Name: 5. Song Recital
Start: 2026-05-18T19:30:00
Location: Stuttgart Opera

Experience a musical feast in Stuttgart with the Staatsorchester Stuttgart's diverse range of concerts and recitals. From the soothing Lunchtime Concerts at the Opera House to the evocative symphonic poems of Bedřich Smetana, there's something for every music enthusiast. Notable artists like Dennis Russell Davies, Adam Palka, and Esther Dierkes bring their expertise to the stage, crafting unforgettable performances. Dive into the world of chamber music, orchestral symphonies, and intimate recitals, and discover the rich tapestry of sounds and stories woven by the talents of Stuttgart.

A Musical Journey: Stuttgart's Diverse Concerts and Recitals

Embark on a captivating musical journey with the Staatsorchester Stuttgart, as they present a series of events highlighting diverse genres and exceptional performances. From lunchtime concerts to symphonic renditions, the events promise a rich tapestry of cultural and musical expressions, featuring acclaimed artists and composers. Explore the details and artistry that make these events an unmissable experience for music enthusiasts.

Stuttgart's Musical Odyssey: A Symphony of Diverse Performances

Moritz Kallenberg

Rita Kaufmann

Staatsorchester Stuttgart

Enjoy a musical lunch break in the foyer of the Opera House - personally designed by the musicians of the Staatsorchester Stuttgart and the Staatsopernchor Stuttgart.

Lunchtime Concert

Stuttgart Opera

What moved Dmitri Shostakovich deeply at the end of his life was expressed musically in his last work. Although he found it more than difficult to write, he put his Viola Sonata op. 147 down on paper - a work in which he looks back on his often painful life full of melancholy. Our Composer in Focus this season is Ivan Danko. His composition Frustration of the Tolerance is inspired by the painting of the same name by Slovakian artist Albin Brunovský and moves between expressive drama, quiet fragility and a hint of folkloristic motifs – an exploration of inner turmoil and the attempt at balance. In his Piano quintet No. 1, Antonín Dvořák does not yet appear as the Czech national composer he has become known as. This music is highly romantic, full of opulent harmonies and rapturous gestures.

5. Chamber Music Concert

Liederhalle Cultural and Congress Center

Esther Dierkes and Björn Bürger present a recital program in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, accompanied by Cornelius Meister on the piano.

4. Song Recital

Galería Estatal de Stuttgart

Dance has a special significance in all cultures. With his Four Black American Dances, the American composer Carlos Simon shows how important dance is for the black communities in the USA in particular. Simon has chosen four examples: a ring shout, a waltz, a tap dance and finally a holy dance, in which the exuberant forms of expression of black Protestant denominations come to life. Equally gripping are Erwin Schulhoff’s Five pieces for string quartet, in which the Prague-born composer takes up fashionable dances of the 1920s. In the version for large orchestra by Manfred Honeck and Tomáš Ille, the rapid rush of sound in these miniatures is immediately captivating. Antonín Dvořák traveled from Prague to the USA in 1892 to help establish an original American art music. Not only did he give his Symphony No. 9 the title From the New World, he also incorporated harmonic and rhythmic elements from indigenous and black music cultures. Manfred Honeck, General Music Director of the Staatsoper Stuttgart from 2007 to 2011, will return to the podium of the Staatsorchester Stuttgart as guest conductor for this concert.

5. Symphony Concert

Beethoven Hall (Beethovensaal)

Court Kapellmeister – a title that composers were extremely keen on until the 19th century. At the Danish court in Copenhagen in 1861, it was Niels Wilhelm Gade who was delighted to be appointed to this position. It was during this time that he composed his Piano Trio in F major op. 42 – a work in which he audibly recalled the period of his life in Leipzig, during which he was the Gewandhaus Kapellmeister and associated with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann. Ernest Bloch, whose works are influenced by Jewish musical traditions, was both a reconciler and an admonisher of music. His second violin sonata, titled Poème mystique, is impressionistic in tone and alternates between meditative and highly expressive passages. In it, Bloch combines Jewish melodies and synagogue chants with Gregorian chorales from the early Christian church. In 1899, the string octet by the 16-year-old Felix Mendelssohn aroused the ambition of George Enescu, who was only a little older at the time. The Romanian composer maximised the sonic power of this large string ensemble with sweeping melodic arcs and intense furor.

6. Chamber Music Concert

Moritz Kallenberg presents a recital program in the foyer of the opera house, accompanied by Rita Kaufmann on the piano.

5. Song Recital

Nino Rota had every reason to be happy in 1973 – at least for a short time: his music for Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather was initially nominated for an Oscar, but was suddenly removed from the list. During this time, the Italian composer wrote his clarinet trio, which shows him from both a romantic, yearning and humorous side. Rota did win the Oscar two years later. The melodic arcs in the Phantasy Quintet by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams are shrouded in mist. These elegiac sounds blend 16th and 17th century idioms with moments of English folk song. Just as Vaughan Williams transformed his most successful film music for Scott of the Antarctic into his seventh symphony, Erich Wolfgang Korngold incorporated music from many films into his concert music. The sonorous passion so typical of his style also pervades his large-scale Piano Quintet in E major op. 15, where exuberant intensity and eruptions of sound alternate with the most delicate lyricism and airy sentiment in the smallest of spaces.

7. Chamber Music Concert

The members of the International Opera Studio present a recital program in the foyer of the opera house, accompanied by Vlad Iftinca on the piano.

6. Song Recital

Cornelius Meister and the Staatsorchester Stuttgart conclude their multi-year Gustav Mahler cycle with three concerts. Since 2018, they have performed all nine of the Viennese composer’s symphonies together. In just one week, the Stuttgart Liederhalle offers a unique overview of Mahler’s symphonic oeuvre: from the world-embracing First to the tragic Sixth and the pensive, introspective Ninth.

6. Symphony Concert(s)

The enchanting symbiosis on a balmy summer evening: classical music in the open air! The Staatsorchester Stuttgart offers a festival of sound for the citizens of this city. Just listen and enjoy!

Summer Concerts

Höhenpark Killesberg

Mozart’s Symphony No. 32 in G major is one of his shortest contributions to this genre. He probably used it as an overture for the opera La villanella rapita by his Italian contemporary Francesco Bianchi. Mozart contributed not only overtures, but also arias to stage works by other composers. Soprano Claudia Muschio presents two of these together with conductor Lothar Zagrosek, who is once again leading the Stuttgart State Orchestra almost twenty years after his departure as General Music Director. Anton Bruckner was deeply impressed by Mozart’s somnambulistic ability: “I deeply admire Mozart and try to preserve his clarity and beauty in my own work.“ The Austrian Romantic surprised his contemporaries with this confession. Throughout his life, Bruckner was accused of not structuring his compositions clearly enough. As a result, he reworked almost all of his nine symphonies several times. A rare exception is his Seventh, which was immediately well received. Bruckner succeeded in creating an exceptionally balanced work - with impressive themes and dramatic progressions.

5. Song Recital

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