Name: Symphonic Side Step
Start: 2026-04-26T11:00:00
Location: Hessischer Rundfunk

Alain Altinoglu

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

For more than 50 years, he has been immersed in the sound world of Johann Sebastian Bach, and even his own name carries an almost magical resonance: Philippe Herreweghe, the Belgian conductor whose music of every era sounds so incredibly clear and elegant. Accordingly, there was considerable excitement when, a few years ago, he declared that he was now "a bit tired of Bach." All the more valuable, then, are the programs that allow one to encounter Philippe Herreweghe and Bach together – as here, with the B minor Suite featuring the popular "Badinerie" and the soprano solo cantata "Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut" (My Heart Swims in Blood), featuring the renowned Dorothee Mields, known for her slender and beautiful soprano. For Philippe Herreweghe, one thing was always clear: he absolutely did not want to be reduced to being a Baroque conductor. That, he says, would be "like an actor only declaiming Shakespeare or Molière. The more I do Bruckner, the better I understand Bach, and vice versa." "That's a good interplay." Not Bruckner, but Franz Schubert is now on his "Baroque+" program, specifically the so-called "unfinished" symphony. Here, too, he will rely entirely on the virtues of clarity and the meticulous attention to detail that make his interpretations so profound. "Others," says Herreweghe, "defend their interpretative freedom, but that's just false routine. I defend the score."

Unfinished

Hessischer Rundfunk

A brass quintet of exceptional caliber. When trumpet, trombone, horn, and tuba come together in the hr concert hall, you can expect a rich, magnificent sound and a varied and captivating program. Frankfurt Radio Brass was founded in 2023 by five members of the hr Symphony Orchestra with the desire to present the audience not only with orchestral repertoire but also with the broad and brilliant spectrum of brass music at the highest level. From Baroque and Romantic to contemporary, there's something for everyone, because the musicians of Frankfurt Radio Brass have made it their mission to present every genre of music with the same passion, musicality, and technical perfection that listeners have come to expect from the hr Symphony Orchestra. The joy of making music together is always paramount and is visible and palpable to everyone.

Brass Connection

This season, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) once again brings its chamber music concerts to the Forum Kultur Heppenheim. In the historic Kursaal, hr solo flautist Sebastian Wittiber and hr oboist Michael Höfele, accompanied by pianist Maria Ollikainen, will present French chamber music for flute, oboe, and English horn. The concert features a selection of distinctive works from the circle of the extraordinary composer Lili Boulanger, who at the age of 19 became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome and tragically died far too young just a few years later.

Chant du soir

Forum Kultur Heppenheim e. V.

As a conductor, he has the chance to "paint with a huge brush," says Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. As a violinist, the brush is considerably smaller. Szeps-Znaider knows and can do both: He is one of the few who are equally successful as a violin soloist and conductor, often performing both roles in one evening – as in this concert with the hr Symphony Orchestra. "I was simply curious and only knew the diverse orchestral and operatic repertoire as a listener," explains the Copenhagen-born musician with Polish roots, justifying his dual career. "Ultimately, the repertoire for solo violinists was too narrow for me." And narrowness simply doesn't suit this artist's understanding of music, who is incredibly reflective and undogmatic, even when dealing with such well-known violin concertos as the popular one in G minor by Max Bruch. Questioning every note in relation to the whole is Szeps-Znaider's credo – "that's why playing it feels to me as if I'm discovering the piece for the very first time. It's never boring." Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider can be experienced as both violinist and conductor, performing two absolute classics – Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 and Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 – as well as a surprising orchestral work by the featured artist Unsuk Chin.

Dvořák 7

Alte Oper

The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) is a regular guest at the Wettenberg Winter Concerts, presenting its chamber music program. This time, musicians from the orchestra will perform a captivating string quartet program. Mozart's Viennese "Hoffmeister Quartet," with its unique blend of cheerfulness and melancholy, meets the colorful French quartet masterpiece of the young Ravel. Interspersed throughout this chamber concert, featuring members of the hr-Sinfonieorchester, are dazzling dance pieces by the German-Bohemian composer Erwin Schulhoff, ranging from waltzes and tangos to marches. Pure joy awaits all quartet enthusiasts on this enthralling evening!

Quartet delights

Evangelische Kirchengemeinde Wißmar

To mark the significant anniversary of the Reformation in Hesse, which the Protestant Church will celebrate in 2026, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) will perform a celebratory concert in Homberg (Efze) under the direction of Austrian conductor Katharina Wincor. The program at St. Mary's Church will feature a virtuosic horn concerto by the young Richard Strauss, performed by hr-Sinfonieorchester's solo horn player Kristian Katzenberger, as well as two captivating orchestral overtures by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The orchestra will also present the Fifth Symphony by Franz Schubert as the main symphonic work of the concert.

