William Shakespeare tells a story of love and transformation in his comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He interweaves the paths and detours of Eros in several plot lines, inevitably leading to mix-ups, misunderstandings, and hilarious scenes. Ballet director Cathy Marston and designer Richard Hudson stage their "Midsummer Night's Dream" in a dilapidated, abandoned fairground. Providing a counterpoint to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's famous incidental music is Gabriel Prokofiev's "Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra No. 1." Robert Houssart conducts the Zurich Opera Orchestra and receives expert support from the popular British DJ Mr. Switch.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Bernhard-Theater

Concert of the Paris Opera Orchestra as part of the Festival de La Chaise-Dieu

Felix Mendelssohn /​ Gustav Mahler

Festival de La Chaise-Dieu 

This is the first of three concerts devoted to Mendelssohn's music, with young musicians from the string quartet Opus13, pianist Elisabeth Brauß and clarinetist Pablo Barragán.

Composer Focus: Mendelssohn – The Child Prodigy and the Virtuoso

Akershus festning

Second concert in the Composer Focus: Mendelssohn series, celebrating Felix Mendelssohn and Fanny Mendelssohn, with works by Bach and Mendelssohn siblings.

Composer Focus: Mendelssohn – The Poets and the Music

Akershus slottskirke

For 25 years I’ve wanted to perform the Mendelssohn Octet in Newburyport. Finally, I’m getting the chance. One of the most adored works in all the repertoire, which is affectionately referred to by my colleagues as the “Mocktet” - not to be confused with Shostakovich’s own version known as the “Shocktet” - which opens the final concert. The two octets are a natural pairing and fitting conclusion to a celebration of all that chamber music can be. The Mendelssohn is one great movement after another and an astonishing mature piece of music from a composer who was, annoyingly, only 16 when he wrote it. The festival artists are joined by the Miró String Quartet, one of the world’s great ensembles with multiple Grammys and first prizes from international competitions under their belt.

Twenty-Five Years of NCMF

Immaculate Conception Church, Newburyport

NUSO - Norsk Ungdomssymfoniorkester performs a program of sea-themed program music, a journey through music history conducted by Berit Cardas.

Voices from the Sea

Stavanger Konserthus

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ monumental »Sea Symphony« merges solos, choir and orchestra into an ode to the sea and the longing for distant shores. This symphony is full of indulgent romantic exuberance and yet is far more than just a musical description of nature. It deals with the fundamental questions of human existence, which the American poet Walt Whitman expresses with enormous linguistic power. For him, the sea itself is a symbol – of the innermost self that man can and must discover and explore, just as he explores the sea.

EPSG:4326

Choir St. Michaelis / Ensemble Reflektor / Jörg Endebrock

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Beethoven, Mendelssohn & Schubert

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

4th Chamber Concert

State Museum Schwerin

CAMERATA MULTITUDES »Synthesis«

Laeiszhalle Hamburg

Crypt Concert Iii

St. Michaelis (Michel)

A concert with works by Paul Ben-Haim and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy at Gut Horn Gristede, followed by a guided tour of the Rhodo-Garten Dringenburg (Streifzug).

Liv Migdal, Ofer Canetti & Lilit Grigoryan

Gut Horn

In the summer of 1826, Felix Mendelssohn, just 17 years old, wrote one of his most acclaimed works to date: the overture to Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream . The atmospheric opening wind chords transport us directly to the spiritual realm of Romanticism. The whirring of the strings, a highly virtuosic performance, conjures up images of elves and other luminous folk dancing before our inner eyes. It is almost a miracle that the young Mendelssohn was able to create such a work of art, so influential on the era, so early in his career.

7th Philharmonic Concert

Konzerthaus Dortmund

How do you remember your last vacation: Do you write a diary? Do you take photos? Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy drew sketches: in Italy and Switzerland, across Germany and in France. He wrote countless letters to his loved ones. And in Scotland in particular, the memories of images of storm-tossed seas, bare plains and cloud-covered skies condensed into music in his head: He created the Hebrides Overture and the third, the so-called Scottish Symphony, in which you can hear the wind whistling and see the kilt-clad clans riding through the Highlands. For beginners and old hands: in our Pur series, in which we aim to (re)discover important works of classical literature, we turn for the first time to perhaps the brightest composer of the Romantic era, the author of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Italian Symphony, and the oratorios Paulus and Elijah . Let's travel to Scotland with Portuguese conductor Nuno Coelho as musical director and presenter and let the fresh breeze blow around our noses!

