Name: Experience symphonic music up close!
Start: 2026-04-27T11:00:00
Location: Alte Oper

Alte Oper Frankfurt

It's not easy to talk and play an instrument at the same time, it's easy to get stuck or out of rhythm. In jazz, musicians sometimes accompany individual passages with spoken vocals. The percussion concerto 'Speaking Drums' takes the opposite approach. The drummer first speaks rhythmic syllables, then passes the rhythm on to his instrument, teaching it to speak, until it finally speaks for itself. The first two movements of the piece are based on three poems by Sándor Weöres, while the third movement is inspired by a poem by Jayadeva. We can look forward to an unusual work by the Hungarian composer Peter Eötvös, who died only last year, and to Alexej Gerassimez, who will also appear as a museum soloist in our other concert series during the 2025/26 season.

Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra

Alte Oper

Tchaikovsky cannot be accused of excessive self-confidence. He is said to have been a shy contemporary, constantly plagued by self-doubt, melancholy and at times extremely shy of people. He could only be cheerful and full of life, creative, free, open and confident when he felt accepted and at home. This was the case at his country estate at Frolovskoye, where he remembered Florence in the summer of 1890. He had spent two spring months in Tuscany working on his opera The Queen of Spades. His String Sextet in D minor op. 70, inscribed 'Souvenir de Florence', is the productive result of a carefree time. But why is it so agitated and dramatic? In this concert of the 2 x hören series, the Simply Quartet and two members of the Kronberg Academy, together with artistic director Markus Fein, will focus on this magnificent work.

Listen twice: Tchaikovsky

‘Approaching a musical work is a lifelong journey,’ says Fazıl Say. And that is why the Turkish pianist's exploration of Bach's Goldberg Variations is far from over after his acclaimed recording, which he released in 2022. He set the bar high for this ‘musical and mathematical masterpiece’ back then - and the ambition remains: ‘My interpretation should convey the unique song, dance and story of each individual part of the work.’ Fazıl Say took on the task comparatively late in his musical career and felt up to the Goldberg Variations thanks to his enormous wealth of experience. Incidentally, this valuable wealth of experience also includes Say's own compositional activity. The pianist will give a small insight into this facet of his artistic work in the concert with his own works.

Fazil Say, Piano

What hardly anyone knows: nowhere else (outside Argentina) is as much tango played and danced as in Finland, nowhere else in the world is so much coffee and milk drunk, and what was previously only known to the initiated: one of the best baroque orchestras comes from Helsinki! In 1989, news of the historically-informed performance practice also reached Finland; young professional musicians founded an ensemble that was called the ‘Sixth Floor Orchestra’ for 20 years, named after the practice room (without a lift!). Initially they gave guest performances in neighbouring Scandinavia, but the unconventional group soon made a name for itself in Canada and China with excellent reviews. They have brought Bach, Vivaldi and Telemann with them to the concert in Frankfurt, where the overture, concerto and suite will give them ample opportunity to demonstrate how double dotting, ornamentation and historically informed bowing is done in Finland. The connection with water and tides is certainly felt more intensely on the Nordic coasts, which is why Telemann's orchestral suite ‘Hamburger Ebb’ und Fluth’ from 1732 is a fitting homage to the all-connecting ocean. (Frankfurter Bachkonzerte e. V.)

Finnish Baroque Orchestra

Hey, what's up? Listen up! No fake news! It's true! A new kangaroo! It's about time. I mean, just look around the world. The state of things is enough to make you sick. In any case, the kangaroo has had enough and is starting a rebellion. Who's with me?

Marc-Uwe Kling

Musical elegance, stylistic sophistication and artistic versatility – jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and arranger Till Brönner combines all of these qualities. He is not only one of Europe's best-known jazz musicians, but also one of its most internationally successful. His albums, which have been awarded gold and platinum multiple times, have sold more than a million copies in Germany alone. He has received several Echo awards and been nominated for a Grammy®. With his new album ‘ITALIA’ (release date 5 September 2025), Till Brönner delves deep into the 60s to early 80s – a time when Italian music provided the soundtrack for the whole of Europe and, with it, a collective attitude to life. Till Brönner will bring this sound and that very special Italian flair to the stage live as part of his ‘ITALIA Tour 2026’.

