Legendary pianist Alfred Brendel has stepped up to defend Simon Rattle against recent allegations in the press that the conductor’s relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic is not living up to expectations. “Contrary to what is said by a few critics, the Berlin Philharmonic is in superlative shape. Of course it is not a carbon copy of Karajan’s or Abbado’s orchestra… I remember the times when it was chic in Germany to look down on Karajan. Likewise, a press campaign against Claudio Abbado that claimed he had failed to rejuvenate the ageing orchestra, made him start packing his bags.”