Mendelssohn 3

Beethoven Hall

Michele Mariotti

Teatro alla Scala

Chamber music concerts are an important part of the program. In various formations and ensembles, the musicians of the Orchester der Oper Zürich explore a wide repertoire. At close quarters and in intimate spaces, audiences experience the intensity of the musicians as they make music. Each of the nine chamber music programs in the Spiegelsaal has its own individual focus: classics of the genre meet rarely heard works, and early music meets crossover.

9th Chamber Concert

Hall of Mirrors

The Hamburg State Orchestra's philharmonic concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Richard Dubugnon's compositional interpretation of Mendelssohn's essence will be heard - for the second movement of his violin concerto will be replaced by a new composition from his pen, inspired by the original. We encounter Mendelssohn Bartholdy today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Dubugnon, as part of the here and now! 

8th Philharmonic Concert MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY / DUBUGNON

Elbphilharmonie

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert features Richard Dubugnon's compositional interpretation of Mendelssohn's essence – the second movement of his violin concerto is replaced by a new composition by him, inspired by the original. Mendelssohn Bartholdy confronts us today as a mirror of the past and, through Dubugnon, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

"I will try to capture the essence of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and imagine how it might sound in the future, as if Mendelssohn's spirit were dictating the new version to me through a medium." – Richard Dubugnon

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Julian Rachlin

Few can spur the idiosyncratic organism of a large orchestra to such peak performances with the mere tip of their baton as Semyon Bychkov. Together with the Czech Philharmonic, which he has led as chief conductor since 2018, Bychkov embarks on a musical journey southward – the program features Italian-inspired music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Igor Stravinsky.

Czech Philharmonic / Semyon Bychkov

Subscription Concert

Holzhausen Estate

Konzerthalle, Bad Salzuflen

Detmold University of Music

Stadthalle Gütersloh

Theater Hameln

Schützenhof city park

Itzehoe Theater

Minden City Theater

Paderhalle Paderborn

concert together with our solo trumpeter, Manuel Mischel, and our solo trombonist, Philippe Stier. The sonata by the Venetian composer Dario Castello, born in 1602, offers an enormous range of emotions. In Widor's organ symphony from 1878, a vast array of stops are pulled out around a chorale-like theme, creating a brilliant sonic experience. Berio's "Sequenza" from 1966 explicitly prescribes elements of theatrical performance, including conscious breathing and vocal technique. The two organ movements, published only after Mendelssohn's death, were combined into a single sonata in 1993 with a new instrumentation – and represent a compelling musical experiment. 

Organ concert: Christian Schmitt, Manuel Mischel, Philippe Stier

Bamberger Symphoniker

Thursday Concert No. 8 »Between Worlds«

Volkshaus Jena

Mendelssohn's "Elijah" – Subscription Concert of the Berlin Philharmonic Choir

Berliner Philharmonie

This program revolves almost entirely around William Shakespeare. After all, the English poet, with his immortal and timeless plays, has inspired more composers and genres in music history than almost anyone else. The American James Gaffigan, current General Music Director of the Komische Oper Berlin, follows this trail in his return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Lawrence Power / James Gaffigan

The Orchester der Oper Zürich starts the concert season under a new, old name. After thirteen years as Philharmonia Zurich, the orchestra will return to its original moniker. The Philharmonic Concerts will once again alternate between the Opernhaus and the Tonhalle Zürich.

Bezuidenhout & Minasi

Zurich Opera House

Czech Philharmonic / Semyon Bychkov / Alice Sara Ott

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever.

Jörg Widmann, Ilian Garnetz, Sarah Maria Sun, Barbara Bode

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever." We look forward to playing with him and begin this cleverly conceived program with an orchestral journey to Scotland, where we capture the legendary landscape of a Hebridean island with the atmosphere of "salt air, cod liver oil, and seagulls" that Mendelssohn envisioned. 

Visiting Fürth

City Theatre Fürth

Start your Sunday morning off right with the Residentie Orkest and conductor Otto Tausk. At this concert, Mendelssohn's playful inventiveness will meet the electrifying energy of Ravel's piano music - a programme both surprising and moving. An inspiring morning where tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

Mendelssohn & Ravel

Amare

Thursday Concert No. 6 (2026)

"I'm not trying to teach history or a lesson in violin playing. I simply want people to feel real emotions through my music," says Nemanja Radulović about his art. And what piece would be better suited for this than Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor? One of the most poignant melodies in music history opens the work. Sister Fanny begins the program, and Schubert's Second Symphony – a small rarity – culminates.

