Name: PROGRAM CHANGE! Chamber concert in the Mirror Hall: String Octet
Start: 2026-01-18T17:00:00
Location: Harmony seal, Bamberg

Magdalena Kraus

Indrek Leivategija

Lucie de Roos

Wakana Ono

Paulina Riquelme Díaz

Bamberger Symphoniker

A concert in two halves with an intermission – and it will be a very athletic affair on an exciting playing field with numerous musical passes: Under the commands of Elim Chan, we will form an orchestral team for compositions that demand teamwork and coordination. But first, we will musically prepare the stage for the match – with a work "written with great pleasure" by Sofia Gubaidulina: It dates from 1971 and is a delightful story about a small piece of chalk. For Dvořák's Violin Concerto, first performed in 1883, we welcome the acclaimed violinist Augustin Hadelich as the driving star striker: For although the original composition is based on the idea of ​​the symphonic concerto, there is ample room for the soloist to showcase their talent – ​​especially in the fiery finale, which is based on the Bohemian folk dance "Furiant," meaning "the intoxicating one" or "the frenzied one." In the second half, our task remains the same: to move the musical ball back and forth between the different instrumental sections with great precision and unerring technique – in Bartók's popular Concerto for Orchestra from 1943, which, while essentially a disguised symphony, offers ample solo opportunities for individual members of our ensemble.

Elim Chan, Augustin Hadelich

At 98 years old, he is a living legend, and we cherish every moment we spend with our honorary conductor, Herbert Blomstedt. It has been said of our regular collaborations with him that "everything is played with such vibrant energy" and "full of rapturous enthusiasm." This time, he, as a skilled conductor, leads us through two symphonic soundscapes. First, we contemplate the "slender Greek maiden between two northern giants": this is how Beethoven's Fourth Symphony was once described, as it was composed in 1806 between the bold "Eroica" and the triumphant Fifth. Here, we can show off our "playful leaps"—and also revel in the enchanting melodies of the composer, who was in love at the time and whose heart is said to have "almost burst with happiness" while writing it.

Herbert Blomstedt

Aunt Milla loves Christmas, carols, and her richly decorated Christmas tree. But she soon finds it impossible to part with it and becomes beside herself when Christmas is supposed to be over. Her exasperated husband, Franz, has no choice but to ensure that a decorated tree remains in the house throughout spring and summer. For Aunt Milla, Christmas is now a year-round occurrence – with presents, lots of music, but also, gradually, more and more signs of wear and tear…

Advent concert with the brass quintet of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

"Playing with building blocks"—that's how Mahler once described his creative process. Therefore, in this concert, under the direction of Philippe Jordan, we will joyfully assemble one note after another with over 100 instruments. With our combined orchestral forces, we are always mindful, in Mahler's spirit, of "building a world by all means." The sound world we are to create is his popular Fifth Symphony from 1902, in whose interpretation we can indulge our musical passion, for the composer said that "the boldest passages and movements escaped him" here. It is a multifaceted work with a wealth of playful building blocks, and as a dreamy point of repose, there is the Adagietto, a truly otherworldly movement—made particularly famous by Visconti's film classic "Death in Venice."

Philippe Jordan, Maria Dueñas

To round off the year, we're treating our audience to a fun and colorful puzzle: They can create their own New Year's Eve concert – and we'll play whatever they request. Until then, however, they'll be spoiled for choice, as there's a wide selection of works in different categories to vote on: 5 sparkling overtures, 10 enchanting orchestral and violin pieces each – and even 5 lively encores. The "conductor" has already been chosen: The young and versatile conductor Aurel Dawidiuk, who is also a successful pianist and organist, was recently appointed Associate Conductor of the renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

New Year's Eve À La Carte

Our principal conductor once praised the "natural quality" of our orchestra, saying that we "never play routinely" and therefore it "never sounds boring." He particularly appreciates our great enthusiasm for discovering the often still unknown music of his homeland, and so we will once again delve with him into the Czech repertoire, which has become irresistible to us – with exciting works such as the "Suita rustica" by Vítězslava Kaprálová, who was not only a highly gifted composer but also the first female conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. She came from Brno but died in exile in France at the young age of 25. In 1938, she wrote her impressive suite, inspired by the folklore of her homeland, which we will present with great joy and energy. 

Jakub Hrůša, Julia Hagen

"Fate shuffles the cards – and we play." In the spirit of this Schopenhauer quote, we look forward to the program under the direction of our honorary conductor, Manfred Honeck. It begins with the overture to a musical card game: Tchaikovsky's dramatic setting of Pushkin's poem from 1890 revolves around a countess who, in her youth, was a daring gambler nicknamed "The Queen of Spades" – and who knows a secret about three unbeatable winning cards that prove fatal for a young officer gambling in a casino. Shostakovich also had a great passion for gambling: he was an enthusiastic football fan, maintained contact with the members of his favorite club, and even completed referee training. Perhaps his stadium experiences enabled him to so brilliantly charge, channel, or unleash the masses of sound in his compositions—as in his magnificent Second Cello Concerto from 1966, for which Truls Mørk takes on the role of the charging striker in our performance. 

Manfred Honeck, Truls Mørk

PROGRAM CHANGE! Chamber concert in the Mirror Hall: String Octet

Harmony seal, Bamberg

A few orchestral Champions League matches are on the horizon: But before we take some creative shots on goal in Spain, we're looking forward to a home game in front of our loyal Bamberg fans. Our principal conductor will be leading us as our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic.

Jakub Hrůša, Sol Gabetta

The organ world of this concert offers a wealth of evocative colors and magical impressions – and even a few mythical figures play their games. Johannes Skoog, born in Stockholm in 1992, will bring them musically to life on the keys and pedals: He won First Prize at the Canadian International Organ Competition in 2024 and was recently appointed organist to the Swedish royal court. He opens his Bamberg program with Prokofiev's Toccata of 1912, a "devilishly witty" virtuoso piece of classical modernism. Debussy's sensuously shimmering composition, written in 1894, is characterized by an arabesque-like main theme: A faun revels in intoxicating memories of beautiful nymphs on a summer afternoon.