Simon Rattle
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Born / died
1955
Movement
20th-century classical
Location
Worked in Birmingham, Berlin
Friends / contemporaries
Alain Lefèvre, Alexander Melnikov, Alexander Vedernikov +3 more
genres: classical, ballet, orchestral · followers: 66,372
Sir Simon Rattle was born in Liverpool and studied at the Royal Academy of Music.Spotify
From 1980-1998 Sir Simon was Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and was appointed Music Director in 1990. In 2002 he took up the position of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker where he remained until July 2018.Spotify
Sir Simon became Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra in September 2017. Sir Simon has made over 70 recordings for EMI label (now Warner Classics) and has received numerous prestigious international awards for his recordings on various labels. The first recording released by Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings was Sir Simon and a complete recording of Schumann Symphonies.Spotify
He then went on to release several other recordings under the orchestra's house label. Simon’s most recent recordings have been released by the London Symphony Orchestra’s record label, LSO Live. Working with the world's greatest orchestras and opera houses, his recent appearances include the LSO, Berliner Philharmoniker, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Staatskapelle Berlin and Wiener Philharmoniker.Spotify
In the opera world, he has recently conducted at the Metropolitan Opera New York, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and the Deutsch Oper Berlin. Sir Simon Rattle was knighted in 1994 and in the New Year’s Honours of 2014 he received the Order of Merit from Her Majesty the Queen.Spotify
role: unknown · 20%era: Modernmovement: 20th-century classical1955
Movement
20th-century classical · Wikipedia
20th-century classical music is Western art music that was written between 1901 and 2000, inclusive. Musical style diverged during the 20th century as it never had previously, so this century was without a dominant style. Modernism, impressionism, and post-romanticism can all be traced to the decades before the turn of the 20th century, but can be included because they evolved beyond the musical boundaries of the 19th-century styles that were part of the earlier common practice period. Neoclassicism and expressionism came mostly after 1900. Minimalism started later in the century and can be seen as a change from the modern to postmodern era, although some date postmodernism from as early as about 1930. Aleatory, atonality, serialism, musique concrète, and electronic music were all developed during the century. Jazz and ethnic folk music became important influences on many composers during this century.
How this movement sounds
new harmoniesnew rhythmsneoclassicismatonalityminimalismsharp contrasts
20th-century classical listening cues: variety and experimentation. Some music keeps older forms (neoclassicism) but with sharper harmonies, leaner textures, and motoric rhythms.
Other strands move toward atonality (no clear tonal center) or explore new scales and sonorities; rhythm can become more complex, more mechanical, or more jagged.
Timbre and texture are often treated as structural elements: changes in sound color can function like 'harmonic' events.
A practical way to listen: instead of expecting a 'tune', track motives (tiny cells), rhythm, and register. Modern pieces often build form by transforming small units rather than by long melodies.
Minimalism is another common thread: repetition, gradual change, and a focus on pulse and process over long spans.
How Simon Rattle sounds
new harmonyrhythmic bitecolor & textureminimal patternsextended techniques
Modern/contemporary music varies wildly, but you will often hear experimentation with harmony, rhythm, and sound color as primary material.
Some strands emphasize rhythmic bite and sharp contrasts; others explore timbre and atmosphere; minimalism builds from repeating patterns and gradual change.
If the music feels less about singable melody and more about texture, pulse, or color, you are probably hearing a modern idiom.
Wikipedia
Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor.Wikipedia
He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018, and music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2023.Wikipedia
He has been chief conductor of Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since September 2023. Among the world's leading conductors, in a 2015 Bachtrack poll, he was ranked by music critics as one of the world's best living conductors. Rattle is also the patron of Birmingham Schools' Symphony Orchestra, arranged during his tenure with CBSO in the mid-1990s.Wikipedia
The Youth Orchestra is now under the auspices of charitable business Services for Education. He received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2001 at the Classic Brit Awards.Wikipedia
Study resources & scores
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Local matches
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Play videoYouTube · published 2026-05-16 · 36m
Lucerne Festival 2012: Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 4 | Sir Simon Rattle & Berliner Philharmoniker
2012Symphony36m
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2026-03-30 · 31m
Berliner Philharmoniker & Simon Rattle: Mozart - Symphony No. 39 | Lucerne Festival 2013
2013Symphony31m
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2026-03-26 · 30m
Lucerne Festival: Mozart - Symphony No. 40 (Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle)
FreeLongLive
France Musique · published 2026-03-24
Kirill Petrenko, clarté et intensité
2026
FreeFull concert
France Musique · published 2026-03-23
Béla Bartók et Manuel de Falla par Patricia Kopatchinskaja, le LSO & Simon Rattle
2026
FreeFull concert
Play videoYouTube · published 2026-02-11 · 30m
Schumann - Symphony No. 3 | Simon Rattle | Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2025-12-30 · 38m
Brahms: Violin Concerto | Isabelle Faust, Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2025-12-13 · 1h 3m
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 | Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra
FreeFull concertLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2025-12-13 · 37m
Schumann - Symphony No. 2 | Simon Rattle | BRSO
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2023-05-29 · 15m
Edward Elgar: Symphony No 2, Movement 4 // London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Simon Rattle
FreeLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2023-04-03 · 17m
Sibelius Tapiola // London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Simon Rattle
2023Symphony17m
FreeLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2019-04-02 · 11m
Stravinsky Ebony Concerto // London Symphony Orchestra & Sir Simon Rattle
2019ConcertoSymphony11m
FreeLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2018-05-31 · 35m
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring // London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
2018Symphony35m
FreeLongLive
Play videoYouTube · published 2018-05-15 · 53m
Sir Simon Rattle on the Berliner Philharmoniker Live Lounge
201853m
FreeFull concertLongLive
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2016-05-19 · 2m
Williams: Indiana Jones / Sir Simon Rattle - Berliner Philharmoniker
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2015-05-20 · 3m
Lincke: Berliner Luft / Berliner Philharmoniker (with Simon Rattle at the bass drum)
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2015-05-20 · 12m
Simon Rattle on Herbert von Karajan
201512m
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2015-05-20 · 15m
Simon Rattle talks about Brahms and Schumann
201515m
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2014-05-20 · 2m
Bach: Johannes-Passion / Sir Simon Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2014-05-20 · 2m
Bach: Matthäus-Passion / Sir Simon Rattle · Berliner Philharmoniker
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2013-05-20 · 21m
In rehearsal: Simon Rattle conducts 6 Berlin school orchestras
FreeLong
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2011-05-21 · 0m
A birthday surprise for Simon Rattle
20110m
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2010-05-21 · 1m
Simon Rattle as Timpanist
20101m
Free
Play videoBerlin Philharmonic · published 2010-05-21 · 2m
Simon Rattle in rehearsal with Berlin school students
20102m
Free
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