Conductor

Opera and drama are rarely the focus of Thuringia's largest concert orchestra, which makes the program, which combines two stage works, all the more remarkable. Opening with Gabriel Fauré's incidental music for "Pelléas et Mélisande," the delicacy and tragedy of Maeterlinck's symbolic drama come alive in impressionistic soundscapes. The centerpiece of the evening is Béla Bartók's opera "Duke Bluebeard's Castle": an intense psychological drama in which Judith opens the locked doors of the castle and simultaneously uncovers her husband's secrets. 

EPSG:4326

Friday Concert No. 2

Volkshaus Jena

With his warm timbre and impressive technique, Jinxu Xiahou has already enchanted audiences all over the world. Now he is on stage at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, together with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Together, they will perform a selection of arias from works by Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi, among others. The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra complements these vocal delights with sparkling overtures and intermezzi, and assists the soloist with unparalleled class.

Gala with Jinxu Xiahou

The Concertgebouw

The Antwerp Symphony Orchestra opens the concert season in grand style with an evening of brilliance and operatic splendour. This year, the spotlight falls on Javier Camarena, the world-renowned Mexican tenor and Male Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards. Known as the king of bel canto, Camarena enchants with arias by Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, and Gounod, showcasing his unmatched vocal artistry and charisma. The orchestra complements his performance with dazzling overtures and intermezzi, delivering their signature elegance and flair. An unforgettable night of operatic magic, glamour, and musical fireworks awaits!

Gala with Javier Camarena

Queen Elisabeth Hall

The MDR Music Summer opens its 34th concert series in the European Capital of Culture 2025 with a brilliant opening. In collaboration with the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Chemnitz, soprano Fatma Said, and Omar Massa on the bandoneon, the MDR Symphony Orchestra presents a colorful program characterized by South American sounds, in which the bandoneon, whose origins lie in 19th-century Chemnitz, plays a prominent role. Marcus Merkel, one of Germany's most exciting young conductors of our time, assumes the overall musical direction.

From Chemnitz to the World

Theaterplatz

The Rhine In The Theater Koblenz Premiere In Ehrenbreitstein

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

North and South American rhythms – in Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" they characterize the two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Bernstein arranged some numbers from the now famous musical as a suite, which conquered the concert stage as "symphonic dances."
Just like George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," in which jazz elements, blues and symphonic music merge together. The African-American composer Florence Price is considered a rediscovery, and her "Suite of Dance" will be heard. Darius Milhaud's dance-like cinema fantasy "The Ox on the Roof" and the rhythmic piece "Huapango" by the Mexican José Pablo Moncayo will also be heard. 

Rhapsody & Rhythm

Berliner Philharmonie

Johann Strauss’s »Die Fledermaus« from 1874 is a masterpiece of Viennese operetta: In order to take revenge on his friend Eisenstein, Dr. Falke (alias Die Fledermaus) stages a game of mistaken identities at Prince Orlofsky’s ball, where the guests include a Marquis and a Chevalier, a Hungarian countess and budding artists. However, nobody is who they claim to be. The masquerade and trickery end with the entire group of partygoers in prison. When the masks finally fall and extramarital shenanigans come to light, Falke’s revenge is complete. This production by Günter Krämer has been delighting Semperoper audiences since 2003 with classic numbers such as the Watch Duet, the Czárdás or Adele’s »Mein Herr Marquis« as well as the witty dialogue, updated with some amusing contemporary references. With diamond-sharp irony amidst the champagne glasses, »Die Fledermaus« is a great evening’s entertainment… and not just at the New Year!

Die Fledermaus

Semperoper Dresden

Ludwig van Beethoven's renowned Emperor Concerto radiates confidence and promising grandeur, composed amid the tumult of Napoleonic wars encroaching upon Vienna. Beethoven conveyed hearing "nothing but drums, cannons, and misery in various forms" to his publisher. These military impressions left an indelible mark on the concerto's heroic style. Experience this privilege at the Queen Elisabeth Hall with a performance by the acclaimed British pianist Paul Lewis, globally celebrated for his Beethoven interpretations. The Scottish Symphony, echoing war rhetoric, draws inspiration not from contemporary events but from the romantic history of Mary Queen of Scots. Let yourself be carried away by the timeless sounds of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, skillfully rendered by the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.

Paul Lewis and Beethoven's magisterial 'Emperor's Concerto'

A story fizzing with irony and champagne, all danced to the sounds of the waltz.

Conductor

Marcus Merkel

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 27, 2025 - Jan 16, 2026

Die Fledermaus · Semperoper Dresden

Past events

Nov 28, 2025

Friday Concert No. 2 · Jenaer Philharmonie

Sep 28, 2025

Gala with Jinxu Xiahou · Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Cuban Overture by Gershwin

MDR-Sinfonieorchester

Conductor in Die Fledermaus by Strauss

Semperoper Dresden

Conductor in Danzón No. 2 by Márquez

MDR-Sinfonieorchester

Conductor in Oblivion by Piazzolla

MDR-Sinfonieorchester

Conductor in Libertango by Piazzolla

MDR-Sinfonieorchester

Conductor in Pelléas et Mélisande by Fauré

Jenaer Philharmonie

Conductor in Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) by Beethoven

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Symphony No. 3 by Mendelssohn

Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

Conductor in Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin

Berliner Symphoniker

Conductor in West Side Story Suite by Bernstein

Berliner Symphoniker

Conductor in Suite of Dances by Price

Berliner Symphoniker

Conductor in Huapango by Moncayo

Berliner Symphoniker

Conductor in Le boeuf sur le toit by Milhaud

Berliner Symphoniker

Conductor in A kékszakállú herceg vára (Duke Bluebeard’s Castle) by Bartók

Jenaer Philharmonie

About

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