Composer

Joyce DiDonato has been described as “an American treasure” (Operawire), “increasingly incomparable” (New Yorker) and “a great, brave and inspiring artist – one of the finest singers of our time” (Gramophone). She brings her voice, described by NPR as “luminous, silken, flexible, full of colours and expressive shadings” to Hector Berlioz’s equally luminous song cycle Les nuits d’été (Summer Nights). Berlioz’s gorgeously intimate orchestrations embody the sound of love, both new and long lost.

Joyce DiDonato

Auckland Town Hall

Michael Fowler Centre

L’Enfance du Christ is a lavish operatic oratorio that tells of Herod’s Massacre of the Innocents, and the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, blending surging drama and ethereal wonder, mighty choral set pieces with sublime solos of exquisite beauty. Berlioz conjures music of deep passion and belief, but it’s also a moving story of new life and family love that brings you up close to Mary, Joseph and Jesus as they flee their home and run for their lives.

L'Enfance du Christ

Usher Hall

Latin Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Pacho Flores brings the house down everywhere he plays.

Rafael Payare Conducts Berlioz & Ortiz

Southbank Centre

Welcome the coming festive season with one of the tenderest, most captivating Christmas pieces ever created.

Two of Berlioz’s most popular works frame a performance by ‘the best trumpeter in the world’ in this fiesta of a concert.  

Latin Grammy-winning trumpeter Pacho Flores brings the house down everywhere he plays. Tonight he joins fellow Venezuelan Rafael Payare to perform Altar de Bronce (Altar of Bronze), written for him by the Philharmonia’s Featured Composer Gabriela Ortiz. Its two movements, ‘Tin’ and ‘Copper’, are full of drama and invention, and the infectious rhythms of Mexican popular music. 

Rafael Payare conducts Symphonie fantastique

Welcome to Rome, where your guide will be Milanese Daniele Gatti. Admire, on your left, Berlioz sketching a multicolored Carnival, with themes taken from his opera Benvenuto Cellini . A little further on, see Mendelssohn moved by landscapes, ruins and nature in his " Italian " Symphony. Finally, linger at the Villa Borghese and the Trevi Fountain, thanks to Respighi's Pines and Fountains , odes to the Eternal City and small treatises of orchestral flavor. Grazie mille , National Orchestra.

Roman Carnival / Daniele Gatti

Maison de la Radio et de la Musique

Two of Berlioz’s most popular works frame a performance by “the best trumpeter in the world” in this fiesta of a concert.   

Latin Grammy-winning trumpeter Pacho Flores brings the house down everywhere he plays. Tonight he joins fellow Venezuelan Rafael Payare to perform Altar de Bronce (Altar of Bronze), written for him by the Philharmonia’s Featured Composer Gabriela Ortiz. Its two movements, ‘Tin’ and ‘Copper’, are full of drama and invention, and the infectious rhythms of Mexian popular music. 

Berlioz summons up his version of carnival with timpani and tambourines rather than a full Latin percussion section. But he gives it just as much orchestral colour and energy, and adds a beautiful solo for the cor anglais.   

EPSG:4326

Leicester: Symphonie fantastique

De Montfort Hall

In the second concert of its 2025-26 season, the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra presents a dynamic programme of music by Suppé, Tchaikovsky and Berlioz.

The evening opens with Light Cavalry Overture, a lively and spirited introduction by master of the operetta, Franz von Suppé. Georgian pianist Salome Jordania joins the Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, a powerful work that balances the virtuosic demands of the soloist with the powerful presence of the orchestra.

Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra

Cadogan Hall 

One of the finest singers of our time, Joyce DiDonato has achieved international prominence appearing on the world’s major opera stages. She joins the MSO for a special gala performance of Berlioz’s song cycle full of love, loss and longing.

Ryman Healthcare Spring Gala: Joyce DiDonato

Arts Centre Melbourne

No ensemble has visited the University of Iowa more often than the Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra—but it’s been 43 years since the ensemble’s last performance on campus. We are delighted to welcome them back under the baton of Thomas Søndergård for a concert featuring violinist Benjamin Beilman, an adventuresome and passionate performer with a rich and deep tone. The program includes music by Tōru Takemitsu, Karol Szymanowski, and Hector Berlioz. Members of the orchestra will also engage with student musicians across the UI School of Music.

