The chief conductorship of the Berlin Philharmonic is arguably the single most prestigious post in all of classical music, previously held by legendary figures such as Wilhelm Furtwängler and Herbert von Karajan. Simon Rattle, who currently holds the post, is stepping down in 2018—and somewhat to the surprise of the classical music world, his successor remains unknown.
Classical music fans around the world watched and waited all day yesterday as the orchestra's musicians met to elect a new chief conductor; some likened the process to waiting for white smoke from a Papal conclave. It wasn't until late in the day that the result was announced, and the result was: no result. Not being able to agree on a successor from among several likely candidates, the orchestra has said that the process now may take up to another year.
What are we supposed to do until then?
Photo at top via Berlin Philharmonic on Facebook. GIF via abril-rozen on Tumblr.
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