Said Mr JP Nathan, Director of Programming, The Esplanade Co. Ltd: "The great degree of autonomy, virtuosity and sensitivity from the musicians contributes to the highest possible standards of music-making. This unprecedented perfection is the hallmark of the Berliner Philharmoniker and will inspire our musicians and audiences."

On 23 and 24 November, the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle will present two evenings of orchestral works featuring the music of Haydn, Brahms, Mahler, Rachmaninov and Berg. There will be a different line-up each evening.

Knighted by the Queen of England in 1994 for his contribution to the arts, Sir Simon Rattle led one of England's leading orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, from 1980 to 1998. He also collaborated with noted orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic, and has produced more than 60 recordings with these orchestras under the EMI label. Before being appointed artistic director and chief conductor of the orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle had already collaborated with the Berliner Philharmoniker over a period of 15 years. Since assuming his post in September 2002, he has continued to uphold a tradition of excellence while expanding the orchestra's cultural mission by developing projects designed to bring music and music education to the widest possible audiences. This earned him the Comenius Prize in 2004, the Schiller Special Prize in 2005 and the Urania Medal in 2007 for his commitment to music education. He will remain chief conductor of the orchestra until 2018.

Voted the world's number two orchestra by international music magazine Gramaphone in 2008, the orchestra was founded in 1882 by 54 musicians and named Frühere Bilsesche Kapelle. It was not until 1887 that they were named the Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester under the management of Berlin concert agent Hermann Wolff who sought out the best conductors of that day for the musicians. Since its formation, the Berliner Philharmoniker has been directed by some of the world’s finest conductors, most notably Hans on Bülow, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert on Karajan and Claudio Abbado. Today, the orchestra consists of 125 musicians from 18 different nationalities.

Tickets go on sale on 22 May and are available at Esplanade’s Box Office and all SISTIC outlets. m