Minnesota Orchestra

University of Iowa

A powerful night of symphonic storytelling! Former Music Director Joel Levine returns to guest conduct the OKC Philharmonic, joined by cellist Carter Brey for Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

Joel Levine Conducts Tchaikovsky

Civic Center Music Hall

Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique was rooted in his passion for an actress who, for years, paid him no attention. His unanswered obsession led him to compose an autobiographical symphony that tracks the highs and lows of his emotional state, and one that redefined the parameters of what an orchestra could do.

Søndergård Conducts Symphonie fantastique

Orchestra Hall

World premieres are exciting: For the first time, printed music becomes tangible music for an audience. For the first time, the composer experiences how listeners react to his new work. Thomas Blomenkamp's work features "Cordelia, the lovingly loyal daughter of King Lear; Lady Macbeth, the demoness lusting for power and murder; and 13-year-old Juliet, caught between love and death," the Düsseldorf-born composer reveals of these "portraits between lyric poetry, drama, and psychological study." He juxtaposes key monologues by Shakespeare's female characters, which could hardly be more different, and allows them to flow into one another—connected by two orchestral interludes. With Sylvain Cambreling at the helm of the Duisburg Philharmonic, a conductor is considered a proven specialist in contemporary music and is also known for his imaginative programming, something he has already demonstrated in Duisburg. With Hector Berlioz's "King Lear" Overture, he opens the door to the world of Shakespeare, contrasting it in the second half of the concert with Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7. A work whose tragic tone and profound seriousness perfectly complement the English playwright's tragedies.

Shakespeare monologues

CityPalais

This program offers a shining homage to French mélodies from the Belle Époque in a highly anticipated rendezvous with soprano Véronique Gens. Let yourself be swept away by the poetry of the songs and the vocal elegance and refined artistry of one of today’s foremost interpreters of French mélodies. A must-see concert for aficionados of music and French song.

Véronique Gens and the French Mélodie

Place des Arts

Can you hear the bells? Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony The Bells — inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem of the same name — evokes the experience of bells ringing through the phases of life, and features Cincinnati’s own May Festival Chorus. Then, Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique takes you inside the delirious fever-dream of a young artist driven mad by unrequited love. Fueled by opium-induced hallucinations, the visions culminate in a sabbath dance where the bells toll a haunting clamor

The Bells & Symphonie Fantastique

Cincinnati Music Hall

Ravel Bolero

The Garde Arts Center, Inc.

Symphonie Fantastique!

Ambassador Mansions & Gardens

Don’t miss pianist Zlata Chohieva performing the exquisite Piano Concerto No. 21 by Mozart, made famous in the movie Elvira Madigan. Next, Berlioz rounds out the fantastic evening with Symphonie Fantastique, program music that tells the story of a brilliant artist who experiences desperation and sadness because of his unreciprocated love for a woman and poisons himself with opium.

An Evening Fantastique

Purdue University Fort Wayne

The sonorous and sparkling virtuosity of MSO Principal Clarinetist Jorge Diez holds the spotlight in two definitive works by Debussy and Weber. Plus, Berlioz’s daring blockbuster Symphonie Fantastique engages the senses and enlivens the imagination to deliver a bold genius-stroke of a finish, in a program that will take you places you never knew you wanted to go.

Bravo 2: Epic Dreamscape

Thalia Mara Hall

Elevate your morning routine with the new, innovative Coffee Concert Series, where music meets the comforting aroma of freshly brewed Blue Lion coffee. This unique series not only provides a delightful mid-morning musical interlude but also includes complimentary coffee after each performance in your own Fort Wayne Philharmonic Coffee Series mug and donuts from Sugar Creek Donuts. In addition, each post-concert activity provides an exclusive opportunity for patrons to engage in discussions with the musicians themselves, participate in fun musically themed activities and connect with the team who bring the music to life.

