Former Berlin Philharmonic principal cellist Eberhard Finke has died aged 96

Eberhard Finke was one of the Berliner Philharmoniker’s most influential musicians of the postwar period. Now he died at the age of 96. Born in Bremen, he studied at the Staatliche akademische Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. Following an engagement as first principal cellist in Rio De Janeiro, he took over the same position with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Wilhelm Furtwängler in 1950. Until his retirement in 1985, he could be heard as a soloist with the orchestra in many concert performances. In 1972, he was one of the founding members of the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker. From 1969, Eberhard Finke taught as a professor at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Until a few years ago, he held masterclasses and was a judge at competitions. BERLIN PHILHARMONIC