Name: Bad Hersfeld Festival
Start: 2026-06-28T15:00:00
Location: Stiftsruine Bad Hersfeld

Alain Altinoglu

Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra

Anyone who has ever heard this music will never forget it. "Le Sacre"—many still pronounce the title with a mixture of awe, horror, and fascination. Stravinsky's ballet music is and remains the system-breaker of the standard classical repertoire. If one wanted to describe the music that, just over 100 years ago, triggered what was probably the greatest scandal in music history—it was in Paris in 1913—terms like "orgy," "Black Mass," "High Mass for Rhythm" might come to mind. It is dance music, but for a completely different, dark kind of dance: earthbound, throbbing, sharp-edged, brutal. Where ballet had previously been expected to be as light as a feather, here everything literally bores into the subterranean depths. It is music that continues to overwhelm. And intoxicate. And that one simply never forgets. Back then, at the premiere, there were only a few who understood what event they were witnessing. One of these contemporary witnesses was able to describe it, this "new kind of wildness in both unartistic and artistic forms: all forms devastated, new ones suddenly emerging from the chaos." Alain Altinoglu and the hr-Sinfonieorchester will awaken the primal musical forces of "The Rite of Spring" in this Young People's Concert and unleash them with powerful sound in the Alte Oper.

Rite of Spring

Alte Oper

Almost a family reunion: hr's chief conductor Alain Altinoglu, born in Paris, has Armenian roots. And Sergey Khachatryan, originally from Yerevan, grew up in Frankfurt as one of the greatest violin talents of recent decades. It's only natural that Armenia's most famous composer is also involved, and a bonus that this even results in a small program focus for the hr Symphony Orchestra under the title "Armenian Soul." Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto, composed in 1940, has everything a violinist could wish for: fire, brilliance, the grand cantilena as well as the subtle, yet always perceptible, folkloric touch. And it demands a true virtuoso like Sergey Khachatryan, who says: If he weren't playing the violin, he would have become a race car driver. He always seeks the adrenaline rush, on the podium as well as in life, and he plays every concert with an artistic commitment as if it were his last. Excess: That's also the key word for one of the most famous orchestral works of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring." It's ballet music, but not of the lighthearted kind—on the contrary, it's an adoration of the earth, rhythmically pounding, with tremendous sonic power. The premiere in 1913 was dominated by astonishment and tumult—the work still takes your breath away today.

As part of the "Armenian Soul" focus, violinist Sergey Khachatryan and his sister Lusine will perform in the chamber music series, presenting vibrant compositions from their homeland with members of the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra). The program includes "Armenian Miniatures," transcribed from centuries-old folk music by Komitas Vardapet, a priest, singer, and founder of modern classical Armenian music; a romantic and expressive piano trio by Yerevan-born Arno Babadjanian, considered a masterpiece since its premiere in the 1950s by the Oistrakh Trio; and an equally important string quartet by the Soviet-Armenian composer Edvard Mirzoyan, full of graceful lyricism and intense drama. Each piece is a musical reflection of the "Armenian soul."

Colors from Armenia

Hessischer Rundfunk

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.

Symphonic Side Step

The hr Symphony Orchestra is actively committed to environmental protection. As a member of the "Orchestra of Change" initiative, it is working in various ways to make the music world more climate-neutral. This season, together with the hr Big Band, it invites you to a resounding and directly sustainable open-air concert. The WaldLiebe Forest Protection Project Neu-Anspach e.V. association has been dedicated for years to the protection, preservation, and future of the forest in the Hochtaunus district through a variety of projects. With this forest concert, the two ensembles of Hessian Broadcasting (hr) aim to support the association's successful work. Wandering from one location to the next, small ensembles will perform short chamber music programs at various points in the forest. And after the musical experience, everyone is invited to take nature conservation into their own hands and participate in the WaldLiebe association's reforestation project in Neu-Anspach.

Forest concert

Neu-Anspach

Inviting Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska guarantees beaming faces in both the orchestra and the audience. And a concert program that is never run-of-the-mill. Here, then: this year's celebrated composer, Maurice Ravel, in dialogue with the master of Polish modernism, Witold Lutosławski. Maurice Ravel is represented by two of his most dynamic works: "La valse," this grotesque lament for the Viennese waltz, which here spirals into the abyss with greater speed and intoxication. And the Piano Concerto in G major, with its jazz elements, entirely in keeping with the fashion of the 1930s. Breathless as the times themselves, this music is a relentless, frantic pursuit. Joining the hr-Sinfonieorchester at the piano is the Frenchman Bertrand Chamayou, for whom Ravel's music has been part of his DNA since his early days at the conservatory. Ravel himself was a regular guest in New York jazz clubs, and so Chamayou knows: This music should sound "like a great, ingenious improvisation." Rigor, yes; brittleness, no—that is the ideal of the pianist whose CD recordings of Ravel's complete piano works were hailed ten years ago as "his masterpiece" (FonoForum) and "a sensation" (Stereoplay).

