[1] Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922–45; 1952–54), Herbert von Karajan (1955–89), and Claudio Abbado (1989–2002).

The orchestra’s early years, particularly during the later Nazi era, saw a heavy focus on the Austro-Germanic repertoire, featuring composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Strauss, and Wagner.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the orchestra broadened its repertoire to include more Classical, Romantic, and 20th-century works, as well as lesser-known compositions and music from outside the Austro-German tradition.

The orchestra is particularly known for its recordings of symphonic works by Classical, Romantic, and early 20th-century composers, which have won numerous international awards.

In the 21st century, the orchestra launched its own Digital Concert Hall in 2009 and its label, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings, in 2014.

The Berlin Philharmonic was founded in Berlin in 1882 by 54 musicians under the name Frühere Bilsesche Kapelle (literally, "Former Bilse's Band"); the group broke away from their previous conductor Benjamin Bilse after he announced his intention of taking the band on a fourth-class train to Warsaw for a concert.

On 20 April 1942, Furtwängler conducted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic for Hitler's birthday.

[4] After Furtwängler (who was personally opposed to the Nazi regime [citation needed]) fled to Switzerland to escape arrest by the Gestapo in January 1945, Leo Borchard became chief conductor.

[5] Hitler Youth members are reported to have distributed cyanide pills to the audience for those who wished, by death, to escape the imminent arrival of the Red Army.

[6][7] The battle forced the orchestra to close for two months, but it was quickly reopened by the Soviet occupation authorities under the East Berlin commandant General Nikolai Berzarin on 26 May 1945.

During the post-unification period, the orchestra encountered financial problems resulting from budgetary stress in the city of Berlin.

[13] Rattle made it a condition of his signing with the Berlin Philharmonic that it be turned into a self-governing public foundation, with the power to make its own artistic and financial decisions.

In his first season, he initiated community projects, such as a performance of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps danced by 250 public school children, documented in Rhythm Is It!.

[23] On 10 January 2013, the orchestra announced the scheduled end of Rattle's tenure as artistic director and chief conductor in 2018.

After an abortive first attempt on 11 May 2015,[25] the orchestra on 21 June 2015 elected Kirill Petrenko as its next artistic director and chief conductor.

[30] The orchestra's first concert hall, the Philharmonie situated on the Bernburger Straße in Berlin Kreuzberg, was inaugurated in 1882 in a building previously used as a skating rink[31] and converted by the architect Franz Schwechten.

During the 1950s the orchestra moved its concerts at the Musikhochschule (today part of the Berlin University of the Arts), in the Joseph-Joachim-Konzertsaal.

The building of the new Philharmonie started in 1961, following the design of architect Hans Scharoun, and it was inaugurated on 15 October 1963, with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, conducted by Herbert von Karajan.