The Berliner Philharmoniker (English name: Berlin Philharmonic) was formed in 1882 and has since become one of the most popular and commercially successful orchestras in history. The height of their popularity came under the direction of conductor Herbert von Karajan, who led the orchestra from 1955 through to his death in 1989, in which time they sold tens of millions of records.Simon Rattle has been the principle conductor since 2002.
