The Berlin Philharmonic is a synonym for excellent musical enjoyment. During the last fifty years it has gone from success to success with its illustrious conductors Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, and Sir Simon Rattle. Dr. Annemarie Kleinert relates the history of this period. Knowledgeable and entertainingly, she presents the development and the internal organization of the orchestra, its collaboration with renowned guest conductors, soloists, and composers, as well as its many voyages. This is a factual yet also engaging book that includes personal observations of musicians and conductors along with numerous photographs mostly taken by one of the members of this musical ensemble.

Dr. Annemarie Kleinert is a free-lance historian who lives in Berlin. During the years of her affiliation with several universities, and thereafter, she established an outstanding scholarly reputation through her many publications about the cultural history of Europe.