Coffee Concert: Symphonie Fantastique

Poetry slam meets classical music – Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique as the soundtrack to an emotional rollercoaster – heartbreak, madness, and dark dreams. At the center: an artist almost destroyed by his unrequited love. At first, he dreams himself into love through romantic fantasies and lavish balls – but then everything turns sour. Jealousy, madness, thoughts of murder, nightmares, death knells. And at the end? A witches' sabbath.

1. Concert for young people

Staatstheater Mainz

Join the brilliant young players of Norfolk County Youth Orchestra for a thrilling evening of orchestral favourites conducted by Andrew Morley.

Norfolk County Youth Orchestra: Autumn Concert

Ormiston Victory Academy

Surround yourself with the frenzied sounds of dancing witches, spooky skeletons and swirling spirits in this witches brew of Halloweeen-themed classical favorites conducted by Guest Conductor David Ellis. You’ll be sleeping with the lights on for weeks after this one!

Diabolical Dances, Tricks and a Treat

Beachwood High School

Symphonie Fantastique

Cannon Center For The Performing Arts

University of Memphis

Hector Berlioz: Inside the Score

Mount Pleasant Middle School

She was a candidate for the prestigious Prix de Rome: the French composer Mel Bonis . But her promising career ended before it could really begin. After Mel Bonis entered into a marriage arranged by her parents, she composed only for herself. Between 1897 and 1913 she wrote the piano pieces Femmes de Légende , which are inspired by female figures from literature and mythology such as Salome and Ophelia. Mel Bonis also arranged some of these pieces for orchestra, including Le Songe de Cléopâtre . With impressionistic timbres that are reminiscent of her fellow student Claude Debussy, yet reveal a very subtle style of her own, she paints the picture of a powerful and seductive Cleopatra.

2nd Symphony Concert

Music Director Jonathon Heyward welcomes Italian-American violinist Francesca Dego for Prokofiev's dark and brooding Violin Concerto No. 2. Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique evokes the passions of a tortured artist, while Mark Simpson's Israfel adds to the mysterious mood in homage to one of Baltimore's most famous residents: Edgar Allan Poe.

Symphonie Fantastique (Tales of Poe)

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

The Music Center at Strathmore

It is rare to witness a public execution and the subsequent “dream of a severed head” in a concert, but Hector Berlioz’s Symphony No. 1 does. Of course, it is all fantasy, but reality was more wonderful than fiction. In the symphony, Berlioz murders his love, the English actress Harriet Smithson, but years later married her. Michael Drapkin has reduced the orchestra in his arrangement, but not much emotion. Canadian-Finnish composer Matthew Whittall’s new oboe concerto is tailored for the brilliant oboe principal of the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Anni Haapaniemi. Whittall was inspired by the contrast between light and shadow in his composition, which also served as the starting point for the visual design of the concert.

Hallucination

Espoo Cultural Centre

Join us for a spine-tingling night of music that stirs the imagination and sends shivers down your spine! From the eerie elegance of Danse Macabre to the haunting beauty of Phantom of the Opera, this one-of-a-kind concert brings together iconic scores from stage and screen with the dramatic power of classical masterworks.

Phantoms & Fantasies

Corning Museum of Glass

Love, witchcraft, murder — it’s all packed into Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz’s thriller about a lovesick artist obsessed with a young actress. Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä leads this showpiece in all its psychedelic glory. There’s more drama in Harold in Italy, Berlioz’s Byronic tone poem featuring violist Antoine Tamestit’s “ferocity and panache” (BBC Music Magazine).

Mäkelä Conducts Symphonie fantastique

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Berlioz’s utterly spectacular Symphonie fantastique is not to be missed — a gripping masterpiece of nightmares and satanic rituals which shocked audiences at its premiere. New Zealand composer Louise Webster, meanwhile, meditates on the gruesome ‘tests’ used in historical trials for witchcraft.

Fantastique!