Nemanja Radulović

Prinzregententheater

Kurpark Bad Oeynhausen

Stadtpark Schützenhof Hangül GmbH

Stadttheater Lippstadt

PROGRAM CHANGE! Chamber concert in the Mirror Hall: String Octet

Harmony seal, Bamberg

Renowned cellist Paul Watkins conducts and performs Haydn’s spirited, uplifting Cello Concerto in D Major, known for its lilting melodies and wild, rapid-fire scales. Shaw’s  Entr’acte adds a fresh and modern perspective with its inventive take on classical tradition. Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony shines with exuberance and was celebrated by the composer as “the jolliest piece I’ve ever done.”

Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony

Green Music Center

"Playing with building blocks"—that's how Mahler once described his creative process. Therefore, in this concert, under the direction of Philippe Jordan, we will joyfully assemble one note after another with over 100 instruments. With our combined orchestral forces, we are always mindful, in Mahler's spirit, of "building a world by all means." The sound world we are to create is his popular Fifth Symphony from 1902, in whose interpretation we can indulge our musical passion, for the composer said that "the boldest passages and movements escaped him" here. It is a multifaceted work with a wealth of playful building blocks, and as a dreamy point of repose, there is the Adagietto, a truly otherworldly movement—made particularly famous by Visconti's film classic "Death in Venice."

Philippe Jordan, Maria Dueñas

There is no better way to start Advent Sunday than with a varied, atmospheric organ concert: Christian Schmitt, renowned concert organist with a professorship at the Rotterdam Conservatory, invites you to a matinee with a program that presents the "queen of instruments" from the most beautiful romanticism to a piece exclusively for the pedals (i.e. played with the feet!).

Christian Schmitt, organ

Profeti

Carlo Felice Theater

"The Gewandhaus Orchestra strikes at the heart," was the headline in the Hamburger Abendblatt after the top orchestra's last ProArte guest appearance. With Chief Conductor Andris Nelsons conducting and works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Brahms on the podium, audiences can look forward to the finest musical artistry again this season. In their core repertoire, the Leipzig orchestra is unsurpassed thanks to its warm sound and simultaneously excellent and radiantly cast wind soloists.

Gewandhausorchester / Seong-Jin Cho / Andris Nelsons

Turen går til Hamborg med Janz

Alsion

The program features three string quartets driven by a passionate need for expression, igniting true emotional storms. Beethoven's String Quartet in C minor was the first string quartet he tackled when he created his Opus 18, and it is no coincidence that it is in one of his favorite keys, which we associate primarily with his "Fifth." Mendelssohn's A minor Quartet is one of those incomprehensible strokes of genius with which the young Mendelssohn's oeuvre is so rich. Viktor Ullmann's String Quartet No. 3 was written in Terezín and is considered the masterpiece of the Czech composer, who fell victim to the Nazi killing machine.

1. Chamber Concert: Storms of Emotion

sweetSixteen Kino

It's hard to believe that there are any top international orchestras that haven't yet performed at the Elbphilharmonie—especially such legendary ones! But the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's guest performance is indeed a premiere, and one with the potential to be the concert of the year.

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra / Martin Fröst / Lahav Shani

Guest performance in Weißenfels »Back from vacation«

Weißenfels Cultural Center

Guest Concert in Bad Lauchstädt

Goethe Theatre Bad Lauchstädt

Promoting talented young musicians in countries like Colombia and Cuba is one of the important tasks of the International Mozarteum Foundation. Several young artists have already established themselves in Europe and are pursuing their careers. Accordingly, all three ensembles in the sofa concert have Latin American roots. They will meet in Salzburg for LatinoMozart and share the stage in the Vienna Hall. These sometimes unusual ensembles will present music from their countries, including two world premieres, and bring it into harmony with Mozart. Rolando Villazón will elicit from them in dialogue how the participants came to own their instruments, what moves them about music, and much more.

Latino Mozart: Harmonías del mundo | Sofa Concert

Mozarteum Foundation

Guest performance in Arnstadt »Back from vacation«

Theater im Schlossgarten

Even though no “Brötzinger Saturday” is planned for 2025, the chamber orchestra will give a concert on the traditional date (last Saturday in September) in St. Martin’s Church, which is part of the city museum.

Under the direction of students from the conducting class of the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt am Main (Prof. Johannes Schlaefli and Christoph Altstaedt), works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gideon Klein and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy take us to the stars and to Swiss alpine pastures.

