Name: Christmas Classics
Start: 2025-12-10T19:30:00
Location: Prinzregententheater

Benjamin Appl

Oscar Jockel

Regensburg Cathedral Choir

Münchner Rundfunkorchester

The New Year's Eve gala, under the direction of Chief Conductor Ivan Repušić, with its rich vocal sensibility from the world of opera, has become a tradition at the Munich Radio Orchestra. This year, soprano Elsa Dreisig and tenor Matteo Ivan Rašić will be joining the cast. Naturally, they'll also be performing arias by Mozart, who inspired the renowned French-Danish singer to pursue a professional career. Matteo Ivan Rašić, winner of the 2024 Otto Edelmann Singing Competition and member of the Gärtnerplatztheater ensemble, will complement the program with tenor highlights from opera and operetta!

New Year's Eve Gala

Munich Residence

His music is clear yet rich in nuances: This is what makes the works of the year's ruler, Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), so incomparable. The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt honored his English colleague, whom he never met in person, with a cantus. Britten himself explored nocturnal spheres in his Serenade and the later Nocturne. The tenor and horn are the outstanding players on this journey through darkness and dream. Sergei Prokofiev's Symphonie classique, sparkling with virtuosity, takes us back to the light of day: a classical hit in the best sense!

A Tribute to Benjamin Britten

Prinzregententheater

"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

Alexander Gadjiev knows Chopin. At the 2021 Chopin Competition, he won second prize overall and first prize in the sonata category—the first prize winner with Serbian roots. In the final, he played the Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21, and the jury listened "with bated breath." Those who aren't already breathless after Chopin's virtuoso work can look forward to a fairytale fantasy by his Polish compatriot Stanisław Moniuszko. Antonín Dvořák also greets us from neighboring Bohemia. A breathtaking evening!

Alexander Gadjiev

Whether Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, or Romeo and Juliet – many of the most beautiful and well-known melodies were written for ballet. The grace and elegance of the dancers inspired the composers to achieve peak creative achievements – time to devote a detailed attention to the resulting music. This evening, it's not just the bows that dance on the strings; some animals are also said to be doing a few pirouettes...

Pirouettes and pliés

"Katja and Ivan" – that's Ivan Repušić, Chief Conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra, and his wife Katja, a pianist and professor in Split. Together with string players from the radio orchestra, they open the doors of their very own salon. Brahms' almost symphonic piano quintet will be accompanied by, among other things, five cheerful and charming miniatures by Shostakovich, based on film and stage music. Katja and Ivan's compatriot Boris Papandopulo sends greetings from their shared homeland of Croatia in the form of his "Papandopulijada."

Salon Katja and Ivan

Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz

Clemens loves music – but how do you dance to it? Luckily, there are the amazing dancers from the Ottobrunn Ballet School! Together, they discover how sounds transform into movement. Whether elegant, wild, or fun – the dance floor comes alive to the music of string instruments and piano. Join in, let yourself be swept away – and you'll surely find yourself dancing along by the end!

Dance with me!

Class Classics begins with the musical enthusiasm of young people who qualify with their school orchestras and learn from the professionals of the Munich Radio Orchestra during rehearsals what matters for a big performance. The goal is a joint concert with the Munich Radio Orchestra at the Isar Philharmonic Hall in the Gasteig HP8.

Classical class – Dance Around the World

Gasteig HP8

He wrote magnificent works, the French composer Georges Bizet! But where did he get all his ideas from? Sometimes it sounds Spanish, sometimes Italian, or even Oriental. Or, quite obviously, like something from the children's room next door? Pia sets out to find out, because his music was a bit unfamiliar to people back then. Pia seeks answers to all these questions and has to solve a few puzzles along the way. But one thing is clear: Bizet's "Carmen" music is still a real hit today...

In Carmen's footsteps

Old Congress Hall, Munich

After the sensational success of the first "Do Re Mikro on Stage," we were able to convince Penguin Pudding – with some encouragement and a few herring – to return for another concert! Look forward to a big, fun radio show with quirky sayings from Penguin Pudding, stage quizzes, and plenty of prizes, as well as great live music from the Munich Radio Orchestra. Detlef the Sheep has also announced his return – let's see if he makes his way to the Alte Kongresshalle. Join us live on air!

Do Re Mikro On Stage

Ready, set, go! The August Everding Bavarian Theatre Academy and the Munich Radio Orchestra have been working together for 20 years: a truly blessed liaison! Young students unearth previously unknown treasures from the world of musical theater and bring them on stage with the Munich Radio Orchestra. A scenic fireworks display with opulent orchestral sound, touching arias, a colorful set, and trendy dances. Colorful, professional, passionate. The triad of successful cooperation.

I due timidi & Le pauvre matelot

"I want to nourish the soul," said Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks, whose birthday the Munich Radio Orchestra is celebrating with works as diverse as a mass and the violin concerto "Distant Light." These works shed light on Vasks's thinking—the coexistence of nature and humanity, the sense of beauty, and the impending moral destruction of the world. His themes are rooted in his upbringing, having grown up in a country that was able to cast off its shackles nonviolently in a "Singing Revolution."

Peteris Vasks

Sacred Heart Church Munich

A long tradition of Christmas concerts connects the Regensburg Cathedral Choir and the Munich Radio Orchestra. And when the renowned lieder singer Benjamin Appl joins the choir, the former Cathedral Choir member meets "his" choir – the perfect setting for an atmospheric Wednesday evening with Christmas classics such as Peter Cornelius's "The Kings," the most beautiful excerpts from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, and many other heartfelt songs, choral pieces, and well-known melodies.