Last night I attended my first Philadelphia Orchestra concert of the season, just a few weeks after attending the Berlin Philharmonic concert. Read on for my comparison of the two experiences.

The venue:

The Kimmel Center is a gorgeous building and Verizon Hall is visually stunning. The couple next to me, Diane and Jim, were attending their first concert and I enjoyed listening to their comments about the aesthetics of Verizon Hall. The outside of the Berliner Philharmoniker was odd / interesting, not really comparable to the Kimmel Center in the “looks” category. As for the inside, I’m not expert enough to compare the acoustics between the two halls but I truly loved the intimate feel of the hall in Berlin. It felt like they were playing in your living room. ADVANTAGE: Berlin

Just one beautiful view of the Kimmel Center

The program:

According to my Brazilian friend, the program in Berlin was a challenging one with two pieces of difficult music, something by Schubert (yes, I’ve already forgotten – my memory is a bit messy of late) and Brahms Symphony No. 1. I feel like the same could be said, and more, about the Philadelphia program. Three pieces that seemed to be especially challenging, played beautifully and evoking spirited responses from the crowd: (click on each piece’s title to listen) “Autumn” from The Seasons by Glazunov, Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto played by guest soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, ending with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 1. They were all wonderful but “Autumn” provided an especially great start to the evening.

In addition, the Phabulous Philadelphians had to deal with a disruption in the middle of the Piano Concerto when an elderly gentleman sitting in the Conductor’s Circle seats at the front of the building fainted. I don’t know if it’s the normal protocol for the orchestra to stop playing in circumstances like that (I’ve never seen it before) but that’s what they did. They restarted as soon as the gentleman was helped out and played as if nothing had happened, demonstrating their professional chops with brilliance. ADVANTAGE: Philadelphia (My sources tell me that the gentleman is fine. Good news.)

The less-visually stunning Berliner Philharmoniker

 The atmosphere:

As noted above, the Orchestra’s performance last night brought enthusiastic applause from the audience. But that didn’t quite match the level of enthusiasm displayed in Berlin for each and every soloist acknowledged for even the smallest solo. As I stated before, there is just a different level of appreciation in Berlin. ADVANTAGE: Berlin

The view:

In Berlin, I sat in the fifth row on the right side of the concert hall. In Philadelphia, I sat in the first row on the right side of the concert hall. You might think that would have been better but it wasn’t – it was too close and offered limited views. I specifically picked this concert because Yannick Nezet Seguin was conducting (more on that directly below) and then chose a cheap seat that, as it turned out, didn’t offer a view of the conductor. Note to self – be sure to pay a bit more to ensure a view of Nezet Seguin. It’s my own fault, but ADVANTAGE: Berlin

A great view of the bass section from the first row right

The conductor:

The Berlin Philharmonic was conducted by Simon Rattle, a famous English conductor who has been the principal conductor in Berlin since 2002. I was excited to see him and he didn’t disappoint – the performance was fabulous and his conducting was exciting to watch. But Philadelphia has Yannick Nezet Seguin, and he is the future. His enthusiasm while conducting is so appealing and he just seems to draw the best out of the Orchestra. With all due respect to Sir Simon Rattle, ADVANTAGE: Philadelphia

Yannick Nezet Seguin – if you haven’t seen him conduct, make it a point to do so

Getting to and from concert:

Getting to the concert in Berlin could not have been easier – I walked out the hotel door, hopped into a waiting taxi and was at the venue in 15 minutes without any issues. In Philadelphia, another matter altogether. I clocked the trip at an hour and 15 minutes (roughly a half hour longer than the average time) and had to park on the tip-top level of the garage.

Leaving the concert in Berlin was a bit more tricky only because there weren’t any taxis outside. I hopped on a bus going to a stop near my hotel and walked the rest of the way. Overall, I don’t think it took me more than 45 minutes to get from the concert hall to my hotel. Philadelphia? Again, another matter altogether. I got to my rooftop parking spot without a problem, walking up 9 flights up stairs to avoid the overcrowded elevators. But as soon as I had descended to Level 6, I was greeted by the line of cars waiting to exit. It was 45 minutes before I even got out of the garage. An attendant standing by the pay stations said that there were 4 events that night.

In addition, one lane of the main street heading north out of the city was blocked by a truck unloading who knows what at 10:30 on a Saturday night. So I didn’t get to the main highway until an hour after the concert – and from there it was a twenty-minute ride home. That would never have happened in Berlin, I can assure you. Berlin demonstrated a distinct ability to move people around quickly and I’m almost certain that truck would never have been allowed to block an entire lane of a main thoroughfare on a night when there were 4 cultural events. I’d bet money on it. ADVANTAGE: Berlin

Sir Simon Rattle

The verdict:

If you’re strictly counting the score based on my “Advantage” vote, Berlin is the clear winner. I’m not a “homer” as most of you know; my strong preference for all things European is well documented. But I’m just too fond of the Philadelphia Orchestra to let them lose this comparison. I’m throwing them a wildcard and calling it a tie. I’d highly recommend anyone to visit either venue and hear either orchestra. They are both fabulous! And classical music is good for the soul.