. Early collaborative projects in the Berlin community with Rattle and the BPO involved a choreographed performance of Stravinsky's ''[[The Rite of Spring]]'' danced by school children, documented in ''[[Rhythm Is It!]]'', and a film project with [[Mark-Anthony Turnage]]'s ''Blood on the Floor''.<ref>{{cite news | author=[[Martin Kettle]]| title=My crazy idea | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/fridayreview/story/0,,782379,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=30 August 2002 | access-date=22 March 2007 | location=London}}</ref> He has also continued to champion contemporary music in Berlin.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=[[Peter G. Davis]]|title=German Reengineering|url=http://nymag.com/arts/classicaldance/classical/reviews/15701/|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|date=13 February 2006|access-date=3 April 2007|archive-date=30 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930210250/http://nymag.com/arts/classicaldance/classical/reviews/15701/|url-status=live}}</ref> The orchestra has established its first education department during Rattle's tenure.<ref>{{cite news | author=Tom Service | author-link=Tom Service | title=The mighty 'wuah' | url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/story/0,,2076511,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=11 May 2007 | access-date=24 April 2008 | location=London | archive-date=27 January 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127071030/http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/story/0,,2076511,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

Criticism of Rattle's tenure with the Berlin Philharmonic began to appear after their first season together,<ref>{{cite news | author=Stephen Everson | title=The end of the affair | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1045683,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=20 September 2003 | access-date=30 January 2007 | location=London}}</ref> and continued in their second season.<ref>{{cite news|author1=[[Charlotte Higgins]]|author2=Ben Aris| title=Is Rattle's Berlin honeymoon over? | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1205606,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=29 April 2004 | access-date=30 January 2007 | location=London}}</ref> Rattle himself stated in 2005 that his relationship with the BPO musicians could sometimes be "turbulent", but also "never destructively so".<ref>{{cite news | author=[[Charlotte Higgins]] | title=Karaoke, wild tigers, hysteria: Rattle on his turbulent affair with the Berlin Philharmonic | url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1385041,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=7 January 2005 | access-date=22 March 2007 | location=London | archive-date=19 August 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819100218/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/07/germany.arts | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Rattle BPH-Rittershaus2- Wikipedia.jpg|thumb|Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006]]
In 2006, a new controversy began in the German press as to the quality of Rattle's concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic, with criticism from the German critic Manuel Brug in ''[[Die Welt]]''.<ref>{{cite news | author=Manuel Brug | title=Überwältigungsmusik, aber kaum Durchdringung | url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/article215898/Ueberwaeltigungsmusik_aber_kaum_Durchdringung.html | work=[[Die Welt]] | date=11 May 2006 | language=de | access-date=17 August 2007 | archive-date=22 December 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222043945/http://www.welt.de/kultur/article215898/Ueberwaeltigungsmusik_aber_kaum_Durchdringung.html | url-status=live }}</ref> One musician who wrote to the press to defend Rattle was the pianist [[Alfred Brendel]].<ref>{{cite news | author=[[Alfred Brendel]]| title=Criticism of Rattle is really out of tune | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/may/31/classicalmusicandopera | work=The Guardian | date=31 May 2006 | access-date=17 August 2007 | location=London}}</ref> In 2007, the BPO/Rattle recording of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s ''[[A German Requiem (Brahms)|Ein deutsches Requiem]]'' received the Classic FM Gramophone best choral disc award.<ref>{{cite news | author=Erica Jeal | title=Batons at dawn | url=http://music.guardian.co.uk/classical/story/0,,2183736,00.html | work=The Guardian | date=5 October 2007 | access-date=22 November 2007 | location=London}}</ref>

Rattle was originally contracted to lead the BPO until 2012, but in April 2008 the BPO musicians voted to extend his contract as chief conductor for an additional ten years past the next season, to 2018.<ref>{{cite news | author=EMI Music | title=Sir Simon Rattle verlängert Vertrag mit den Berliner Philharmonikern bis 2018 | url=http://www.simon-rattle.de/sr/news/sir-simon-rattle-verl%C3%A4ngert-vertrag-mit-den-berliner-philharmonikern-bis-2018 | work=Simon Rattle website | date=29 October 2009 | access-date=19 January 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719083435/http://www.simon-rattle.de/sr/news/sir-simon-rattle-verl%C3%A4ngert-vertrag-mit-den-berliner-philharmonikern-bis-2018 | archive-date=19 July 2011 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In January 2013, he announced his scheduled departure from the Berlin Philharmonic at the close of the 2017–2018 season.<ref>{{cite news | title=Sir Simon Rattle to step down as Berlin Philharmonic chief conductor in 2018 | url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/sir-simon-rattle-to-step-down-as-berlin-philharmonic-chief-conductor-in-2018-0 | work=Grammophone Magazine | access-date=10 January 2013 | archive-date=24 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724072934/https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/sir-simon-rattle-to-step-down-as-berlin-philharmonic-chief-conductor-in-2018-0 | url-status=live }}</ref> His final Berlin Philharmonic concert as chief conductor was at the [[Waldbühne]] on 24 June 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/51006/|title=Simon Rattle and Magdalena Kožená at the Waldbühne|publisher=Berliner Philharmoniker|access-date=2 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110131437/https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/51006/|archive-date=10 January 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/berlin-orchestra-idINKBN1JL0E4|title=Rattle bids Berlin Philharmonic farewell as chief conductor|publisher=Reuters|date=25 June 2018|access-date=2 January 2022|archive-date=2 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102003604/https://www.reuters.com/article/berlin-orchestra-idINKBN1JL0E4|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[UNICEF]] appointed Rattle and the BPO as Goodwill Ambassadors in November 2007.<ref>[[UNICEF]]: [http://www.unicef.org/media/media_41808.html UNICEF appoints Berliner Philharmoniker Goodwill Ambassador] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729055724/https://www.unicef.org/media/media_41808.html |date=29 July 2020 }} 17 November 2007.</ref> He is a patron of the [[Elton John AIDS Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ejaf.com/about/our-patrons/ |title=Elton John AIDS Foundation patrons |publisher=Ejaf.com |access-date=24 December 2012 |archive-date=12 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012055947/http://ejaf.com/about/our-patrons/ |url-status=live }}</ref>