HOT: Prom 53, Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Albert Hall

I have fond memories of listening to my Dad's collection of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestera as a child, with the sound turned right up for Karajan conducting Beethoven's 5th. So the opportunity to listen to possibly the world's best orchestra live at the Proms, with their Liverpudlian director Sir Simon Rattle, was a real honour. Despite the mediocre acoustics (described by Vlad as like at the end of a long bathroom corridor), the quality of was the music was undeniable. What particularly struck me was the cohesiveness and warm, rich sound (especially from the french horn and the clarinet) which made me dream of endless seas, lost loves and fiery skies. I loved their melodious Brahms Symphony No. 3, but I have to admit the Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 lost me a couple of times.