Of Alpine Pastures and Stars

Stadtmuseum Pforzheim

Choir concert

St. Mary's Church, Lemgo

Erpho Church, Münster

Paderborn Cathedral

The first concert, dedicated to the season's theme "Planet Shostakovich," juxtaposes two works that, in very different ways, touch on profound ideological layers and, precisely through contrast, open up new realms of interpretation: Dmitri Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77, was composed in 1947/1948, during a time of inner and outer distress. Jewish themes, such as those in the sharply drawn Scherzo, lend the work a dual codification: as a cultural confession and as a silent rebuttal. Soloist Liza Ferschtman devotes herself to this multifaceted work with great artistic sensitivity. This contrasts with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Reformation Symphony," Op. 107. Composed in 1829/1830 as a contribution to the 300th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession, it is a sonic testament to Protestant identity. /JN

Thursday Concert No. 1

Elegance, lightness and tonal refinement – this programme captures the unmistakable spirit of French music. Works by Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy and Ernest Chausson can be heard between subtle melody and dance-like drive – finely orchestrated, full of esprit and sensuality. From the delicate combination of harp and violin to Chausson’s large-scale concerto for violin, piano and string quartet, an evening of French charm and tonal finesse unfolds.

International Mendelssohn Festival

"Tempo isn't everything, but a certain energy must be created. It shouldn't sound comfortable," says Kian Soltani, referring also to Haydn's Cello Concerto in C major, which the artist in residence will play this evening with the renowned Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Whether lively and virtuosic or beautiful cantilena, this repertoire classic offers the cello star both; the orchestra complements it with two other audience favorites by Schumann and Mendelssohn.

Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Kian Soltani / Gianandrea Noseda

NDR Chamber Concert

An evening full of discoveries: This concert brings to light musical treasures that are all too rarely heard in the shadow of famous names. Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga’s First String Quartet – written when he was only 16 years old – reveals an astonishing genius who died far too young. The powerful piano quintet with double bass by Mozart’s pupil Johann Nepomuk Hummel combines classical and early romanticism, while Felix Mendelssohn’s youthful String Quintet op. 18 surprises with brilliance and vigour. This is accompanied by Fauré’s songful »3 Romances sans paroles« and Jules Auguste Demersseman’s virtuoso fantasy for alto saxophone – a real rarity. A programme of musical surprises.

Coffee Concert No. 1 »Back from Vacation«

Playing in a piano trio is one of the most demanding chamber music challenges, because the ability to listen and to rein in one's own ego are, even more so than in larger ensembles, the basic prerequisites for a successful interpretation. TaSte-Re (the name is formed from the initials of the participating musicians) has dedicated itself to this artistic balancing act for many years. And even the most important composers have always been tempted to prove themselves in this difficult genre. Joseph Haydn, with more than 30 works, pioneered the genre. The German and French Romantics added further milestones: Mendelssohn's C minor Trio is among the most popular of all time, and Chausson's composition achieved a beautiful synthesis of Romantic tradition and dazzling Impressionism.

Klassik im Trio

Goldener Löwe

This programme has it all! Istanbul-born pianist Hüseyin Sermet not only plays Franz Liszt’s demanding B minor Sonata at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, but also the »Petites Fantaisies« by French composer Charles-Valentin Alkan. His ludicrously virtuosic works even frightened Liszt, the lion of the keyboard, but Sermet can confidently go the whole hog – after all, he has won several awards for his recordings of compositions by Liszt and Alkan.

Hüseyin Sermet / Piano Recital

Final Concert "MORITZBURG"

Kirche Moritzburg

Orchestra Concert “MORITZBURG FOR ALL - COUNTRYSIDE

Kulturpalast Dresden

In 1986, a 14-year-old Japanese violinist from the Juilliard School of Music in New York, who was still relatively unknown in Europe at the time, made her way to Schleswig-Holstein to perform three sonata recitals. Midori’s brilliantly successful debut was followed by almost 30 acclaimed performances at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival over the years – and so of course her name cannot be missing from the programme of the 40th edition of the festival.

Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra / Midori / Christoph Eschenbach

Lucerne Festival

Salzburger Festspiele

Rheingau Musik Festival

Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival

Waldbühne Berlin 2025

Waldbühne Berlin

Musikfest Bremen 2025

Music Festival Bremen Ltd.

