Name: Opera gala at the Elbphilharmonie
Start: 2026-05-16T11:00:00
Location: Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – contemporaries, compositional geniuses, and yet polar opposites. Both composers came from the same generation, yet their conceptions of music could hardly have been more different. While Brahms conceived of music as a formally defined absolute, as an expression of personal, primal feeling – detached from any romanticism – Bruckner turned to a predominantly transcendent dimension: for him, music was a medium of the sacred, a mirror of the divine, a creation that places humanity within a larger context.

BRAHMS & BRUCKNER – With heart and soul

Kulturhaus Gotha

Landestheater Eisenach

Symphonic Music Through the Ages – The symphony concert "Time Jumps" takes the audience on a journey across the epochs of European music history – from the groundbreaking Viennese Classicism through the sonically liberated, modern Romanticism of Béla Bartók to the Nordic-mystical sound world of Jean Sibelius. Three composers, each grappling with progress and identity in their own way, exemplify the development of symphonic thought over several decades. Beethoven's "Symphony No. 1" marks the beginning of a new compositional era. Still deeply rooted in the classical tradition of Haydn and Mozart, it nevertheless already hints at the symphonic power that would make Beethoven's later works the bearers of a new musical world order. In the symphony's architecture, we encounter a young composer who respects the rules of his predecessors only to immediately question them and push their boundaries. Beethoven's first opera is less revolutionary in what it breaks than in what it prepares: the emancipation of individual expression within a still classically restrained form.

SIBELIUS, BARTÓK & BEETHOVEN – Time Jumps

For generations, the 1973 Czech cult film "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella" has been as much a part of Christmas as candlelight and the scent of fresh pine needles. This year, a special wish comes true for the holidays, as the fairy tale returns to the big screen. Featuring Karel Svoboda's music, performed live by the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach, the film is synchronized scene by scene with the romantic and witty adventures on the big screen.

THREE HAZELNUTS FOR CINDERELLA – Family Concert

The Thuringia Philharmonic's Christmas concert is a true classic of the December concert program and a philharmonic tradition for us – for many years it has exuded a festive atmosphere and set the mood for the upcoming Christmas season. In addition to classical music, this year's Christmas concert promises an exciting surprise program. Who knows what will be played...? From the heavenly Baroque sounds of Corelli to the romantic melodies of Tchaikovsky – Christmas has inspired many composers for centuries. Let yourself be surprised by the stories the Philharmonic will tell and the emotions we will awaken. Because sometimes the true magic lies not in the familiar, but in what we don't expect.