Berlin-Vienna orchestral rivalry ended

BERLIN, May 3 (UPI) -- The 20-year-old estrangement of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic will be ended by a joint concert in Berlin on April 2, 2005.

Sir Simon Rattle, chief conductor and artistic director of the Berlin orchestra, said Monday the concert, including music by Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Mahler, should mark a new era, putting to an end "a rivalry that dates back to a previous century."

"We want to see where there is some common ground, where the differences lie, and learn from the experience," he added.

Coolness between the two renowned musical organizations dates to 1984 when Herbert von Karajan, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, canceled a concert in Salzburg, Austria, because he and his orchestra members were at odds over his decision to appointed a woman as clarinet soloist. The Vienna Philharmonic was invited to Salzburg instead, much to the chagrin of the Berlin musicians.