This is Halloween

Gateway High School

Step into a world of rebirth and rediscovery through three extraordinary works that stir the soul and awaken the senses. Gabriella Smith’s Rust pulses with earthy energy and vibrant textures — a raw, kinetic meditation on nature and decay that ultimately celebrates life’s resilience. Berlioz’s Les Nuits d’été follows with hauntingly beautiful songs of love, loss, and transcendence, floating like a dream through the twilight of the human heart. The evening culminates in Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, a dazzling tale of magic and rebirth where darkness gives way to radiant, triumphant light.

Finding Renewal

University of Redlands

Get ready for chills and thrills with Bach’s Toccata and Fugue, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, and Elfman’s Batman Suite—a spooky musical adventure for all ages! Children 0-12 years of age are invited to wear family-friendly costumes for our costume parade, and will be given a raffle ticket to win a Halloween treat and an opportunity to conduct side by side with the NVSO conductor.

Symphonic Spooktacular

North Canyon High School

Opening Night: The Witching Hour

University of Kentucky

BNY Classics showcases unforgettable performances by your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring timeless masterpieces, thrilling premieres, and renowned guest artists.

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

Bruneau-Boulmier Berlioz Debussy

Gasteig HP8

Step into a world of fantasy and wild imagination. Don your mask and immerse yourself in the music and beauty of three iconic masterpieces as we kick off the 2025/2026 season.

Anna Clyne’s dazzling and dynamic opening piece captures the spirit of celebration and revelry.

Masquerade

California Theatre

Our 2025/26 Season kicks off with Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto No. 5 and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony No. 9. Pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner, 2022 Concert Artists Guild winner, returns as soloist. Paolo Bortolameolli, associate conductor of the LA Philharmonic, returns to lead this concert of much-loved repertoire including Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture.

Opening Weekend: Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony

Phoenix Convention Center

Concerto Competitions are an opportunity for students to showcase their abilities as a soloist. Music Director of the Oakland Symphony Kedrick Armstrong conducts as winners Cristina Villalobos and Zoe Yost perform Hector Berlioz’ Les nuits d'ete and Bela Bartók’s Viola Concerto. 

Concerto Competition Winners' Concert

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Schumann

Decorah High School

We open our 96th season of concerts at the Forum with Rossini’s exuberant overture to La Gazza Ladra, (The Thieving Magpie). Renowned pianist Jeffrey Biegel plays James Stephenson’s piano concerto, a technical and expressive tour-de-force written for Biegel, himself. Hector Berlioz’s mind-bending orchestral epic, Symphonie fantastique completes the program.

The Forum Auditorium

The British conductor, pianist, and composer Thomas Adès visits the Swedish Radio concert hall Berwaldhallen with his piano concerto, here performed by Kiril Gerstein for whom the work was written, and Three Studies of Couperin, his tender adaptation of music by the Baroque composer François Couperin. But first, Adès leads the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the overture to Hector Berlioz’s never-performed opera Les francs-juges in this concert that concludes with Jean Sibelius’s sublime Sixth Symphony.

Adès, Gerstein & Sibelius

Berwaldhallen

American conductor Lawrence Loh is the newly appointed Music Director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra. He is in his final season as Music Director of The Syracuse Orchestra, having held that position for 11 years. He was previously Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. He held major staff conductor positions with the Pittsburgh, Dallas and Colorado Symphonies.

Celestial Visions: Symphonie Fantastique

Walton Arts Center

Czech Philharmonic, Robin Ticciati, Vilde Frang

Rudolfinum

Czech Philharmonic, Robin Ticciati, Vilde Frang • Dvořák Prague Festival

Three-time Grammy Award-winner Joyce DiDonato’s rise to the top included many moments when she felt she had a lot inside of her that nobody was seeing…or hearing. Today, she’s an artist determined to make the most of every performance. Her presence alongside Thomas Søndergård adds up to a season opener you won’t want to miss.

