Name: »Wien pur!« A concert with Viennese charm
Start: 2026-04-14T19:00:00
Location: Palace of Culture

The 2026 Dresden Concert Series presents a rich tapestry of music that spans the depths of human emotion and history. From commemorating the destruction of Dresden with poignant symphonies to exploring the intimate world of chamber music and recitals, this series offers audiences a profound listening experience. Featuring renowned artists like conductor Daniele Gatti and cellist Gautier Capuçon, and showcasing works by Stravinsky, Bruckner, Mahler, and many more, the series promises to captivate both heart and soul. Join us as we delve into this exceptional celebration of art and memory.

A Symphony of Remembrance and Consolation: The 2026 Dresden Concert Series

Patrick Hahn

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden

Robert Lis, born in Dabrowa Gornicza, Poland, began playing the violin at the age of 6. He is one of the most talented Polish violinists of his generation and has won numerous national and international violin competitions. In 2011, he graduated with honours from the Ignacy Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan as a student of Prof. Dr Marcin Baranowski. In 2012 he obtained his second master's degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam as a student of Ilya Grubert.

Chamber Music Evening N° 5

Semper Opera Dresden

Lukas Stepp has been concertmaster of the 2nd violins of the Staatskapelle Dresden since the beginning of 2019.

Chamber Music Evening N° 6

Semperoper Dresden

Through his thrilling concerts and highly acclaimed recordings, Gautier Capuçon has already established a solid reputation as one of the leading cellists of his generation. Born in the French city of Chambéry in 1981, Capuçon first took cello lessons at age five. He went on to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris under Philippe Muller and Annie Cochet-Zakine, later attending a masterclass of Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. A prize-winner at numerous international competitions, Capuçon was named »Young Artist of the Year« at the Victoires de la Musique ceremony in 2001. In 2004 he was awarded the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and has also received several ECHO Classical Music Awards. In addition to his work as a soloist, Gautier Capuçon is an enthusiastic chamber musician, performing with Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim and, naturally, his brother, Renaud.

Recital of the Capell virtuoso

The traditional Palm Sunday Concert was established in 1827 to gather money for the widows and orphans of the Royal Kapelle (today’s Staatskapelle). For decades, this was the only concert programme to feature choral symphonic music. Leipzig’s Gewandhaus Kapellmeister Felix Mendelssohn was also once a guest here, conducting his oratorio »St. Paul« on Palm Sunday in 1843. Five years later, in memory of Mendelssohn’s death a few months earlier, Carl Gottlieb Reißiger conducted the Dresden premiere of »Elijah«. The oratorio tells the story of the prophet in a series of dramatic scenes depicting a life of destiny, doubt, faith and consolation.

Symphony Concert N° 8

Born in Sibiu, Romania, in 1989 into a Hungarian-Romanian family of musicians, Tibor Gyenge received his first violin lessons from his father.

Chamber Music Evening N° 7

»Wien pur!« A concert with Viennese charm

Palace of Culture

In this program, you can experience a rather unusual combination of three unique and very special instruments. And all of them are absolutely record-breaking: the piccolo as the smallest and highest-pitched woodwind instrument, the tuba as by far the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument, and the harp as the orchestral instrument with the most strings! In a large orchestra, the three are often very far apart – and they have very different functions. But of course, the Olympic spirit is at the forefront of "Higher, Lower, Cheerful": "Taking part is everything," or, more accurately, making music together. We will get to know the different characteristic traits of the instruments and experience how, through the power of music, the piccolo, tuba, and harp, despite their great differences, can come together to form a wonderful whole!

Band for Kids: "Higher, deeper, merrier!"

Semper Zwei

Evening Recital N° 3

A romantic programme with a close connection to Dresden. As royal Kapellmeister from 1817, Carl Maria von Weber had a long-lasting impact on the city’s musical life. His »Oberon« overture is a late vision of romantic opera that is both radiant and dramatically charged. Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto was premiered on 4 December 1845 at the local Hotel de Saxe with Clara Schumann as soloist and Ferdinand Hiller conducting. Clara noted in her diary: »The concerto is quite rich in invention. All the movements are particularly beautiful, all of a piece, fresh and not too long.« Johannes Brahms was also closely associated with Dresden, frequently performing here as a pianist and conductor of his own works.

Symphony Concert N° 9

Blending sonic mysticism with maritime contemplation, this concert unites German and French Romanticism in a way that is both rich in contrasts and affinities. Richard Wagner’s music from »Parsifal« and »Tristan und Isolde« transports us into worlds of redemption and Liebestod (love death), metaphysical silence and burning ecstasy. Between these works come two French masterpieces that create their own unique sensuality: Camille Saint-Saëns’ First Cello Concerto is a virtuoso and dramatic concert piece without symphonic pretensions, while Claude Debussy’s »La Mer« is an impressionistic naturalistic panorama, full of movement and refracting sunlight. The Cello Concerto is interpreted by our »Artist in Residence« Gautier Capuçon, a master of the warm, cantabile tone.

Symphony Concert N° 10

Marie Jacquot is one of the leading conductors of her generation. According to one critic, her interpretations are »more inventive than innovation-driven, they float, they arise autonomously, without the gesture of emancipating oneself from anything.« In Dresde1, the French maestra will present two key works: Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, a piece of luminous clarity with a symphonic breadth and formal balance, complemented by Béla Bartók’s »Concerto for Orchestra«, which the composer wrote in 1943 while living as an émigré in America. This is a work of irrepressible energy and subtle irony, combining counterpoint, Hungarian folklore and late Romantic opulence.

Symphony Concert N° 11

On the eve of the International Shostakovich Days, the Staatskapelle is exploring two key works by the Russian composer. Written for David Oistrakh in 1967, the Second Violin Concerto is a work full of inner tension that captivates with its austere tonal language and chamber music-like density. The Tenth Symphony, composed in 1953 shortly after Stalin’s death, is one of the most discussed orchestral pieces of the 20th century. Here Shostakovich truly makes his mark: featuring his musical monogram – the famous DSCH motif (i.e. D-Eb-C-B) – this work is also an existential cri de coeur. The Tenth has been interpreted as a denunciation of Stalinism, particularly the second movement, which is seen as a savage portrayal of the brutal dictator.

»Wien pur!« A concert with Viennese charm

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