Psalms – they have been prayed and sung for almost 3000 years, first by Jews and later by Christians. They can also be found in the Koran. They are poetically bold, visually powerful poems, pleading prayers, dramatic laments, jubilant hymns. And they are all attributed to King David, the defensive and powerful ruler in the mythical early days of Judaism. The oldest psalms go back even further and tell of the time when the now feuding parties had their common cultural and cultic roots. This concert offers both: the passionate drama with the religious Christian-Jewish confession of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and the Baltic Cyrillus Kreek – and the change of perspective when Zad Moultaka, born in Lebanon, and Saed Haddad, who comes from Yemen, deal with these texts.

Psalms

Basilica of St. Castor

Overtures by Rossini and Johann Strauss are paired with Boccherini's Cello Concerto and Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony in a program that celebrates la dolce vita.

Notes from Italy at Boordy Vineyards

Boordy Vineyards Inc

Freiburg Concert Hall

Stadtkirche - Evangelische Stadtkirchengemeinde Emmendingen

The dogma chamber orchestra, founded by its musical director Mikhail G. Gurewitsch with a group of young musicians in Detmold in 2004, describes itself as "untamed, risky, and honest." Over 20 years later, the ensemble has won multiple ECHO and OPUS Klassik awards! Far removed from any polished aesthetic and free of any kitschy fluff, the dogma chamber orchestra performs works from the Baroque to the present day, as well as jazz and original compositions—standing up and without a classical conductor. This time, the orchestra is supported by two young yet phenomenal musicians: with pianist Elisabeth Brauss and Anna Luisa Kramb (violin), the dogma chamber orchestra has found the ideal line-up for Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Orchestra.

dogma chamber orchestra / Anne Luisa Kramb / Elisabeth Brauß / Mikhail Gurewitsch

And they bid their audience farewell to the summer break with extremely optimistic sounds. Felix Mendelssohn's overture to "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is one of his greatest strokes of genius: the famous introductory wind chords immediately transport their listeners to a fairy kingdom painted by Shakespeare, in which Mendelssohn's shimmering and darting sounds create fascinating scenes of mysterious magic. Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto marks his turn to a "new simplicity" that should above all be good-humored, energetic and objective, while still demanding the highest level of art from the soloist. And it reflects Prokofiev's (still) cosmopolitan attitude, which was fueled by his international concert tours at the time of writing. The final point is set by Ludwig van Beethoven – as is already the custom in Pforzheim – with another symphony: this time it is the fourth, which – although written at a time when Beethoven's deafness had already progressed – is described as extremely positive, "Greekly slim" and downright luminous. It demonstrates in an incomparable way how clearly, purely and lively a master like Beethoven is able to bring ever new opposing principles into dialogue with one another and, as a result, into harmony!

summer dreams

CongressCentrum Pforzheim

Miller & Munich Symphony Orchestra

Brucknerhaus

In the Elbphilharmonie’s Family Orchestra, children, parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts make music together – and each as best he or she can. The dedicated amateur musicians present the result of six months of hard work and rehearsals in a final concert.

Elbphilharmonie Family Orchestra

Mendelssohn's "Scottish" is a prime example of romantic classicism: its wanderlust, its folk tone and its world of legends are romantic, while its structure is classicist. The work was inspired by a trip to Scotland in 1829. Mendelssohn found the opening A minor motif in the ruins of Holyrood Palace: "I think I have found the beginning of my Scottish Symphony today," he wrote to his parents. But the ascending triad remained unused for a long time. It was not until 1840 that Mendelssohn resumed work on this composition. The youthful work now became a symphony of maturity in the immediate vicinity of another masterpiece, the E minor Violin Concerto.

4. Aufführungsabend

Semperoper Dresden

As a chamber music professor and piano accompanist, Mara Mednik worked for decades to turn talented young musicians into the stars of tomorrow. She brought many as yet unknown greats to the stage of the Hamburg Chamber Music Festival. Her former students have included Daniel Hope, David Garett, Julian Steckel and Vilde Frang.

Hamburg Chamber Music Festival International

The talent festival MOZART’S CHILDREN has been organised by the Brno Philharmonic in cooperation with the South Moravian Region’s Music School for 16 years. It attracts children and young people of all ages to the fantastic world of music and gives the best of them the opportunity to perform in the beautiful hall of the Besední dům with the great orchestra of the Filharmonie Brno.

Concert Of Children’s Soloists

The Dutch violinist Janine Jansen is one of the most celebrated artists of her instrument, touching and enrapturing listeners worldwide with her passionate music-making and stupendous technical prowess. Now, the likeable virtuoso finally makes her debut at the Dresdner Musikfestspiele. Her musical partner is the Camerata Salzburg – in a collaboration both sides consider a unique stroke of good fortune.