Søndergård, DiDonato and Strauss

After thrilling audiences with his interpretation of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique on his last European tour, Rafael Payare tackles The Damnation of Faust. Inspired by Goethe’s great play, Berlioz’s masterpiece is characterized by its powerful orchestral writing and narrative expressiveness. The work tells the tragic story of Faust, who makes a pact with Mephistopheles to secure happiness and Marguerite’s love. Instead, the deal lands Faust in hell while Marguerite is saved. Featuring remarkable orchestration and striking choral passages, this concert will take audiences on an intense and captivating emotional journey. A season opener that is not to be missed!

The Damnation of Faust: A Quest for Eternal Youth

A journey into new worlds: This applies to both works in the first Friday concert at the Beethovenfest. Barak Schmool, a British composer with Indian roots, explores the world of percussion instruments in the truest sense of the word: He plays with instruments, sounds, and rhythms from all continents, cultures, and eras.  Bernhard Schimpelsberger is a more than talented interpreter: a multi-percussionist, a virtuoso not only of Indian music, and a superb communicator. In the first part, the world we travel through with fiery rhythms and unheard-of sounds becomes quite small. Hector Berlioz, one of the earliest sound wizards for orchestral music, a literary figure, and a great self-promoter, was one of the first composers to explore the immeasurable expanses of the inner world: his Symphonie fantastique is a heaven-and-hell trip through the artist's soul, from the ecstasy of love to the place of execution to the witches' sabbath. A daring program, as one would expect from the Beethovenfest. For lovers of romantic orchestral sound in widescreen format and curious, adventurous souls!

Rhythm in Focus

Theater Bonn Opera House

YSP Closing Concert — Mozarteum Orchestra · Cimento

House for Mozart

Opening Concert Of Špilberk Festival

Park of the Špilberk Castle

When in Rome, do as the Romans do! Italian conductor Daniele Rustioni makes his LA Phil debut in an evening of Roman delights and more. Berlioz’s dashing overture kicks off the festivities with an airy fluttering of strings and charming English horn melodies, while Respighi’s colorful Pines of Rome offers the sounds of children frolicking in the groves, Gregorian chants echoing through the catacombs, and nightingales singing to the moon. As peaceful as it may sound, the Pines nonetheless is a grand and fast-paced flight, bookended by glistening brass fanfares that leave audiences awestruck.

Mendelssohn & Pines of Rome

Hollywood Bowl

Based on the ancient tragedy Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles, Igor Stravinsky created an impressive opera-oratorio in the 1920s. It was Stravinsky's idea to set the Oedipus story to music as a Latin text with a ritualistic feel. His librettist, the famous French playwright Jean Cocteau, accepted his friend's experiment and, together with the composer, wrote the translation for the vocal text as well as the narrator's French text. The first concert performance, which was not particularly well received, took place under Stravinsky's direction on May 30, 1927, at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt in Paris, which was also the venue for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and was closely associated with Stravinsky through his ballets ( L'Oiseau de feu , 1910; Le Sacre du printemps, 1913). Since its 1928 stage production in Berlin under Otto Klemperer in the style of New Objectivity, Oedipus Rex has been considered Stravinsky's most monumental work of his neoclassical creative phase.

Oedipus Rex — Vienna Philharmonic · Salonen

Great Festival House

A concert of larger-than-life sounds, stories and characters has Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique at its heart. Heady, opium-fuelled visions create a kaleidoscopic sequence: a swirling ballroom, a march to the scaffold and a witches’ sabbath, all set to the obsessive pulse of unrequited love. Sci-fi legend Philip K. Dick inspires Mark Simpson’s ZEBRA, a new concerto for maverick guitarist and former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Sean Shibe. The concert opens with Strauss’s Death and Transfiguration – no less than a musical struggle between life and death, climaxing in a promise of eternal peace.

Berlioz’s ‘Symphonie fantastique’

Royal Albert Hall

Symphonie fantastique and Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 with Yuja Wang

Tanglewood Music Center

Open Rehearsal: Symphonie fantastique and Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 with Yuja Wang

The thrilling combination of the 400+ voices of four adult choirs, two youth choirs, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and world-renowned soloists Nicky Spence and Lucy Crowe will guarantee a night to remember.