La valse

Two clarinet works by Bartók, imbued with the richness of Hungarian and Romanian folk music, encounter the exuberant early piano quartet by his Hungarian friend Brahms. Construction, contrast, and surprising hints of jazz meet youthful energy, romantic ambition, and the spirit of the "Hungarian Dances." Bartók's "Contrasts" was the first work with which the Hungarian exile presented himself to the American public in 1940. Commissioned by the legendary Benny Goodman, it was Goodman's jazz background that inspired Bartók to compose the piece. When Brahms once sent his Hungarian friend Joseph Joachim the score of his piano quartet with the "Rondo alla Zingarese," Joachim readily admitted that the Hanseatic composer had surpassed him on his own turf.

Bartók Contrasts

When Ton Koopman plays the organ, anything is possible. Expect the highest level of ornamentation, verve and imagination, and fingers so nimble you wouldn't expect from a musician who's just turned 80. And what else can you expect? Magnificent music by Handel and Haydn, Koopman's secret star. "In Holland, Haydn is much more popular than Mozart because he's creative and witty," says Ton Koopman, the early music specialist both on the keyboard and on the conductor's podium. Haydn is also more difficult to play; you have to practice properly. "But it's beautiful music, and we have to promote Haydn. He deserves it!" Thus, his Symphony No. 80 is on the program, a work of the greatest wit, at times bizarrely humorous, always full of contrasts – a typical Koopman symphony. In this "Baroque+" program, the ever-so-sharp Dutchman contrasts Haydn with Handel: Handel's concertos are also virtuosic and original – and, with Ton Koopman at the organ, of a truly special, agile quality.

Handel & Haydn

Three times Shostakovich, and three times a completely different facet: first in a thrillingly exhilarating orchestral overture, then in the powerfully fresh sonic shower of the Second Piano Concerto with its warm, jewel-like middle movement, and finally in the Fifth Symphony, which triumphs in an almost surreal way. Kahchun Wong, who in 2016 became the first Asian to win the prestigious Mahler Competition of the Bamberg Symphony, takes the podium of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra for the first time. He will delve deep into Shostakovich's world, together with a pianist who knows his way around it like few others. "I'm addicted to Shostakovich's music, to this raw power," says Boris Giltburg, whose CD recording of the Shostakovich piano concertos is among the best currently available. What Giltburg observes for himself also defines the listening experience: "This is music that makes you tremble.

Pure Shostakovich

The encounter of diverse musical worlds is the hallmark of the Music Discovery Project, with which the hr-Sinfonieorchester fills the Jahrhunderthalle (Centennial Hall) once a year, captivating audiences time and again. This year's guests are the Berlin folk band Mighty Oaks. In times when music is produced cleanly and smoothly, and many musicians work with samples from the internet or rely on artificial intelligence, Mighty Oaks counter this ubiquitous perfectionism with songs that, with their subtle, deliberate twists and turns, are the exact opposite. Everything is played by hand with an honest directness that cannot be faked. Mandolin, tambourine, and banjo complement the usual instruments of drums, guitar, and bass, along with their three-part harmonies. This is why they are sometimes compared to the great Mumford & Sons. Their songs deal with the love of nature, friendship, and other very personal themes.

Music Discovery Project 2026

Culture and Congress Center Jahrhunderthalle GmbH

Chamber music icons in the former Rothschild orangery. The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) presents three captivating trios by Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff, and Schubert at the premiere of its "Chamber Flicker" series in the historic pavilion in Frankfurt's Günthersburgpark. An early stroke of genius by the young Shostakovich meets a musical gem from the late Schubert and Rachmaninoff's melancholic "Trio élégiaque No. 1." Shostakovich was just 17 when he composed his Piano Trio, which was only published from his posthumous manuscripts in 1983. Schubert's Piano Trio is one of his last and most mature works, which, according to Robert Schumann, swept over the musical scene of the time "like an angry apparition from heaven."

Trio élégiaque

Orangerie

What does a river sound like? How does music march? And who plays what in the orchestra? In this concert for grades 3 and 4, students embark on a musical journey of discovery together with solo bassoonist Theo Plath and the hr Symphony Orchestra. The centerpiece is Robert Schumann's "Rhenish Symphony"—a work that is like a musical travel diary full of impressions. Inspired by his move to the Rhineland, Schumann incorporated images of nature, experiences, and moods—sometimes festive, sometimes dreamy. The instruments are introduced piece by piece, their roles in the orchestra explained—and, of course, experienced live. An interactive excursion right into the world of classical music: vivid, engaging, and full of listening fun for young ears!

Schumann's Orchestral Excursion

After a long hiatus, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt) returns to the Bad Hersfeld Festival in 2026. Under the direction of chief conductor Alain Altinoglu, they will present a concert for the whole family against the impressive backdrop of the abbey ruins. The melodies have already captivated countless young and old with classical music. This program will feature a whole menagerie of animals, as well as colorful portraits of well-known fairytale characters such as Sleeping Beauty, Tom Thumb, and the Empress of the Pagodas.