"Playing with building blocks"—that's how Mahler once described his creative process. Therefore, in this concert, under the direction of Philippe Jordan, we will joyfully assemble one note after another with over 100 instruments. With our combined orchestral forces, we are always mindful, in Mahler's spirit, of "building a world by all means." The sound world we are to create is his popular Fifth Symphony from 1902, in whose interpretation we can indulge our musical passion, for the composer said that "the boldest passages and movements escaped him" here. It is a multifaceted work with a wealth of playful building blocks, and as a dreamy point of repose, there is the Adagietto, a truly otherworldly movement—made particularly famous by Visconti's film classic "Death in Venice."

Philippe Jordan, Maria Dueñas

Bamberger Symphoniker

To round off the year, we're treating our audience to a fun and colorful puzzle: They can create their own New Year's Eve concert – and we'll play whatever they request. Until then, however, they'll be spoiled for choice, as there's a wide selection of works in different categories to vote on: 5 sparkling overtures, 10 enchanting orchestral and violin pieces each – and even 5 lively encores. The "conductor" has already been chosen: The young and versatile conductor Aurel Dawidiuk, who is also a successful pianist and organist, was recently appointed Associate Conductor of the renowned Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

New Year's Eve À La Carte

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

"Fate shuffles the cards – and we play." In the spirit of this Schopenhauer quote, we look forward to the program under the direction of our honorary conductor, Manfred Honeck. It begins with the overture to a musical card game: Tchaikovsky's dramatic setting of Pushkin's poem from 1890 revolves around a countess who, in her youth, was a daring gambler nicknamed "The Queen of Spades" – and who knows a secret about three unbeatable winning cards that prove fatal for a young officer gambling in a casino. Shostakovich also had a great passion for gambling: he was an enthusiastic football fan, maintained contact with the members of his favorite club, and even completed referee training. Perhaps his stadium experiences enabled him to so brilliantly charge, channel, or unleash the masses of sound in his compositions—as in his magnificent Second Cello Concerto from 1966, for which Truls Mørk takes on the role of the charging striker in our performance. 

Manfred Honeck, Truls Mørk

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PROGRAM CHANGE! Chamber concert in the Mirror Hall: String Octet

Harmony seal, Bamberg

A few orchestral Champions League matches are on the horizon: But before we take some creative shots on goal in Spain, we're looking forward to a home game in front of our loyal Bamberg fans. Our principal conductor will be leading us as our musical coach, guiding us through, among other things, "Champions League" works from his native Czech Republic.

Jakub Hrůša, Sol Gabetta

The organ world of this concert offers a wealth of evocative colors and magical impressions – and even a few mythical figures play their games. Johannes Skoog, born in Stockholm in 1992, will bring them musically to life on the keys and pedals: He won First Prize at the Canadian International Organ Competition in 2024 and was recently appointed organist to the Swedish royal court. He opens his Bamberg program with Prokofiev's Toccata of 1912, a "devilishly witty" virtuoso piece of classical modernism. Debussy's sensuously shimmering composition, written in 1894, is characterized by an arabesque-like main theme: A faun revels in intoxicating memories of beautiful nymphs on a summer afternoon.

Organ concert: Johannes Skoog

This will be a great joy for everyone involved: In keeping with the fifth season (Carnival), under the direction of Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, we will slip into different roles, individually or in groups, for the musical stories of this concert, just like at Carnival or a masquerade – and can thus demonstrate our playing skills on the respective instruments. For Berlioz's soul-searching work set in Italy, our solo violist Wen Xiao Zheng will take on the part of the melancholic dreamer Harold.

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Wen Xiao Zheng

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

"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

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.

Jakub Hrůša: Dvořák's Stabat mater

concert together with our solo trumpeter, Manuel Mischel, and our solo trombonist, Philippe Stier. The sonata by the Venetian composer Dario Castello, born in 1602, offers an enormous range of emotions. In Widor's organ symphony from 1878, a vast array of stops are pulled out around a chorale-like theme, creating a brilliant sonic experience. Berio's "Sequenza" from 1966 explicitly prescribes elements of theatrical performance, including conscious breathing and vocal technique. The two organ movements, published only after Mendelssohn's death, were combined into a single sonata in 1993 with a new instrumentation – and represent a compelling musical experiment. 

Organ concert: Christian Schmitt, Manuel Mischel, Philippe Stier

"Man only plays when he is in the full sense of the word a human being, and he is only fully a human being when he plays." These famous words come from Friedrich Schiller, and the program under the direction of our honorary conductor Christoph Eschenbach inspires us to many musical flourishes – with our wind players repeatedly shining through with their playful spirit. And the instrumental pieces hit the mark perfectly, for example in the overture from Weber's opera "Der Freischütz" from 1821: Here, bullets cursed by demonic powers decide the love life of a young hunter in a competition – but "the whole thing ends joyfully," as the composer noted. Afterwards, together with our solo horn player Andreas Kreuzhuber, we perform a fascinating concerto by Reinhold Glière: Although this virtuoso piece was composed in 1950, it is entirely imbued with a romantic spirit.

Christoph Eschenbach, Andreas Kreuzhuber

We look forward to a grand concert with a small ensemble: The program features highly emotional soundscapes that at times explore the boundaries of chamber music. One biographer remarked that Shostakovich's Second Piano Trio is "probably the most tragic" work in the composer's oeuvre – and explained: "While he was previously familiar with the pathos of his own personal tragedy, here he expresses the tragedy of a generation that has endured death and suffering.

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