Berlioz Te Deum

In this enchanting program, French conductor Stéphane Denève and Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas make an indelible connection with romance and Spanish dances. Berlioz’s most famous work, his Symphonie fantastique, conjures up a dark tale of love and madness, while Rodrigo’s virtuosic Fantasía para un gentilhombre is a boldly exuberant, brilliantly colored work—the perfect showcase for a soloist who has "ascended to the upper echelon of successful classical guitarists." (acousticguitar.com)

Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater

It is safe to say that Constantinos Carydis has secured a distinguished place among the constellation of Europe’s leading conductors. A true musical visionary, the Greek maestro—who has previously led the Wiener Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared at the Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Covent Garden Royal Opera House in London, and the Vienna State Opera—fascinates both audiences and the musicians he conducts from the podium. His performances always bear the unmistakable imprint of his artistic personality: unexpected without being self-conscious, modern without overstating their sophistication, and profoundly musical, they accommodate a bold approach to programming that fearlessly bridges British baroque, French Romanticism, and contemporary Greek music. While they may surprise audiences upon first contact, they ultimately leave them enthralled.

Chamber Orchestra of Europe – Constantinos Carydis – Francesco Piemontesi

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Associate Artist Jonathan Scott, presents a rare opportunity to hear a complete live performance of his solo organ transcription of Pictures at an Exhibition. Mussorgsky’s iconic score, featuring Catacombs, Gnomes and Old Castles, culminates in The Great Gate of Kiev, and will use every capability of the magnificent pipe organ of The Bridgewater Hall.

Jonathan Scott

The Bridgewater Hall

### Event Description: Berlioz, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich at Cadogan Hall

**Date and Time:**  
Monday, 30 June 2025, 7:30 PM

**Venue:**  
Cadogan Hall

**Event Overview:**  
The Kensington Symphony Orchestra (KSO) returns to Cadogan Hall for an enchanting evening featuring the works of Berlioz, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich. This concert promises to be a captivating experience, showcasing the exceptional talent of one of the UK's finest non-professional orchestras.

**Programme:**  
- **Berlioz:** *Le carnaval romain*  
- **Rachmaninov:** *Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini*  
- **Shostakovich:** *Symphony No.1*  

**Conductor:**  
Russell Keable

**Soloist:**  
Firoze Madon, piano

**About KSO:**  
Formed in 1956, the Kensington Symphony Orchestra has built an enviable reputation for its high-level performances. Recognized as one of the best amateur groups in the country, KSO is celebrated for its professional sound and dedication to musical excellence.

Join us for an unforgettable night of classical music at Cadogan Hall, where the timeless compositions of Berlioz, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich will come to life under the baton of Russell Keable.

Berlioz, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich at Cadogan Hall

At the heart of the programme is Harold in Italy, Hector Berlioz’ vivid evocation of a journey through Italy, scored for solo viola and orchestra.

Lawrence Power & Aurora: In Italy

A stunning climax to this year’s Festival: the world premiere of Colin Matthews’ orchestration of Debussy’s Images plus Berlioz’s epic masterpiece Symphonie Fantastique.

Aldeburgh Festival: Fantastique!

Snape Maltings

"María Dueñas is one of the most exciting and promising talents of her generation." With these words, the Spanish violinist was awarded the LOTTO Prize of the Rheingau Music Festival in 2021. Now she returns to the Rheingau region and, together with the Orquesta Nacional de España and our featured artist Andrés Orozco-Estrada, brings fiery passion to the Kurhaus Wiesbaden. With Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Édouard Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, this evening combines French refinement with Spanish temperament—a concert that takes the audience on a musical journey to this year's featured country, Spain.

María Dueñas, violin Orquesta Nacional de España Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor

Friedrich-von-Thiersch-Saal

In 2025, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester will be 80 years old – an occasion to round off the 2024/25 season with a concert programme that is far from ordinary. Founded in bombed-out Hamburg in 1945, the ensemble once set an example of humanity and community in a world shattered by war, ideology and cruelty. 80 years later, this message seems more important than ever. Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor composed his concert »Venus in the Mirror« for »peace and friendship«, which is now being launched in Hamburg.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Kayhan Kalhor / Yo-Yo Ma / Alan Gilbert

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The ISO winds shine bright as Jun Märkl leads this colorful set of works. The program opens with Ravel’s take on the vibrant dance rhythms of Spain. ISO principal oboe Jennifer Christen and principal bassoon Ivy Ringel team up to perform a new double concerto by Indianapolis-based composer Hanna Benn. Berlioz invites us into his wildest dreams in his psychedelic love letter, Symphonie fantastique.

