Name: Visiting Erlangen
Start: 2026-03-08T19:30:00
Location: Heinrich-Lades-Halle

The Bamberger Symphoniker is set to host an extraordinary series of events, blending diverse orchestral works with the talents of celebrated conductors and soloists. From New Year's Eve surprises with Aurel Dawidiuk to the enchanting Czech repertoire led by Jakub Hrůša, and the theatrical extravaganza with Giovanni Antonini, each event offers a unique, immersive experience. With the spotlight on creative works from composers like Mendelssohn, Kaprálová, and Dvořák, and performances by renowned artists like Josef Špaček and Julia Hagen, this symphonic journey promises to captivate audiences with its vibrant musical tapestry.

Symphonic Journeys: Exploring the Musical Landscape with Bamberger Symphoniker

The Bamberger Symphoniker is set to host a series of captivating events, showcasing an eclectic mix of classical music genres. From audience-curated New Year's Eve concerts to an International Classical Music Awards Gala, this season offers something for every classical music aficionado. Featuring renowned artists like Aurel Dawidiuk, Julia Hagen, and Nemanja Radulović, and highlighting works from composers such as Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, and Rossini, these events promise to be a feast for the senses, celebrating the enduring power and beauty of orchestral and choral music.

A Symphony of Events: Celebrating Classical Music with the Bamberger Symphoniker

Robert Treviño

János Wollenweber

Bamberger Symphoniker

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

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

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. 

Visiting Erlangen

Heinrich-Lades-Halle

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.

Organ concert: Juan de la Rubia

"When spring arrives, the heart leaps for joy." Fittingly, just before the official start of this season, we're bringing together a vibrant blend of sonic magic and folklore. With guest conductor Krzysztof Urbański and the explosive violinistic power of Nemanja Radulović, we'll also be delivering plenty of energy and musical exuberance – in refreshing interpretations of works that all resonate with the vibrant spirit of spring. Tchaikovsky's popular Violin Concerto, with its catchy themes, is certainly a virtuosic rollercoaster ride, yet it's also one of the more lighthearted pieces by this otherwise often melancholic composer.

Krzysztof Urbański, Nemanja Radulović

With our Baroque instruments, we embark on a musical journey back in time to a fascinating playground of the 17th century. Everything revolves around the music at the court of Queen Christina of Sweden, whose influence is linked to the names of many composers who are famous today. She was one of the most dazzling figures of that era – eccentric, self-assured, and a lover of the arts. She reigned in Stockholm for several years, but then abdicated the crown, converted to Catholicism, and moved to her beloved Rome. There, as a generous patron, she devoted herself to music, which she considered "one of the most moving arts," until the end of her life.

Chamber concert in the Mirror Hall: fattoamano – Baroque soloists of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

Harmony seal, Bamberg

For our 80th anniversary, we are honored to bring a very special highlight to the Joseph Keilberth Hall: the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) Gala – an event of international renown that will bring the classical music world to Bamberg. As the host orchestra, we will share the stage this evening with award-winning soloists from around the globe – artists who will be honored by a distinguished jury in December 2025. This international jury comprises 15 leading representatives from the most important European music media outlets – including BBC Music Magazine, Deutsche Welle, Musica (Italy), Radio Klassik Stephansdom (Austria), and Scherzo (Spain). Such a summit of the classical music elite is a rare event – ​​and this is the first time it has been held in Bamberg. An evening not to be missed: full of musical highlights, big names, and a festive atmosphere – and at the same time, the highlight of our anniversary year. Celebrate with us!

Gala Of The International Classical Music Awards For The 80th Birthday Of The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

In an interview, our principal conductor remarked approvingly that our orchestra's "special ability" is to "truly give its all in every concert"—and under his direction, we achieve this particularly well because we have long since achieved perfect synergy. We are delighted to immerse ourselves once again in a highly romantic work by his beloved composer Dvořák, who was once called the "prophet of Czech art." It was also said of his invigorating musical language and colorful inventiveness that one could argue about them as little as about the arrival of spring. This concert focuses on one of his vocal works, which Jakub Hrůša calls a "wonderful gift"—and whose "sensual melodic charm" was already praised by his contemporaries: The Stabat Mater, the setting of the medieval poem of the same name about Mary's grief at the sight of Jesus on the cross, is an exceptionally vivid and emotional piece.

Jakub Hrůša: Dvořák's Stabat mater

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.

Guest at the Vienna Musikverein

Vienna Music Society

concert together with our solo trumpeter, Manuel Mischel, and our solo trombonist, Philippe Stier. The sonata by the Venetian composer Dario Castello, born in 1602, offers an enormous range of emotions. In Widor's organ symphony from 1878, a vast array of stops are pulled out around a chorale-like theme, creating a brilliant sonic experience. Berio's "Sequenza" from 1966 explicitly prescribes elements of theatrical performance, including conscious breathing and vocal technique. The two organ movements, published only after Mendelssohn's death, were combined into a single sonata in 1993 with a new instrumentation – and represent a compelling musical experiment. 

Organ concert: Christian Schmitt, Manuel Mischel, Philippe Stier

"Man only plays when he is in the full sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being when he plays." These famous words come from Friedrich Schiller, and the program under the direction of our honorary conductor Christoph Eschenbach inspires us to many musical flourishes – with our wind players repeatedly shining through with their playful spirit. And the instrumental pieces hit the mark perfectly, for example in the overture from Weber's opera "Der Freischütz" from 1821: Here, bullets cursed by demonic powers decide the love life of a young hunter in a competition – but "the whole thing ends joyfully," as the composer noted. Afterwards, together with our solo horn player Andreas Kreuzhuber, we perform a fascinating concerto by Reinhold Glière: Although this virtuoso piece was composed in 1950, it is entirely imbued with a romantic spirit.

Visiting Erlangen

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