Name: Classic!Picnic
Start: 2026-07-12T19:00:00
Location: Freizeitpark Rheinaue

Dirk Kaftan

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

A great journey into the inner human being: This is Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion , perhaps the most significant religious musical work of the 18th century, which can still touch us today as it did 300 years ago: with its story of faith and doubt, of loyalty and betrayal, of hope and despair. In contrast to its dramatic sister, the St. John Passion , the focus of the St. Matthew Passion is on the inner journey that we all take when we relive and experience the suffering of Jesus Christ. And the St. Matthew Passion is not just a work for believers, for those connected to the Christian religion, but it also questions our values, our relationship to life and death, to this world and the next. The scope and instrumentation are larger, more powerful than in the St. John Passion : two choirs and two orchestras are contrasted, symbolizing the earthly and the divine spheres.

St. Matthew Passion

Beethoven Hall

Great classical music in our chamber concert series: Every year we invite an international ensemble to the Old Federal Council and look forward to a world-class chamber music evening. This time, the French Quatuor Hanson is our guest, a young French ensemble that will present three pieces of chamber music from Austria: two important works by Mozart and Beethoven, as well as a youthful work by the far too long neglected Johanna Müller-Hermann. Listening to their poetically fragrant Quartet in E-flat major is a heartwarming experience!

Mind and Heart

You can hear them from far away: chattering wild geese flying overhead in a perfect "V," on their way to their breeding grounds in Lapland. If they fly low enough, we can hear their powerful wings. And maybe even Nils, the boy transformed into a gnome; this cheeky boy who couldn't stop teasing the animals on his parents' farm and was full of silly ideas, who one day met a gnome who enchanted him into his own kind, so that from then on he could be teased by the animals.

Nils Holgersson

Four notes: Ta ta ta taaa. Symphony of Destiny. The Fifth. It doesn't take much to immediately know that Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is meant. The four notes immediately catch the ear and don't want to go away. Likewise, the symphony's relevance, the liberal ideas that Beethoven brought into the world with it, are reflected. School classes from the Beethoven-Gymnasium, which celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2026 and the school Beethoven himself once attended, will show us how relevant these are and what we can learn today from studying this symphony. 

Beethoven 5

Petrushka is the eternally unfortunate hero of all fairs: the story that underlies one of the greatest ballets of the 20th century is a tale of exclusion and belonging, of love and alienation, of rebellion and adaptation. As a listener, you are swept away by the colorful score, by wild rhythms and memorable themes that characterize the story's main characters and their fates. But you also suffer with Petrushka , the doll made of cloth and straw who wants to win the ballerina's heart. Moderator Bettina Böttinger and conductor Alondra de la Parra examine Petrushka and its relevance to our time. The Beethoven Orchestra will be on stage playing examples from the work, music and content flowing into one before Stravinsky's masterpiece is heard as a whole.

Petrushka

Glitter and glamour, scandals and minor scandals, the avant-garde and the traditions of different nations: all this awaited the audience that flocked to the Parisian performances of the legendary Ballets Russes, arguably the best ballet company in the world, shortly after the beginning of the 20th century. The important composers, the renowned set designers, the wonderful stories created productions that sometimes still have an impact today. One of the most famous Russian ballets was Stravinsky's Petrushka , and the most exciting evening with a Spanish background was Manuel de Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat - an entertaining story about a miller and his clever wife who have to fend off the inappropriate advances of a civil servant...

Aranjuez

How do you remember your last vacation: Do you write a diary? Do you take photos? Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy drew sketches: in Italy and Switzerland, across Germany and in France. He wrote countless letters to his loved ones. And in Scotland in particular, the memories of images of storm-tossed seas, bare plains and cloud-covered skies condensed into music in his head: He created the Hebrides Overture and the third, the so-called Scottish Symphony, in which you can hear the wind whistling and see the kilt-clad clans riding through the Highlands. For beginners and old hands: in our Pur series, in which we aim to (re)discover important works of classical literature, we turn for the first time to perhaps the brightest composer of the Romantic era, the author of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Italian Symphony, and the oratorios Paulus and Elijah . Let's travel to Scotland with Portuguese conductor Nuno Coelho as musical director and presenter and let the fresh breeze blow around our noses!

Mendelssohn 3

The heart of classical music, Mozart and Beethoven: The most classical of all the chamber concert programs of the season presents weightless music from imperial Vienna during the gallant era. Night-time music par excellence, which gives us an idea of ​​how the aristocratic society indulged itself in the company of musicians who still seem the greatest to us today... But light music isn't just found in the 18th century: Even in the Romantic era and in the cauldron of the early 20th century, there are works that evoke southern evenings and gatherings among friends.

Serenades

Beethoven-Haus Bonn

Two exciting young musicians are the stars of our seventh Friday concert : cellist Anastasia Kobekina and conductor Nil Venditti, making their debuts with the Beethoven Orchestra. The Turkish-Italian conductor Nil Venditti has selected a program of opulent, large-scale orchestral music, juxtaposing English and Italian works from the pre-World War II era: the festive Concert Overture by the recently rediscovered Grace Williams from 1932 and Ottorino Respighi's Feste Romane from 1928. Anastasia Kobekina has been the rising star of the cello scene in recent years.

Large images

A joyful hubbub, market criers loudly touting their wares, mountains of unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, colorful spice troughs, the smells of foreign foods, and stalls full of glittering and shimmering treasures. A market in Andalusia, Spain, has a lot to offer, and Nala could wander here for days. But many miles lie behind her: rivers to cross, forests to roam through, and mountains to climb. And all this in search of the mysterious music box she seeks to find her destiny. Will Nala find it here after all she's experienced? With your help, she definitely will!

The Music Box

Exciting journeys of discovery are guaranteed when we venture into the caravan landscape of BaseCamp: Up to the dizzying heights of contemporary music. Down to the gems of never-before-heard sounds. Far out into the wild, where the wild rhythms dwell... Four pieces that explore this wonderful space in unusual ways are on this year's program, where the audience is, quite literally, at the center of the action...

BaseCamp

BaseCamp Young Hostel

Yggdrasil , the world ash, encompasses the entire cosmos : animals and humans, mythical creatures and gods, from the underworld through the Middle World to the heavens. In Norse mythology, the gods created this tree to connect all nine worlds and everything that lives within them. We take you musically into these worlds full of wonder and beauty, from the roots to the outermost branches of Yggdrasil . The artist duo Kopffarben complements Matthias Werner's impressive and colorful music with light paintings that bring the mythological stories to life and immerse us deeply in them.

Spanning worlds

If Bonn's two most beautiful concert halls return in 2026, the Kunst!Rasen will definitely be the greenest and airiest! Like every year, we're looking forward to a big celebration with the audience picnicking, enjoying, drinking, singing, and dancing along. You can't start the summer in more style!