In the heart of Germany, one of the world’s greatest live symphony orchestras is the Berliner Philharmoniker. Originating from Greek dialect, philharmonic means “love of harmony,” while a symphony means “an agreement of sound.” While generally synonymous, a small orchestra can have as few as a dozen musicians (sometimes called a pocket philharmonic), while a full symphony orchestra has between 80 and 100+ musicians, which is what we have with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Schools such as the Karajan Academy allow top young students to perfect their craft and work alongside professional musicians. Founded in the 1970s by Herbert von Karajan, the academy is known as a “talent factory” for the Berliner Philharmoniker. As an independent watchmaker, Horage has raised money through raffles and other means to help young watchmakers advance to professional careers. Seeing this concert come to light at the Berliner Philharmoniker allows us to do the same with aspiring musicians as our founder, Andreas and Tzuyu, have a longstanding relationship with the conductor Chin-Yin Huang.
On November 3, 2023, we are specifically sponsoring the Barock Phil Harmony Berlin, featuring popular classical and romantic music by masters Mozart, Brahms, Grieg, Dvořák and Mendelssohn. Conducted by Chih-Yin Huang with soloists SongHa Choi (violin)
and Soyoung Choi (cello).
Watchmaking and music are closely related in principle, requiring talent, years of training and passion to realize true artistry. The two even merge with complications like repeaters, where a miniature hammer and gongs are painstakingly perfected to produce a balance of frequency, volume and depth. A grande sonnerie can have two or more separate chimes, and elaborate melodies like the Westminster Chimes can be described as a mechanical symphony on the wrist.