500 Years of the Homberg Synod

Stadtkirche St. Marien

Franz Schubert's Fifth Symphony is a surprise: light, elegant, and almost chamber-music-like in its transparency, it stands out clearly from his other symphonies – delicate rather than weighty, thoughtful rather than dramatic. No wonder it is often called "the lovely one." In this moderated concert for school classes in grades 8 to 10, solo bassoonist Theo Plath, together with the hr Symphony Orchestra, takes a close look at the work. How does a symphony with such a lean instrumentation work? Where does Schubert's refinement shine through? A focused look at a masterpiece straddling the Classical and Romantic periods – compact, sonorous, and to the point.

Schubert's Chamber Symphony

A virtuosic horn concerto by the young Strauss, framed by a lighthearted Schubert symphony and Mendelssohn's overture about the beautiful mermaid who leaves her mermaid realm to live happily with her knight. What could be better – for the horn as well as for this "Quick & Classy" concert? Audiences can also look forward to the principal horn player of the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Kristian Katzenberger, and an early work by the Viennese Romantic composer. While modest in its means and brevity, and reminiscent of Mozart, its rich harmonies and ethereal melodies make it a true Schubert.

Horn in luck

The adventurous tale of Peter and the Wolf is world-famous. Sergei Prokofiev composed enchanting music for this beloved fairy tale about the Russian boy who embarks on a carefree morning stroll, unaware of the great adventures that await him. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra offers listeners of all ages the chance to experience Peter's adventures live and to follow the famous sounds of the oboe quacking like a duck, the clarinet creeping in like a cat on "velvet paws," and the bassoon sounding like a concerned grandfather offering Peter his often-overlooked advice. This and much more awaits you at this family concert by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Peter and the Wolf

This season, members of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) will present two masterpieces of chamber music at the Theater Altes Hallenbad in Friedberg. Who doesn't know and love Schubert's only piano quintet, with its famous variation movement on the "capricious trout"? The song's cheerful tone imbues the entire quintet with an aura of unbridled musical joy, to which its bright, luminous sound also contributes. In stark contrast, the program begins with Brahms's long-matured, final piano quartet, which reflects profound biographical conflicts. It is among the most impressive chamber music of the Romantic era.

Trout Quintet

Theater Altes Hallenbad

French chamber music for flute, oboe, and English horn. A concert full of distinctive works from the circle of the extraordinary composer Lili Boulanger, who at the age of 19 became the first woman ever to win the prestigious Prix de Rome and died far too young just a few years later. Lili Boulanger was a child prodigy without equal. At the age of five, she began her studies at the Paris Conservatoire, learning piano, violin, cello, harp, and organ. Her life was shaped by two themes: her exceptional talent and an early lung condition. When she won the Prix de Rome, she also received a scholarship for a three-year residency at the Villa Medici in Rome. Her doctors tried to dissuade her from the trip. But for her, there was no doubt: she had to have this experience. In the end, she left behind over 50 works, including chamber music, hymns, and choral works such as a cantata.

"Mahler's soul sings its farewell!" – there are countless famous words like this about the Ninth Symphony. And often, they speak of farewell, of the end, of the abyss. This profoundly moving work is a sonic endpoint – and at the same time a high point of the entire genre, of the era. "The orchestra is famous for its Mahler interpretations, and I will continue that," promised Alain Altinoglu in 2021 when he took up the post as chief conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. The Frenchman's approach to Mahler is detailed, attentive to structure, crystallizing colors. And in the Ninth, the colors are not exactly the brightest, naturally, because: This is not about the failure in the pursuit of personal happiness, but about the failure of the world as a whole. It is not only Mahler the man who sees himself on the brink of the abyss, but rather humanity itself – the Ninth as a universal requiem. One of the famous sayings about this work was coined by Arnold Schoenberg: "It seems the Ninth is a boundary. Whoever wants to go beyond it must leave." For: "Those who have written a Ninth Symphony were too close to the afterlife."

Mahler 9

The Management Symphony – comprised of around 100 executives from the German business world who are passionate about making music at a high level. For their annual rehearsal period culminating in a concert, they invite renowned orchestras to act as coaches and hosts. This season, they are joined by the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) and its chief conductor, Alain Altinoglu. The result of their collaborative work can be experienced in this concert, which presents a symphony that was once a departure into a new world, a romantic and fantastical one. The "Symphonie fantastique" takes an artist's life as its program, and the audience is right there with them. They experience a sonic intoxication unlike anything heard before – so vivid, so powerful, and so dramatic. This artist is captivated by a woman he adores, experiences her in a waltz-filled frenzy at a ball, seeks tranquility on a country outing, has visions of his execution while under the influence of opium – and finally dreams of his burial, accompanied by witches and grotesque faces, by funeral bells and a parodied "Dies irae." The dark Romanticism with all its demons enters the music of its time – this too is a merit that Berlioz deserves with his truly fantastic symphony.