Janine Jansen & Camerata Salzburg

Cornelius Meister and the Staatsorchester Stuttgart are once again performing a symphony cycle this season.
Following the complete Schumann and Brahms symphonies, the last six Mozart symphonies and symphonies by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky, the focus is now on the only four major symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. His First, written at the age of 15, was premièred at the Mendelssohn home for his sister Fanny's birthday. This was followed in 1830 by the so-called "Reformation Symphony". However, as it only appeared in print posthumously in 1868, it was given the number 5.

6. Symphony Concert

Beethoven Hall (Beethovensaal)

Choral-symphonic concert "55 Years of the Jena Philharmonic Choir"

Some talents burn out early: they are celebrated as long as great art is paired with early youth, after which they are forgotten. This does not apply to the three composers of this evening - with one exception: Clara Schumann was celebrated as a virtuoso during her lifetime, but she did not receive lasting recognition for her compositions until the 20th century. One critic even rejected the review of her 1837 piano concerto "because we are dealing with the work of a lady". Schumann took Mendelssohn's first trio of 1839 as an opportunity to praise his fellow composer as the "Mozart of the 19th century". Clara Schumann wrote her only piano trio in 1845 at the age of 25 - a year before her husband Robert composed his first trio, which was heavily influenced by her work. Lera Auerbach, born in Siberia in 1973 and now living in New York, writes music using what initially seem like traditional means and forms. Her powerful first trio from 1992 gives no indication that we are dealing with the work of a woman.

Raphaela Gromes · Eldbjørg Hemsing · Alexei Volodin

Hall Schwetzingen Castle

In 1853, the 20-year-old Johannes Brahms was traveling along the Rhine on foot, and he stopped to visit the Schumanns in Düsseldorf. »Robert loves him. He is a great joy to him, both as a human and an artist«, Clara noted with enthusiasm. The close friendship between the young composer and the older married artists survived even difficult times. After Robert Schumann entered the insane asylum, Brahms supported Clara, pregnant at the time, and her six children.

 Martina Gedeck & Schumann Quartett

Stadtkirche St. Marien

Dortmund

Dortmund Concert Hall

young geniuses

Die Glocke

Philharmonia-2

Philharmonic-2

The trio Johannes Brahms - Robert Schumann - Clara Schumann has inspired each other artistically and, in some parts, erotically since 1853. But this concert is not just about the question of who, why and whether at all. Rather, the alliance of three expands into a pentagonal story. Mendelssohn is added, whom Brahms greatly admired. And the composer Aribert Reimann, who died in 2024 and who felt a close connection with Schumann, also joins for a short time. Schumann's first and Brahms' third string quartets form the framework for a program rich in relationships, the intertwined paths of which are lined with excerpts from Peter Härtling's Schumann novel and letters from the Schumann couple, read by the actress Martina Gedeck. The Schumann Quartet is responsible for the music, although it is not named that because of Robert or Clara, but because of the three brothers Erik, Ken and Mark who play along. The violist is an external player, but that is another (square) story.

Martina Gedeck & Schumann Quartett

Leicester Symphony Orchestra: Heinz-peter Kortmann – Organ Recital

De Montfort Hall

Instrumentation details. The tourist was Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, the key was B minor, the sketched work was the overture "The Hebrides", which was not completed until three and a half years later. On the trip, Mendelssohn Bartholdy had visited the island of Staffa with its legendary Fingal's Cave, but also experienced "the most horrible seasickness". The first version of the overture was written in Rome at the end of 1830, and Hector Berlioz, who was staying there, admiringly described it as a "delicate, fine musical fabric" that was "decorated with such rich colors". In 1832, Mendelssohn Bartholdy wrote from London during the premiere: "I have now made the Hebrides significantly different and better." A third, slightly shortened version was printed.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 26, 2026 - Jul 3, 2027

A Midsummer Night's Dream · Opernhaus Zürich

Nov 8, 2026

National Symphony Orchestra ·

Nov 15, 2026

Schubert / Mendelssohn Bartholdy and More · Gasteig HP8

Nov 23, 2026

Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra · Cadogan Hall

Dec 19, 2026

Mendelssohn - Elias · Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Past events

Sep 26, 2026 - Jul 3, 2027

A Midsummer Night's Dream · Opernhaus Zürich

Aug 28, 2026

Felix Mendelssohn / Gustav Mahler · Opéra national de Paris

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