It is common knowledge that Giuseppe Verdi, by nature a critical man, not only found much to disapprove of in the trends of his day but also subjected his own work to a continuous process of editing and revision.

Don Carlo

Deutsche Oper Berlin

The focus of the Forum event series in the 2024/25 season is on social science questions explored from various perspectives of science and dance. It provides a space for discussion and association on topics that extend far beyond the stage and invites reflection on the societal role of dance through examples from the current repertoire. On three occasions, dramaturg Katja Wiegand, along with her guests from academia and practice, will examine the complex interactions between dance and current discourses: the first session, Nature Romanticism and Ecology , questions the portrayal of nature in classical ballets, where nature is often romanticized or stylized. In Space and Movement , the tension between architecture and dance will be highlighted. The concluding session, Body and Culture , will focus on the relationship between dance and identity.

Forum

Diverse tonal colours, intense emotions: These qualities characterise the music of the Romantic period. This concert with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra shows just how broad an expressive spectrum could be encompassed by works from this period. Franz Schubert is featured, with his lyrical and intriguing “Unfinished” Symphony and melancholy “Lacrimoso son io”; also on the programme are Mendelssohn's liltingly lively “Scottish”’ Symphony and Richard Wagner's Siegfried Idyll: a tender declaration of love to his wife Cosima. Raphaël Pichon, best-known for his refreshing approach to early music, conducts.

EPSG:4326

Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Raphaël Pichon

Berliner Philharmonie

Composed as a heartfelt Christmas gift for his second wife, Cosima, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, debuted on Christmas Day, 1870. The premiere was a private affair, featuring 15 instrumentalists from the prestigious Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, including the renowned conductor Hans Richter on trumpet. The Siegfried Idyll, known as one of Wagner’s beloved orchestral works, showcases the composer’s softer, more personal side.

27 May 2025  Berlin

The comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most well-known and beloved works by William Shakespeare, exploring the power of love, the confusions of human emotions, and the magic of fantasy. The plot skilfully weaves together various storylines: lovers fleeing strict laws, fairy kings and queens ruling over the natural realm, and a group of clumsy craftsmen preparing a performance for the royal court. Amidst a dense forest, a setting full of secrets and inexplicable powers, love couples encounter obstacles that test their bonds. The fairy kingdom plays its own game with human love destinies, confusing lovers with a magical love potion that makes them fall in love with the first person they see. Themes such as the irrationality of love, the boundaries between reality and dream, and the dynamics between power and fantasy are skilfully interwoven. Choreographer Edward Clug, Ballet Director of the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor, dedicates himself to this classic, bringing his unique vision to the stage and transporting audiences with his vision into a world full of magic and deep emotions. The choreography highlights both the comic and dramatic aspects of the story. Clug's choreographic interpretation, set to the music specially composed by Milko Lazar for this piece, tells Shakespeare's story through a contemporary lens – a tale that explores the depths of human nature while remaining humorous and enchanting.  The music by Milko Lazar is a commissioned work that is composed in close connection with Clug's creation and will have its world premiere with the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

In the Karajan Akademie of the Berliner Philharmoniker, outstanding young musicians are prepared for artistic work in a world-class orchestra. The concert series Carte blanche – Berlin, hör mal! particularly highlights the Academy’s educational mission. Here, the young musicians step out of the orchestra to perform as soloists or in ensembles. They select the repertoire and design the programmes themselves – a true Carte blanche in every sense of the term.

Carte blanche – Berlin, hör mal!

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female kora player to have conquered a previously male domain. She comes from a family of Gambian musicians with a long tradition of playing the kora, a 21-stringed West African bridge harp. Until now, women were only allowed to sing to the sounds of the kora – Sona Jobarteh combines both in her meditative music-making. Born and raised in London, she studied both classical music and traditional African music. Sona Jobarteh shows us how well tradition and innovation can complement one another.

World Sona Jobarteh – The magic of the African harp

It is the summer of 1789. A festivity is being prepared in the castle of Countess de Coigny. Charles Gérard, a servant of the Countess´ voices his hatred of the French aristrocracy´s decadence. His aged Father is forced to labour all day long and Gérard himself leads the undignified life of a lackey. Moreover, he is secretly and unhappily in love with Madeleine de Coigny, the daughter of the House with whom he was raised. The political situation is very tense. When the visitors attending the ball finally arrive, they try to distract themselves from the disquieting news from Paris with the help of arcadian idylls and games. The young poet André Chénier is among the guests. Madeleine requests him to recite a poem. He sings of love and laments the injustice of the powers that be in such a convincing manner that Madeleine is deeply moved and forced to quit the room. The doors are suddely opened and a mob of irate people led by Gérard shocks the ball guests. However, the Countess manages to pacify and disperse the mob. The dancing continues.