Hilbert Circle Theatre

While Richard Wagner was working on "Tristan and Isolde," he composed a song cycle based on the texts of his secret lover Mathilde Wesendonck. The final song, "Dreams," in particular, shows strong thematic and musical references to the second act of the opera, in which Tristan and Isolde reveal their mutual, boundless love. For the celebrated soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, the opera's "great emotions" inspired her to want to become a singer. The best prerequisites for interpreting the feelings of Richard and Mathilde. Wagner's songs are contrasted with musical dream visions by French composers. In Claude Debussy's masterfully orchestrated "Prélude à ›L'Après-midi d'un Faune‹," the Faun's sensual thoughts float in the sultriness of a hot afternoon between reality and fantasy. The protagonist's unfulfilled desire for love in Hector Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" even escalates into horrific delusions. Andris Nelsons, one of the most sought-after conductors in the world, leads the Munich Philharmonic on this journey through images of longing and dream worlds.

Debussy Wagner Berlioz

Join the ISO for Into the Music, a free series featuring a lively discussion followed by a performance—with full orchestra—of the highlighted classical work. Maestro Jun Märkl will co-host an on-stage discussion joined by Ryan Ahlwardt, who serves as co-host of Indy Now on FOX59.

Into the Music: Berlioz

A thrilling exploration of orchestral colour, drama and storytelling, featuring Strauss’ mischievous Till Eulenspiegel, Puccini’s sparkling Capriccio sinfonico, and the wild, intoxicating journey of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

On Tour in Florence

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre

A thrilling exploration of orchestral colour, drama, and storytelling, featuring Strauss’ mischievous Till Eulenspiegel, Mozart’s elegant Violin Concerto No 5, and the wild, intoxicating journey of Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

On Tour at the Bologna Festival

Teatro Auditorium Manzoni

On Tour in Milan

Teatro alla Scala

Guest conductor Riccardo Minasi is joined by singing royalty Véronique Gens and of course our very own Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Mozart's Symphony No. 40

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

NASO Jun' Concert 2025 

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space

Dreams and fantasies from the revolutionary Pierre Boulez to Berlioz’s most rock’n’roll work, the Symphonie fantastique.

On Tour in Baden-Baden

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

With the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Antonio Pappano, global champions of the classical music scene come together at the Hamburg International Music Festival. The LSO stands out in the exuberant music scene of the UK’s capital city as an orchestra with international claim to leadership and has in Pappano a principal conductor whose global career seeks peers. In their programme, the musical power couple combines two French composers, who fearlessly pushed boundaries in their respective time: Hector Berlioz and Pierre Boulez.

London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Antonio Pappano

On Tour in Hamburg

Dreams and fantasies from enigmatic Szymanowski to Berlioz’s most rock’n’roll work, the Symphonie fantastique.

On Tour in Heidelberg

Heidelberg Congress Center

Berlioz’s most rock’n’roll work, the Symphonie fantastique – plus a young Mozart dances on the violin.

Composer

Hector Berlioz

Events

Upcoming events

10 - 12 Dec, 2025

Czech Philharmonic • Simon Rattle · Czech Philharmonic

18 - 19 Dec, 2025

Esa-Pekka Salonen & Emanuel Ax · Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Jan 10, 2026

New Year's Concert · Residentie Orkest Den Haag

Jan 11, 2026

1001 Nights · Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne

Jan 15, 2026

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini · Acadiana Symphony Orchestra & Conservatory of Music

Past events

28 - 29 Nov, 2025

Joyce DiDonato · New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

27 - 28 Nov, 2025

L'Enfance du Christ · Scottish Chamber Orchestra

About

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