Name: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Start: 2026-03-08T19:00:00
Location: Alte Oper

Bruce Liu

Alte Oper Frankfurt

When the rain learned to dance

Alte Oper

Exciting encounter in Frankfurt: when Karina Canellakis and Anne-Sophie Mutter go on tour together for the first time, the musical sparks will fly. ‘I've often attended her concerts, she's a great musician,’ says the top violinist about the American conductor. And about herself: ‘If you want to get to know me, you have to experience me on stage!’ Separating her life from music? Impossible. Her credo: classical music belongs in everyday life, in the centre of society. She would have got on well with Pyotr Tchaikovsky on this point. Music was his refuge and elixir of life. His grandiose violin concerto was composed in difficult times and became his lifesaver: ‘In such a state of mind, creation completely loses the character of work; it is pure bliss!’ This can only be accompanied by a similarly important work: With Ludwig van Beethoven's groundbreaking Seventh Symphony, the renowned London Philharmonic Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis have just the right composition for the occasion. (Pro Arte Frankfurt)

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Whether in distant universes, mystical magical worlds or dark pirate coves: when the tension crackles in the cinema, gripping heroic journeys move even hardened film fans to tears and give them a pleasant tingling sensation, the soundtrack plays the leading role. It is the breathtaking film music that breathes life into the images and draws viewers into captivating fantasy worlds. Even the most brilliant lighting effects are not enough to unleash the truly profound and gripping emotions whose magic makes film classics and their heroes immortal. Conversely, legendary theme tunes evoke dreamlike images of nostalgic memories, familiar feelings and goosebump moments even without the screen – across generations.

The Sound of Hans Zimmer & John Williams

‘If I could wish for anything, it would be an evening with different young jazz musicians From different countries. There are some people who are just incredibly interesting,’ said Jakob Manz in the preliminary talks for his jazz residency. And indeed, some of the most promising young jazz musicians from Europe are coming together here, including the Franco-Algerian cellist Nesrine and the Malian balafon artist Aly Keïta. ‘The two of them simply allow me to present jazz in completely different sound colours. You wouldn't believe the rhythmic possibilities that are totally surprising to our ears in Europe,’ explains Manz, who was also inspired for this evening by concert tours to Haiti and La Reunion. He continues: ‘This will be an evening full of fresh, energetic jazz and interesting constellations on stage. They all have completely different backgrounds and bring many musical influences with them - that's super exciting, and I really want to show that!’

European Jazz Night

As a conductor, he has the chance to paint with a ‘huge brush’, says Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider. As a violinist, the brush is much smaller. Szeps-Znaider knows and can do both: he is one of the few people who are equally successful as a violin soloist and conductor, and is happy to do both on the same evening - as in this concert by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. ‘I was simply curious and only knew the diverse orchestral and operatic literature as a listener,’ says the Copenhagen-born musician with Polish roots, explaining his dual career path. ‘The repertoire for solo violinists was ultimately too narrow for me.’ And narrowness simply does not suit the musical understanding of this artist, who knows how to deal with even such well-known violin concertos as the popular one in G minor by Max Bruch in an incredibly reflective and undogmatic way. Szeps-Znaider's credo is to scrutinise every note for its relationship to the whole - ‘that's why when I play it, it feels like I'm discovering the piece for the first time. It's never boring.’ Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider can be experienced as a violinist and conductor with two absolute classics - Bruch's 1st Violin Concerto and Dvořák's 7th Symphony - as well as surprising orchestral music by focus artist Unsuk Chin (hr-Sinfonieorchester).

hr Symphony Orchestra

The programme ‘For Swinging Dancers’ naturally focuses on the music of Glenn Miller, who became an icon of the big band era during his lifetime with the unmistakable sound he created.

Glenn Miller Orchestra

Music is always a mirror of its time. Bernstein's Age of Anxiety, composed between 1947 and 1949 and based on a poem by the British poet Wystan Hugh Auden, describes the uncertain and changeable attitude to life of people after the Second World War. The poem tells the story of four young people who wash down their fears and feelings of loneliness in a New York bar with copious amounts of alcohol, enter into changing relationships and desperately seek stability and faith in a world that has become strange.

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra

You should always be prepared for surprises with this young man. Asked what he would do if he had a whole day off, Sterling Elliott replied: "Work on my car. At the moment I'm trying to get the gearbox back into my car, a two-man job that I'm stubbornly trying to teach myself. It is not only in the garage that he is ambitious, otherwise the young man from Virginia would not have catapulted himself to where he now stands artistically: in the premier league of cellists of his generation. Elliott has long been a sought-after performer in the USA, but now he is also making a name for himself on this side of the Atlantic. Sterling Elliott presents himself in the Debut series and has another ambassador of the US classical music scene on board with the highly romantic Cello Sonata by Samuel Barber.

Sterling Elliott, Violoncello

With a stage name inspired by a martial arts icon and karting as a hobby, Bruce Liu is full of surprises. Just like his incredibly colourful piano playing, which has catapulted him into the premier league of the classical music world. Bruce Liu was born in Paris and grew up in Canada, but it was not least his Asian roots that shaped him. ‘I realise that the history of China - Confucianism, Taoism - is in my blood. But I am also closely connected to European culture through my profession.’ His touch definitely has a French vein, is elegant and incredibly light, while a haunting tension simmers beneath the surface. Excellent prerequisites for Tchaikovsky's legendary first piano concerto, which covers every emotional range from sensitive tenderness to an almost uncontrollable outburst of energy. Modest Mussorgsky's ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, which will be performed by the renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kazuki Yamada in the second half of the concert, evokes fewer emotional states, but instead marvellous visual associations. (Pro Arte Frankfurt)

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

In 1969, Fleetwood Mac sold more records than both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Their 1977 album Rumours is one of the best-selling albums in music history, selling over 19 million copies in the US alone. It's no wonder that the band, whose line-up has often changed, has such a huge following. And they still do! Since 1999, "Rumours of Fleetwood Mac" has been paying homage to this unique musical group that defined the zeitgeist of the 1960s to 1990s. However, to call this seven-man band a tribute band would be short-sighted. Their live videos have been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube, and their live shows have thrilled millions of Fleetwood Mac fans - including in Germany. Just in time for the grand finale of this year's tour here in Germany there is good news: "Rumors of Fleetwood Mac" will return to Germany in spring 2026 for 17 gigs.

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac

Whether from the car radio, the jukebox or the good old cassette, music - including your own favourite music - plays a role in Wim Wenders' films. It provides a glimpse into inner worlds, it is a motor and a source of inspiration, it structures and sets the rhythm. These close connections between moving images and music are the subject of a lecture performance specially conceived for the festival, with which Wim Wenders will open the festival dedicated to him. Wim Wenders will talk about the influence of music on his cinematic work, but also about his personal passion for music, his love of vinyl, his own music collection, his many close friendships with musicians and the soundtrack of his life.

Driven By Music

In 1895, just a few weeks before the Lumière brothers launched their cinematograph in France, the Skladanowsky brothers showed their first films on the Bioscop they had developed in Berlin. 100 years later, Wim Wenders and graduates of the University for Television and Film in Munich commemorated the birth of cinema with 'The Skladanowsky Brothers', a tribute to the two pioneers of film history. The film begins in 1895 and ends in the present day, 1996, with Max Skladanowsky's daughter Lucie, who still has fond memories of her father and the early days of cinema. Shot mainly on an old hand-cranked camera from the 1920s, it is a film in the best slapstick style.