Name: SIBELIUS, BARTÓK & BEETHOVEN – Time Jumps
Start: 2026-11-27T19:30:00
Location: Landestheater Eisenach

Maria Solozobova

Hyejin Lim

Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach

Like no other 18th-century composer, Christoph Gluck paved the way for the intellectual world of Romanticism and, consequently, for Richard Wagner's great mythological narratives. The connection between Gluck and Wagner is unique in the world of opera: Wagner revered Gluck and paid him homage with his new orchestration and German translation of "Iphigenia in Aulis." This arrangement forges a musical bridge between the operatic aesthetics of the 18th and 19th centuries and reveals Gluck as a crucial precursor to Wagner's Romantic music drama.

Iphigenia In Aulis

Friedrichsforum, Bayreuth

"Orpheus! Is it illusion, is it truth?" – Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera opens immediately with Orpheus's heart-rending lament for his deceased wife, Eurydice. The god Cupid, however, enables him to free his beloved Eurydice from the underworld. On his way out of Hades, he refuses, as instructed by the gods, to look at Eurydice – causing her to doubt his love. When Orpheus finally turns to her, Eurydice plunges back into the underworld. With his fatal decision and action, Orpheus unleashes an avalanche of emotions and demonstrates that art, music, and song, in the name of love, can conquer the terrors of death. The various musical settings of the Orpheus myth have repeatedly marked innovations on the operatic stage. Thus, Gluck placed his masterpiece entirely at the service of the reform opera he championed, moving away from the contrived virtuosity of opera seria towards a focused, dramatic narrative with expressively emotional music. Gluck's setting of the story of Orpheus possesses an unprecedented dramatic truthfulness, allowing the audience to deeply empathize with the lovers' emotional world. The internationally acclaimed star countertenor Valer Sabadus, who was Artist in Residence with the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach during the 2023/24 season, will sing the title role of Orpheus. He is one of the foremost interpreters of the role and will undoubtedly set a high standard for this series of performances. The Thuringia Philharmonic Baroque Orchestra will perform under the musical direction of Baroque specialist Michael Hofstetter, Artistic Director of the International Gluck Festival Nuremberg.

Luck – Orpheus

Friedenskirche

Margravial Opera House Bayreuth

Altes Rathaus Nuremberg

The symphony concert "In the Paradise Garden of Sounds" invites you on a sensual journey of discovery to Asia – a musical excursion that ignites the imagination and touches the soul. Selected works bring the exoticism of Asian soundscapes to life in diverse interpretations and adaptations by composers from both the Far East and the West – a feast for the senses that presents Asia in all its magic, grace, and complexity. Like a "Chinese garden," a place where mind and nature are in harmonious exchange, this program unveils the multifaceted Asian sound techniques and colors: pentatonic scales, gongs, and exotic percussion. These blend with the symphonic texture to create a tapestry of sound full of mystery, mysticism, and beauty. This music opens spaces for the imagination and awakens a deep, yearning feeling within us. Like a dream between reality and imagination, the exotic melodies inevitably transport you to distant landscapes, mystical temples, and blossoming gardens beyond the everyday.

In The Paradise Garden Of Sounds

Stadthalle Gotha

The OktoPLUS Ensemble of the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach will be performing.

MUSIC MEETS SCIENCE – Concert to open the Ilmenau Science Night

Ilmenau University of Technology

ORPHEUS – Baroque Impulse

Landestheater Eisenach

The relationship between Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms is one of the most fascinating triangular relationships in music history. It was characterized by deep friendship, profound artistic admiration, and emotional intimacy that—one might hope—always remained within the bounds of social conventions. Robert Schumann, the visionary composer and music writer, and Clara Schumann, the exceptional pianist and passionate interpreter of his works, had a marriage marked by intense musical collaboration, but also by Robert's recurring mental health crises. When the twenty-year-old Johannes Brahms entered the couple's lives in 1853—young, brimming with creative energy, and possessing a talent that Robert celebrated with ecstatic enthusiasm as opening up "new paths" in music—a particularly close bond developed between the three of them. Robert treated the young Brahms with fatherly affection, nurtured his talent, and recognized his extraordinary genius, while Clara saw him as a kindred spirit and intellectual companion. Whether a love ever developed between her and Brahms that transcended the boundaries of friendship remains uncertain—a shadowy, fascinating mystery that continues to surround music history.

ROBERT & CLARA SCHUMANN VS. JOHANNES BRAHMS – The Shadow of Love

The spa and rose town of Bad Langensalza has already garnered several titles. It has been named "Europe's Most Blooming City" and "Germany's Most Beautiful Small Town." And rightly so, considering its historic waterways, numerous themed gardens and parks, or its status as a state-recognized health resort with natural remedies such as thermal brine. The Friederiken Therme is the heart of the spa facilities. The Friederiken Palace, with its surrounding baroque park, is perfect for leisurely strolls. In summer, the historic old town exudes a Mediterranean flair: palm trees, olive trees, lantana, and laurel bushes invite visitors to experience la dolce vita.

Picnic concert in the rose garden with jazz sensations

Rosengarten Bad Langensalza

In July 2026, the courtyard of Friedenstein Castle will be transformed into a spectacular open-air stage: With KING'S SKIN, playwright and director Wolfsmehl brings a musical theater piece to Gotha that combines history, emotional power, and state-of-the-art staging techniques into a unique experience. The drama tells the story of a king who undergoes a radical transformation through abuse of power, betrayal, and the intervention of personified Time. Themes such as transience, betrayal, guilt, love, and the search for redemption form the powerful heart of this story.

KING'S SKIN | A drama about time and transformation

Schloss Friedenstein Gotha

ORPHEUS – Ekhof Festival – Baroque Impulse

Gotha is widely known as the cradle of European nobility – none other than Duke Ernst the Pious bears the affectionate nickname "The Grandfather of Europe". It's no wonder, then, that Die Prinzen want to experience the royal flair of Friedenstein Castle firsthand and will bring their grand Symphonica 2026 tour to a spectacular close at the Friedenstein Open Air 2026.

Thuringia Philharmonic meets… The Princes – Symphonica 2026

A special highlight of the Friedenstein Open Air: Giovanni Zarrella, the celebrated singer, entertainer, and rising star of the German-language music scene, will perform under the motto "An Italian Summer Night 2026." With songs specially arranged for this evening, he will transport the audience to a melodic world of Italo-disco-pop combined with symphonic sounds. The charismatic artist, who already thrilled audiences with sold-out open-air concerts in the summers of 2024 and 2025, guarantees another unforgettable musical experience this year.

Thuringia Philharmonic presents Giovanni Zarrella – An Italian Summer Night 2026

With "Sounds of Hollywood," the Thuringia Philharmonic Gotha-Eisenach brings the timeless fascination of epic film music to life in an impressive multimedia spectacle. Legendary soundtracks from great cinematic classics and modern blockbusters transform Friedenstein Castle into a resonant stage that makes the magic of Hollywood tangible.

Thuringia Philharmonic presents Sounds of Hollywood

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.