In the musical heirarchies, Berlin stands high. Only Paris and Vienna can equal its contribution to 20th-century musical culture. International maestros battle like matadors to be allowed inside Berlin's saced portals. It is where the power and the affluence are.
Berlin can afford the best.
This orchestra is not the mighty Philharmonic, but the other. And there is no need to sniff. The Symphonica has its own special radiance, and can also be racy and scintillating. This concert was a sort of festal gift-offering, and Cairo responded with shrieks of appreciation. The programme opened with Verdi's Aida Sinfonia.