A new space! One that hasn't yet been explored, researched, earned: This is the joy we've been blessed with with the Beethoven Hall's new studio! It's a truly state-of-the-art small concert hall. Versatile, clear, capable of even the softest tones. We'd like to inaugurate our rehearsal and concert hall with the most classic of all pieces: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is on the program for our first Pur concert of the season. As always in this series: a concert for beginners and experts, for old hands and newbies.

Beethoven 5

Beethoven Hall

In the Mirror: This is our series for curious music fans, for those who think outside the box, for those for whom classical music is a part of our present, a reflection of our lives. The Spiegel concerts will take place on Thursday evenings for the first time this season. At the first concert in the series, our presenter Bettina Böttinger will meet the exceptional musician Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the top conductor Thomas Dausgaard – the latter our first guest conductor in the Beethoven Hall since the reopening celebrations.  The focus of the evening will be the Second Violin Concerto by Hungary's national composer, Béla Bartók.

Hungarian

International splendor in the newly renovated Beethoven Hall: The Beethoven Orchestra meets Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard, who conducts at all the major venues worldwide, and world-class violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, a creative free spirit who repeatedly shakes the foundations of the "classical music business" and seeks to break down rigid structures. For his debut with the Beethoven Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard has chosen Johannes Brahms's dark Fourth Symphony: a yearning work that simultaneously pays homage to the musical past – especially Johann Sebastian Bach – and looks far into the future.

Past and Future

The Bonn Orchestra is back in "its" hall in the heart of the city. Reason enough for us to ask questions about the Rhineland, Bonn, the Beethoven Hall - in short, about the topic of home, together with actor Matthias Brandt, who grew up in Bonn. In our second concert, " Im Spiegel, " texts by great authors, our own reflections, and music combine to create a greater whole: a Rhenish pastiche, in which Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Rheinische Kirmestänze and Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 3, the Rhenish Symphony , are not to be missed. 

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Two years ago, we began our concert on the Domplatte, even before Brings came on stage, with a few bars of music that probably every older person in the Rhineland knows: the beginning of Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 3, the so-called Rhenish Symphony . Condensed into just a few bars, this opening was a TV jingle on Hier und Heute for years and stood for our entire state.

Rhenish

Each of our carnival concerts is a tribute to the magnificent Rhenish traditions. But in 2026, we have two reasons to celebrate the Prince and Bonna, all the revelers in the hall, and the Bonn Carnival Festival Committee: 200 years ago, Bonn officially celebrated its first carnival – and officiality is especially important in the Rhineland: not only because people like to follow it, but also because they like to subvert and undermine it. Thus, the founding of the Bonn Carnival Society on February 5, 1826, is the nucleus of our present-day carnival. Supported by competent carnivalists, we will embark on a tour de force through 200 years of Bonn Carnival. Hopefully, the newly renovated hall will survive our musical firecrackers and the thunderous 'alaaf' of 1,800 costumed revelers in the hall...

200 Years of Bonn Carnival – jestern, hück and morje

Around 1790, there was a singer in Bonn who dominated the scene, enchanting the Prince-Bishop and his subjects and inspiring composers from near and far: Magdalena Willmann. The virtuoso and highly emotional, modern music written for her forms the lion's share of the third Hofkapelle concert of the season. She will be interpreted by a singer who is in worldwide demand in the classical repertoire and who has caused a sensation in recent years with works by Ludwig van Beethoven: the Israeli soprano Chen Reiss moved the Bonn audience two years ago in our concert with Brahms' Requiem .

The Diva from the Rhine

Kurhaus Bad Honnef

In France, the musical clock ticked differently in the 20th century than in Germany: Jean Françaix, who never composed in an avant-garde style, who remained grounded in tonality, who wrote entertaining, humorous, sentimental, and light-hearted music, is deeply revered in our neighboring country as a serious composer: something like that would never have happened here.

The Horn of the Angels

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

One work, one story: that has been the recipe for most of the concerts in our successful Pur series over the past few seasons. Some of the most beautiful musical stories can be told around the symphonies of the unique Joseph Haydn. His Symphony No. 101 (Yes, "Papa Haydn" really did write over 100 symphonies – his student Ludwig could have taken a leaf out of his book!) is a musical marvel that still amazes and makes us smile today, a work with which the composer continues to touch us like few other composers of his time can! The nickname " The Clock" , like most of the titles of Haydn's  symphonies and string quartets, does not come from the master, but was added to the composition by an enterprising publisher.

Haydn: The Clock

Great classical music in our chamber concert series: Every year we invite an international ensemble to the Old Federal Council and look forward to a world-class chamber music evening. This time, the French Quatuor Hanson is our guest, a young French ensemble that will present three pieces of chamber music from Austria: two important works by Mozart and Beethoven, as well as a youthful work by the far too long neglected Johanna Müller-Hermann. Listening to their poetically fragrant Quartet in E-flat major is a heartwarming experience!

Mind and Heart

You can hear them from far away: chattering wild geese flying overhead in a perfect "V," on their way to their breeding grounds in Lapland. If they fly low enough, we can hear their powerful wings. And maybe even Nils, the boy transformed into a gnome; this cheeky boy who couldn't stop teasing the animals on his parents' farm and was full of silly ideas, who one day met a gnome who enchanted him into his own kind, so that from then on he could be teased by the animals.

Nils Holgersson

Four notes: Ta ta ta taaa. Symphony of Destiny. The Fifth. It doesn't take much to immediately know that Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is meant. The four notes immediately catch the ear and don't want to go away. Likewise, the symphony's relevance, the liberal ideas that Beethoven brought into the world with it, are reflected. School classes from the Beethoven-Gymnasium, which celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2026 and the school Beethoven himself once attended, will show us how relevant these are and what we can learn today from studying this symphony. 

