In June 2015, the Berliner Philharmoniker elected Kirill Petrenko as its new principal conductor, and he took up the post in summer 2019. Now an exclusive edition presents central recordings of this phase of anticipation and departure. Interpretations of works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Franz Schmidt and Rudi Stephan reveal not only the first important programme lines, but also the exciting, intensive music-making in this partnership. Kirill Petrenko calls the edition a “sonorous snapshot of the beginning collaboration between the Berliner Philharmoniker and myself, the initial spark of our community, so to speak” in the foreword. Three repertoire fields are outlined here, which are also significant for the future. Firstly, there is the music of Russia, which Kirill Petrenko grew up with and which is represented here by Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6. These are interpretations in which not only the passion and power of these works are fully revealed, but also their details and subtle nuances. Another of Kirill Petrenko’s concerns are unjustly forgotten composers. As examples of this, the edition presents two composers on the threshold between late Romanticism and modernism: Rudi Stephan and Franz Schmidt. The latter’s Fourth Symphony can be experienced, music full of sound and pain and also a favorite piece of Kirill Petrenko. And then there is – as the cornerstone of the collaboration – German-Austrian classical and romantic music. Just how important this repertoire is to Kirill Petrenko can be seen from the prominent place Ludwig van Beethoven occupied in his concerts at the opening of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, when the Seventh and Ninth Symphonies were on the program. Both interpretations are also documented here. The concert with Beethoven’s Ninth also marked the beginning of Kirill Petrenko’s tenure as chief conductor of the Philharmoniker. The performance was not only a programmatic statement, but once again revealed the interpretative quality of this partnership. The Guardian wrote: “It was obvious why the orchestra had chosen Petrenko. He has a gift for making the inside of a score glow, [and] his tempestuous Beethoven crackled with sinewy rhythmic energy”.[und] The high-quality hardcover edition presents the recordings on five CDs as well as pure audio and video recordings on Blu-ray. In addition to two essays and introductions to the repertoire, the booklet also contains illustrations of selected works by the artist Rosemarie Trockel, who was significantly involved in the design of the edition.