Name: Organ concert: Juan de la Rubia
Start: 2026-03-08T17:00:00
Location: Bamberger Symphoniker

Juan de la Rubia

Bamberger Symphoniker

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.

Organ concert: Johannes Skoog

On Tour: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Alfredo Kraus Auditorium

On Tour: Madrid

National Music Auditorium, Madrid

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 our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic. He has been sharing his enthusiasm for this repertoire with us since 2016, and we love to revel in the unique artistry of this region. First up is a lively piece by Smetana from 1874: the overture to the rarely performed opera "The Two Widows"—an entertaining composition about two very different cousins ​​and an unexpected visitor.

On tour: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife Adán Martín Auditorium

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. He has been sharing his enthusiasm for this repertoire with us since 2016, and we love to revel in the unique artistry of this region. First up is a lively piece by Smetana from 1874: the overture to the rarely performed opera "The Two Widows"—an entertaining composition about two very different cousins ​​and an unexpected visitor. 

On Tour: Santander

Cantabria Festival Palace

This will be a great joy for everyone involved: In keeping with the fifth season (Carnival), under the direction of Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, we will slip into different roles, individually or in groups, for the musical stories of this concert, just like at Carnival or a masquerade – and can thus demonstrate our playing skills on the respective instruments. For Berlioz's soul-searching work set in Italy, our solo violist Wen Xiao Zheng will take on the part of the melancholic dreamer Harold.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Wen Xiao Zheng

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever." We look forward to playing with him and begin this cleverly conceived program with an orchestral journey to Scotland, where we capture the legendary landscape of a Hebridean island with the atmosphere of "salt air, cod liver oil, and seagulls" that Mendelssohn envisioned. 

Visiting Fürth

City Theatre Fürth

An exciting concert for us, offering plenty of creative freedom for individual orchestra members and fresh musical perspectives. We welcome Jörg Widmann, a versatile artist, to the conductor's podium, as he is both a soloist and composer of some of the pieces. He once gave such a wonderful answer to the question of how important live music is that "especially in the age of technical reproducibility and the accessibility of music anytime, anywhere in the world, the human being singing and playing on stage in the moment, without a safety net, is able to captivate and fascinate us more than ever.

Jörg Widmann, Ilian Garnetz, Sarah Maria Sun, Barbara Bode

What happens when a gazelle, a young giraffe, a leopard tortoise, and a ground hornbill travel together? Amazing things, of course! Their destination: the "Carnival of the Animals" in Paris. A very long way from their little animal school in Bulawayo, an African city in Zimbabwe. But no reason to give up. They have no shortage of self-confidence, especially Sarabi the leopard tortoise, who is convinced that there's much more leopard than tortoise slumbering within her. Even if Bobo the ground hornbill has his doubts. And so, on their journey, the four intrepid adventurers encounter enthusiastic orcas and a worried cuckoo, have to hide from Captain Hansen and his crew on a cargo ship, and along the way, uncover an old elephant secret… Young and old are invited to join Malte Arkona and the musicians of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in this captivating journey with wonderful music. Dressing up is expressly encouraged!

Carnival Concert: The Carnival of the Animals

This promises to be a delightful theatrical experience: Giovanni Antonini, as conductor and director, guides us through an original program brimming with powerful emotions and dramatic surprises. In the first part, we embark on a journey through the enchanting world of Italian music, which in the 18th and 19th centuries revolved almost exclusively around opera. Many composers explored this genre, and we present wonderful arias penned by the then-leading bel canto masters Rossini, Bellini, and Paisiello – and welcome the acclaimed artist Julia Lezhneva to sing the often rapid coloratura passages. 

Giovanni Antonini, Julia Lezhneva

Impressive, athletic – and so vivid that individual scenes of our antics will be clearly recognizable: We are looking forward to performing a few lighthearted musical recreations under the direction of Robert Treviño. We will be playing a musical team game composed by Charles Ives, and our audience can look forward to seeing how this "Football Game," complete with woven-in fan chants and a referee's whistle to ensure fair play, unfolds. The composer himself described the piece as a "caricature in two two-minute halves" and added: "Funny to listen to – but difficult to play!" We will also present the equally witty pranks of Till Eulenspiegel, that profound rogue whom Richard Strauss captured with all manner of mischief – and with such delight, because he wanted to hear "the people in the concert hall really laugh.

Robert Treviño, Janos Wollenweber

This will be a dazzling performance on our very own queen of instruments! Our guest is the Spaniard Juan de la Rubia, organist at the famous Sagrada Família cathedral in Barcelona. He begins his multifaceted program with the magnificent overture to Handel's 1743 psychological drama "Samson." A superb example of French Renaissance music is Eustache du Caurroy's 1610 Fantasia on the then-popular and enchanting song "Une jeune fillette." Profound emotion stands alongside explosive outbursts in Bach's legendary Chaconne in D minor. Charles Tournemire never wrote down his choral improvisations, such as the one on the Easter sequence "Victimae Paschali Laudes"—they survive only because he recorded them as early as 1930. Jehan Alain, who died young in World War II, wrote impressive variations on a folk song by the 16th-century master Clément Janequin.