Andrea Chenier

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony”

For his first commission for the Paris Opéra Verdi demanded a libretto that was “immense, passionate and original”. What he eventually got from star author Eugène Scribe was a text whose political edginess rivalled the grand opéras of Giacomo Meyerbeer, with whom Scribe had collaborated on LES HUGUENOTS and LE PROPHETE. Like these two works, LES VÊPRES SICILIENNES explored a subject that was not only historical but also highly topical. Parallels could easily be drawn between the “Sicilian Vespers” uprising in 1282 against the island’s French occupiers and the most conspicuous of France’s mid-19th-century expansionist ventures, the conquest and colonialization of Algeria, which began in 1830 and was dogged by an ongoing series of brutally quelled revolts.

Les Vêpres Siciliennes

“As for the effect that a work has as a piece of theatre, I’d say that RIGOLETTO is the best material that I’ve ever set to music […]. It has very powerful scenes, there’s temperament, pathos, a lot of variety.” [Verdi to Antonio Somma, 22nd April 1853]

Rigoletto

4th Subscription Concert - Philharmonic Choir Berlin

Song recital Elīna Garanča

State Opera Unter den Linden

Whether in the 19th or 20th century: The string quartet is the supreme genre of chamber music, and every composer must consider it. Robert Schumann’s quartet cycle op. 41 is a stroke of genius; members of the Berliner Philharmoniker play numbers 1 and 3. Inspired by the quartets of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, Schumann created his own musical cosmos, full of poetry and instrumental song. Our late Composer in Residence Wolfgang Rihm, on the other hand, favours contrasts in his Fourth String Quartet. On the one hand, his work appears brusque, passionate and effervescent; on the other, tender, intimate and poetic.

String quartets by Schumann and Rihm

Sustainable Listening #6

Apollosaal

Violetta Valery, living in kept splendour at the expense of Baron Douphol, has apparently recovered from a serious illness. To celebrate, she throws a party where she meets and falls for Alfredo Germont. As their love for each other is frowned upon, they set up house outside of Paris. Alfredo’s father insists that she break with his son in order not to jeopardise the marriage prospects of Alfredo’s sister. Violetta accedes to his wish and cuts off relations. In a showdown at another party Violetta tries to convince Alfredo that she’s in love with the Baron, causing Alfredo to hurl his gambling winnings at her feet, calling them “fees for services rendered”. Soon afterwards, at the height of the Paris carnival, Violetta is on her deathbed. She receives Alfredo, who has heard from his father her real reason for leaving him. Violetta forgives him, gives him her blessing and dies.

La traviata

What would films like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones or Harry Potter be without his extraordinary music? John Williams, superstar of American film music, gave all these blockbusters their unmistakable sound. His soundtracks provide so much more than catchy tunes; they lend depth and nuance to both stories and characters. In 2021, John Williams made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, leading the audience through the cosmos of his work. This season brings a new opportunity to hear him conduct his own music: a major event, not just for film fans.

John Williams conducts John Williams

‘There is still no music that is closer to my heart than Schubert's,’ says Joana Mallwitz. This composer and his works were the ‘initial spark’ for her to become a conductor. ‘I'm really looking forward to conducting Schubert's “Great” in C major not in front of cameras and an empty hall, as I did in 2020 when I made my debut with the Konzerthausorchester due to the coronavirus, but in front of an audience. I think it's one of the best pieces ever,’ says our chief conductor.

Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Joana Mallwitz

Konzerthaus Berlin

All three works are drumbeats in European music history. It starts with the energetic beats of the play overture that Beethoven composed for the drama "Coriolanus" by Heinrich Joseph von Collin. The musical picture of an ambivalent hero, his deep fall and tragic end. This is followed by the piano concerto by Schumann and finally the "Eroica", which Beethoven, as an ardent admirer

Beethoven & Beat

In the popular chamber music series “Workshop.Dialogue.Music”, musicians of the Berliner Philharmoniker introducing themselves and their instruments, and talking in a relaxed atmosphere about the works presented, their interpretation and their approach. Questions and a dialogue with the audience are very welcome! A new feature is that visitors can enjoy a French breakfast from 11:00 onwards, before the concert begins at 11:30. Breakfast is included in the ticket price.

Events in Berlin

Don Carlo

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Forum

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Mahler Chamber Orchestra ...

Berliner Philharmoniker

27 May 2025 Berlin

Mahler Chamber Orchestra

A Midsummer Night's Dream...

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Carte blanche – Berlin, h...

Berliner Philharmoniker

World Sona Jobarteh – The...

Berliner Philharmoniker

Andrea Chenier

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Ric...

Berliner Philharmoniker

Les Vêpres Siciliennes

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Rigoletto

Deutsche Oper Berlin

4th Subscription Concert ...

Brandenburgischen Staatsorchesters Frank...

Song recital Elīna Garanč...

Staatskapelle Berlin

String quartets by Schuma...

Berliner Philharmoniker

Sustainable Listening #6

Staatskapelle Berlin

La traviata

Deutsche Oper Berlin

John Williams conducts Jo...

Berliner Philharmoniker

Konzerthausorchester Berl...

Konzerthausorchester Berlin

Beethoven & Beat

Berliner Symphoniker

“Workshop.Dialogue.Music”...

Berliner Philharmoniker