Name: Guest at the Rheingau Music Festival
Start: 2026-07-10T20:00:00
Location: Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH

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

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.

Organ concert: Juan de la Rubia

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

"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.