This was our first visit ‘in the flesh’ to this modern concert hall, although we have heard many performances either live or recorded over the last few decades. The architecture is exceptional and the acoustics are just great. We saw and heard the German Symphony Orchestra executing a very demanding rendition of Mahler’s 6th Symphony, which, at one and a half hours of playing without an interval is a real tour de force for the musicians. Their commitment to deliver this fine work was palpable and the reaction of the audience at the end made it clear that their efforts were well and truly appreciated.

Not only is the Berlin Philharmonic one of the top orchestras of the world, seeing them on their home-turf proved to be a very special experience. The Berliner Philharmonie (concert hall) is the orchestra's home base on the southern edge of the Tiergarten and just west of the former Berlin Wall. It is a wonderful and innovative example of 1960s organic and expressionist architecture designed by Bauhaus architect Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (1893-1972). For me, the beautifully innovative features are inside the Grand Hall (Großer Saal) with 2,440 seats, completed in 1963. First, the building is asymmetrical and tent-like, with the main concert hall in the shape of a pentagon. The stage is at the centre of the hall, surrounded by seating on all sides, and it has amazingly crisp acoustics. The height of the rows of seats increases irregularly with distance from the stage, creating a visual effect like terraces on a hillside. The so-called vineyard-style seating arrangement (with terraces rising around a central orchestral platform) was pioneered here, and it became a model for other concert halls, including the Sydney Opera House (1973). The architect's idea being that if you break up the audience into organic, semi-enclosed sections, over time, the season ticket-holders form small 'communities' within the whole.... And funnily enough when I attended a Daniel Barenboim concert here, a couple of long-standing audience members in front of me turned around and engaged in a conversation which we extended at half-time on the balcony outside. The concert was the 50th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim conducting the orchestra; and the program of Haydn, Beethoven and Schumann had me almost in tears it was so beautiful! Fun facts: booking online is a breeze; the Prosseco served in the large rambling foyer is excellent; when you're at the bar check out the modernist mosaic floor (rather worn out, but still charming where it's intact); and the orchestra usually releases video of the whole performance on their website in the days following the concert.