To Brönner: Italia

Founded in 2007, this Brazilian initiative's Orchestra of Excellence has made a name for itself internationally as part of a major government programme to expose young people in South America to music and culture. The Youth Orchestra has already given more than 300 concerts around the world, and in April it will add another prestigious venue to its list of venues: the Alte Oper. The opening concert of the Youth Orchestra Festival is dedicated to the young musicians of Neojiba - around 100 talented musicians aged between 13 and 27. With the drive of George Gershwin's 'Cuban Overture' and their own energy, they set the mood for the evening and for a festival in which the next generation is leading and playing. The same was true of the Nationaal Jeugd Jazz Orkest concert that followed. The Dutch collective sees itself as a big band for - so much Dutch is obvious - 'aanstormende supertalenten' up to the age of 26. Led by guitarist and composer Reinier Baas, the NJJO plays a repertoire of arrangements of pieces that have inspired the band members, and the young talents are always invited to write for the band. The result is a very coherent programme, despite the many influences, with music ranging from avant-garde to danceable grooves.

Neojiba Orchestra

In the primary school concert, 'SINFONIK HAUTNAH!', pupils in Years 3 to 5 are introduced to orchestral masterpieces – and this introduction begins at school. In their music lessons, the children prepare for each piece of music. To ensure consistency across all participating classes, the concert visit is preceded by compulsory training for the teachers, which considers the needs of those who are not music specialists. Armed with lesson plans and ideas, the teachers can then introduce the children to the music.

Experience symphonic music up close!

‘Music is a great investment’, said South African singer Robert Brooks and Finnish pianist Ingrid Hedlund in 2001 - and placed the first letters of this motto above their newly founded South African orchestra project. A quarter of a century later, the MIAGI Orchestra has long since asserted itself successfully in the international music world: the MIAGI Orchestra has performed at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Konzerthaus Berlin, among others. What better occasion for their debut at the Alte Oper than to organise the final concert of the ‘Podium Zukunft’ youth orchestra festival! We are looking forward to the teenagers and young adults from all social classes and regions of South Africa coming together to form a unique multi-ethnic orchestra. And we are curious to hear about their experiences, their challenges and their ideas!

Past Orchestra

Good things sometimes take time - but the wait is worth it! The last time Sir Simon Rattle was a guest at Pro Arte Frankfurt was in 2013. So it's all the better that he will be back with us in 2026. The exceptional musician will be bringing the Chamber Orchestra of Europe to his concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt - a connection that has existed since 2021 and has thrilled audiences and the press in the past. And the renowned conductor also greatly appreciates working with this orchestra: ‘I've been fallen in love with this orchestra!’ What beautiful words! Together, they embark on a joyful journey of discovery into the soundscapes of a Romantic and modern repertoire: after works by Bartók and Busoni, this concert culminates in Johannes Brahms' Fourth Symphony, a composition that opened the door to the musical future at the time. A great human and compositional maturity speaks from these sounds and is therefore in the best of hands with Sir Simon Rattle and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. (Pro Arte Frankfurt)

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

In turbo speed from the 18th to the 20th century: The Sonic.Art Saxophone Quartet moves effortlessly from Bach's B Minor Suite to Bernstein's West Side Story in the space of half an hour, condensing the sound colours of an entire orchestra onto soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones. In the lunchtime concert, the four musicians from Belarus, Australia, Japan and Germany show how these worlds can be brought together with virtuosity. Their stylistic confidence, joy of playing and technical as well as musical perfection have already earned these well-rehearsed musicians a number of important international awards. We are looking forward to their debut at the Alte Oper and combine the event with an invitation to a small lunch in our foyers after the concert.

sonic.art Saxophonquartett

Enlightening insights: when musicologist Dr Ulrike Kienzle invites you to the Albert Mangelsdorff Foyer before the concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, scores are opened, themes compared, musical examples listened to and in-depth knowledge about works and their creation imparted. An event that provides new listening experiences and increases the anticipation of the concert that follows!