Petrushka is the eternally unfortunate hero of all fairs: the story that underlies one of the greatest ballets of the 20th century is a tale of exclusion and belonging, of love and alienation, of rebellion and adaptation. As a listener, you are swept away by the colorful score, by wild rhythms and memorable themes that characterize the story's main characters and their fates. But you also suffer with Petrushka , the doll made of cloth and straw who wants to win the ballerina's heart. Moderator Bettina Böttinger and conductor Alondra de la Parra examine Petrushka and its relevance to our time. The Beethoven Orchestra will be on stage playing examples from the work, music and content flowing into one before Stravinsky's masterpiece is heard as a whole.

Petrushka

Glitter and glamour, scandals and minor scandals, the avant-garde and the traditions of different nations: all this awaited the audience that flocked to the Parisian performances of the legendary Ballets Russes, arguably the best ballet company in the world, shortly after the beginning of the 20th century. The important composers, the renowned set designers, the wonderful stories created productions that sometimes still have an impact today. One of the most famous Russian ballets was Stravinsky's Petrushka , and the most exciting evening with a Spanish background was Manuel de Falla's The Three-Cornered Hat - an entertaining story about a miller and his clever wife who have to fend off the inappropriate advances of a civil servant...

Aranjuez

How do you remember your last vacation: Do you write a diary? Do you take photos? Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy drew sketches: in Italy and Switzerland, across Germany and in France. He wrote countless letters to his loved ones. And in Scotland in particular, the memories of images of storm-tossed seas, bare plains and cloud-covered skies condensed into music in his head: He created the Hebrides Overture and the third, the so-called Scottish Symphony, in which you can hear the wind whistling and see the kilt-clad clans riding through the Highlands. For beginners and old hands: in our Pur series, in which we aim to (re)discover important works of classical literature, we turn for the first time to perhaps the brightest composer of the Romantic era, the author of A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Italian Symphony, and the oratorios Paulus and Elijah . Let's travel to Scotland with Portuguese conductor Nuno Coelho as musical director and presenter and let the fresh breeze blow around our noses!

Mendelssohn 3

Two exciting young musicians are the stars of our seventh Friday concert : cellist Anastasia Kobekina and conductor Nil Venditti, making their debuts with the Beethoven Orchestra. The Turkish-Italian conductor Nil Venditti has selected a program of opulent, large-scale orchestral music, juxtaposing English and Italian works from the pre-World War II era: the festive Concert Overture by the recently rediscovered Grace Williams from 1932 and Ottorino Respighi's Feste Romane from 1928. Anastasia Kobekina has been the rising star of the cello scene in recent years.

Large images

Exciting journeys of discovery are guaranteed when we venture into the caravan landscape of BaseCamp: Up to the dizzying heights of contemporary music. Down to the gems of never-before-heard sounds. Far out into the wild, where the wild rhythms dwell... Four pieces that explore this wonderful space in unusual ways are on this year's program, where the audience is, quite literally, at the center of the action...

BaseCamp

BaseCamp Young Hostel

The harp is the instrument of angels. But it is also the instrument of the French Impressionists. Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy weren't the only ones to write shimmering, sparkling, and sun-drenched music for the 47-stringed instrument. Camille Saint-Saëns, labeled a classicist but incredibly versatile, also left us wonderful harp music, as did Jean Cras, a contemporary of Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré, who was an admiral by profession. The sweeping view over the sea and the whisper of the wind definitely left their mark on his enchanting chamber music! 

La Harpe

 "Rachmaninov had big hands!" But not only Rachmaninov, but also Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and perhaps even Johann Sebastian Bach: They are all part of the rapid journey through the history of the piano concerto, which we are taking together with Hyun-ki Joo, the British-Austrian pianist of Korean descent, who in the past twice shook up our Carnival concert with his partner in crime Aleksey Igudesman. The two have since gone their separate ways and launched successful solo careers. What has remained, however, is Hyung-ki Joo's irrepressible joy in musical storytelling, according to the motto: "Everything you always wanted to know about the piano, but were never afraid to ask!" Entertaining and knowledgeable, fast-paced and highly emotional: All of this is our concert Pur 4 , which we hope will give even piano novices a few catchy tunes!

Piano Pure

Finally back in the hall – and summer has now arrived! There couldn't be a better combination for an open day, a summer festival in and around the Beethovenhalle. At the Orchestra Festival, the audience can expect a varied program with chamber music performances, instrument presentations, and the popular Open Philharmonics. We look forward to welcoming young and old, orchestra newcomers and long-time members alike – we want to celebrate the music and our, your hall, with all of you! Of course, our audience orchestra can't be missing: Fifty of our musicians and more than 100 enthusiastic musical guests from Bonn and the surrounding area will set sail for a grand orchestral adventure.

Orchestral events in Bonn

Beethoven 5

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Hungarian

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Past and Future

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Home

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

The Artelize Podcast and ...

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The Artelize Podcast - A ...

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The Artelize Podcast: A l...

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The Artelize Podcast and ...

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Rhenish

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

200 Years of Bonn Carniva...

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

The Diva from the Rhine

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

The Horn of the Angels

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Haydn: The Clock

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Mind and Heart

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Nils Holgersson

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Beethoven 5

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Petrushka

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Aranjuez

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Mendelssohn 3

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Large images

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

BaseCamp

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

La Harpe

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Piano Pure

Beethoven Orchester Bonn

Orchestra Festival with O...

Beethoven Orchester Bonn