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.

EPSG:4326

1. Concert for young people

Staatstheater Mainz

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

Paul buries himself in the memories of his deceased wife Marie. He has set up his house as a reliquary. Then he meets Marietta, a dancer. Everything about her reminds him of his great love. But Marietta is full of life and has her own wishes for a relationship with Paul. In a heated phantasmagoria, Paul is torn between his loyalty to his dead wife and the desires of the life-hungry dancer.

The dead city

Anyone who has ever experienced a silent film with live music will never forget it. It is a powerful experience to allow the now historic film images to enter into dialogue with live music. What was once common is now a rarity, even though there is a small but very active community of experts and enthusiasts in German-speaking countries who, in addition to repertoire classics like Metropolis or Nosferatu , also celebrate films that are often largely unknown today. Preserving and archiving this fragile film material is a race against time: The film reels, now 100 years old or more, are often damaged by environmental influences or improper storage, are sometimes only partially preserved, and are scattered in remote attics all over the world. The music for the respective films is often completely lost - which makes it all the more important that there are numerous initiatives that have set themselves the goal of making the silent film genre accessible to the public again in all its stylistic breadth and with newly composed music.

4th Symphony Concert

Experience a festive Christmas program full of sonic splendor! The State Orchestra brings musical stories about puppets and a snowman to life. Touching, inspiring, and surprising – like the perfect Christmas gift for the whole family!

Christmas concert

The Snowman

Gasteig HP8

Composer Julia Kerr, mother of Judith Kerr, who wrote down her moving emigration story from a child's perspective in When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit , always carried her opera score The Chronoplan with her while fleeing the Nazis . On the restless journey through Europe, however, parts of her composition were lost and remained missing until a few years ago. Made possible by extensive reconstruction work, the stage premiere of the opera is now being staged.

The Chronoplan (UA)

Helau & Fanfare! The State Orchestra invites you once again to the Symphonie Fastnachtique – musically top-notch as always, visually wildly patterned: The musicians slip into colorful roles. And the new chief conductor? He's more nervous about choosing his costumes than about his performance! An evening full of sounds, tulle, and a sense of tact! Chairman Lars Reichow, with his usual sharp tongue, leads the evening.

Fastnacht Symphony

The sight of a monstrous snake can easily make you faint. When Prince Tamino comes to, he believes he has seen his savior in the somewhat enigmatic Papageno. But he is far from it, as three ladies from the Queen of the Night's entourage rebuke him: she has saved Tamino because he is to free Pamina, the Queen of the Night's daughter, from the clutches of her kidnapper Sarastro. Enchanted by the image of Pamina, Tamino sets out on his journey. But the boundaries between good and evil, right and wrong seem to blur – is the star-blazing Queen of the Night in the right, or is Sarastro on the side of truth, goodness, and beauty? Trials must be passed, obstacles overcome, and insights gained before Tamino and Pamina can finally be united and Papageno, too, finally finds a companion.

The Magic Flute

Beethoven's Pastorale is a musical love letter to nature, evoking precisely the feeling one experiences while strolling through meadows, over small stream bridges, and through forests. Pure nature and romance! But wait! Anna and Malte only discover garbage that was already being dumped in nature in Beethoven's time. As environmental detectives, we rely on the audience to ensure that a breath of fresh air can blow again tomorrow.

2. Concert for young people

It's no wonder that Viennese-born Fritz Kreisler was familiar with the "Viennese style," which is reflected in the collection of character pieces entitled Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen (Old Viennese Dance Tunes) : "Liebesfreud," "Liebesleid ," and "Schön Rosmarin" ( Love's Joy), "Liebesleid," and "Schön Rosmarin" (Beautiful Rosemary) are three charming miniatures, exhilarating and catchy, the second also somewhat elegiac—but all three with melodic wit and elegance. It's a true curiosity that the composer Fritz Kreisler long concealed the fact that he himself composed his encores for violin recitals, which often appear as stylistic copies. Kreisler himself liked to play them as encores, and for many soloists, they are still part of the "musical confectionery" with which the audience is treated to a sweet end to the concert.

7th Symphony Concert

"I dedicate the composition The Dance of 21 to all those who, with strength, struggle, and faith, rebel within themselves every day, to those who tirelessly defend hope and deeper humanity, to those who, without knowing it or caring, become the new model for the future."

8th Symphony Concert

Wine, women, and good food—life could be so simple. At least, if it were up to Sir John Falstaff, who is always on the lookout for new pleasures. But when the coffers are empty, the hunter becomes careless: Falstaff sends wooing letters to two married women, but makes the tactical error of making the letters identical except for the salutation. He doesn't expect the two women he's courting, Alice Ford and Meg Page, to be friends, which includes a conversation about the unexpected mail. As soon as the women discover the transparent scam, they start plotting to stop the supposed suitor. Especially since they can also use the opportunity to save Alice's daughter Nannetta from being married, at her father's request, to a man Nannetta can't stand. The only thing to watch out for is the jealous stalking of Ford's husband.

Gabriel Venzago

Events

Upcoming events

5 - 6 Dec, 2025

4th Symphony Concert · Staatstheater Mainz

Dec 25, 2025

Christmas concert · Staatstheater Mainz

Jan 16, 2026

The Snowman · Munich Philharmonic

Jan 24, 2026

The Chronoplan (UA) · Staatstheater Mainz

6 - 8 Feb, 2026

Fastnacht Symphony · Staatstheater Mainz

Past events

30 - 31 Oct, 2025

1. Concert for young people · Staatstheater Mainz

24 - 25 Oct, 2025

2nd Symphony Concert · Staatstheater Mainz

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in The Magic Flute by Mozart

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Symphony No. 2 by Mahler

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Symphony No. 4 by Schumann

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Le Songe de Cléopâtre by Bonis

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Die tote Stadt by Korngold

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Falstaff by Verdi

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Der Schneemann by Korngold

Munich Philharmonic

Conductor in Fire Ritual by Dun

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Der Chronoplan by Kerr

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Ο Χορός του 21 – The Dance of 21 by Gourzi

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in Ypsilon. A Poem for Trumpet and Orchestra by Gourzi

Staatstheater Mainz

Conductor in 3 Old Viennese Dance Tunes by Kreisler

Staatstheater Mainz

About

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