This season, Deutsche Oper am Rhein brings a compelling blend of operatic drama and charitable spirit to the stage. With the premiere of 'Der Kreidekreis,' an intense opera about justice and maternal love, and 'Otello,' a tale of ambition and jealousy, audiences will be treated to gripping narratives and exceptional performances. Alongside these productions, the AIDS-Gala stands out as a highlight, where artists unite to support those affected by HIV/AIDS. Join us in Düsseldorf for an unforgettable experience of artistry and humanity.

A Season of Drama and Compassion: Opera and Charity at Deutsche Oper am Rhein

From the tumultuous comedy in 'La Cenerentola' to the innovative choreography of 'Kaleidosko' and the tragic tale of 'Otello,' Deutsche Oper am Rhein promises an unforgettable journey through opera and ballet. This captivating series of performances in Düsseldorf showcases not only the timeless stories of Cinderella and Otello but also the creativity and dynamic energy of contemporary dance, inviting audiences to experience the captivating synergy of music, movement, and storytelling.

Unveiling the World of Opera and Dance at Deutsche Oper am Rhein

Experience a cultural adventure in Düsseldorf, where a series of captivating events blend music, dance, and opera. From the innovative choreography of 'Kalei­dos­ko' to the harmonious storytelling of 'Shooting Star from 6 years,' and the powerful renditions in 'Beethoven,' this city truly becomes a stage for extraordinary artistic expression. Join us as we explore the creative brilliance and sensory delights of these immersive performances, each contributing to the vibrant tapestry of Düsseldorf's cultural scene.

Artistic Symphony: A Journey Through Music, Dance, and Opera in Düsseldorf

The Düsseldorfer Symphoniker's 2026 season at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf promises a series of compelling performances. From the whimsical narratives of 'Shooting Star from 6 years' to the powerful Human Rights Concert, each event offers a unique tapestry of sound and emotion. Featuring renowned conductors like Ulrich Kern and Adam Fischer, and dazzling performances by artists such as Isabelle Faust and Jess Gillam, these events are set to resonate with audiences. Join us as we explore the artistry and themes that make this season a standout in the orchestral calendar.

Symphonic Stories Unveiled: A Glimpse into the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker's 2026 Season

The city of Düsseldorf is set to resonate with the harmonious blend of classical music and sociopolitical discourse through a series of compelling events at the Tonhalle. Featuring the masterful works of Debussy, Ravel, and Mozart, as well as a profound Human Rights Concert led by Adam Fischer, these events promise to captivate audiences with their musical brilliance and poignant messages. With performances by acclaimed artists and the involvement of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, attendees are in for an enriching experience that transcends the boundaries of traditional concert-going.

Cultural Symphonies: A Celebration of Music and Human Rights

This evening brings a much-anticipated premiere: the first encounter between Isabelle Faust and Adam Fischer – a musical summit that dispenses entirely with classical music and Mahler, yet captivates from the very first note. Together, the two invite you to an evening dedicated entirely to the dazzling soul of Hungary. Béla Bartók's Second Violin Concerto is a fascinating expression of existential struggle, in which anger, melancholy, but also deep love of one's homeland can be felt. Isabelle Faust plays the piece with an intensity as if she had shared the last glass with Bartók himself on the evening before his escape from Budapest.

Kodaly

Tonhalle Düsseldorf

Glowing cheeks and a flutter in the stomach: At the first Valentine's Day concert at the Tonhalle in 2025, there was so much love in the air that the dome almost bent into a heart. This year, Alpesh Chauhan once again unleashes his full
charm, serving up musical temptations of all kinds together with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra.

Valentine's Day Concert

In 1926, Düsseldorf opened what was then the world's largest planetarium. Exactly 100 years later, we celebrate this with music that reaches as far into the heavens as it does into the depths of human emotion. The spectacular opening is Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, which impressively demonstrates the unimaginable range of musical languages ​​that can span between nostalgic retrospection and passionate anticipation of the future. Edvard Grieg's popular Peer Gynt Suites then take you on an "elegiac expedition" where you witness a sunrise that, since its composition, has confidently been considered the most magnificent example since the birth of mankind. And because Peer Gynt never completely leaves his Norwegian homeland, original sounds from the north resound with Ragnhild Hemsing's Hardanger fiddle. Gordon Hamilton – Green Monday audience favorite – composed a rousing concerto for her, the premiere of which perfectly rounds off the concert.

Peer Gynt Suites

The kickoff to the anniversary year! 100 years after the opening of the planetarium, which later became the Tonhalle, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra's programs feature a wealth of music from 1926. From a time when operetta was still flourishing, Berlin was becoming a hotspot of modernism, and music was moving along increasingly international paths. Axel Kober and our orchestra ignite musical rockets that—like this era of transition—shine in a variety of colors.

New Year's Concert

Russian extremes in fascinating proximity: Here you'll encounter the most tamed Prokofiev right next to the wildest Scriabin – and in the middle of it all, Tchaikovsky, who, as so often, takes on the role of the romantically suffering hero. Prokofiev's Symphonie Classique presents itself as a virtuoso masterpiece, reaching far back into the elegant world of Haydn's classics. Then you'll experience Tchaikovsky's most famous virtuoso piece: the passionate Piano Concerto No. 1 – played by Roman Borisov, who proves with every note that passion cannot be had without pain.

Scriabin: Le Poème de l'extase

When the Vision String Quartet takes the stage for the first time as the new artist-in-residence ensemble, one thing is certain: nothing ordinary will happen here today. First, under Alpesh Chauhan, the concert will take you straight to the North Star – Thomas Adés' "Polaris" is a musical star journey that draws your gaze mesmerizingly towards the night sky. Then, John Adams ignites a musical firework display and erects a breathtakingly virtuosic monument to Beethoven in "Absolute Jest." The Vision String Quartet impressively demonstrates that string instruments can be used to both joke brilliantly and philosophize profoundly. For the grand finale, you will delve deep into Tchaikovsky's most emotionally complex work, the "Manfred Symphony." Inspired by Lord Byron's legendary poem, you will journey with Tchaikovsky through the Alpine world of the soul – including breathtaking views of the peaks as well as deep plunges into the human abyss. Anyone who doesn't feel sympathetic to this must have closed their eyes in time.

Tchaikovsky

Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" is not just music, it is a moving message of peace. Anyone who has ever been to Coventry will understand why: This deeply moving work, which inextricably links horror and hope, destruction and new beginnings, emerged in 1962 from the rubble of the cathedral destroyed in 1940. Britten's sensitive, profoundly human musical language makes this monumental oratorio an experience that leaves no one untouched.
Under the direction of Asher Fisch, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, an outstanding international ensemble of soloists, and the renowned WDR Radio Choir – making their first appearance here – will join forces for this season's highlight. Together with the Choir of the Städtischer Musikverein, the Clara Schumann Youth Choir, and the Children's and Youth Choir of the Akademie für Musiktheater, you can expect a performance whose emotional resonance will stay with you for a long time.

War Requiem

A dream made of brass – and a musical encounter of the highest order: Daniel Téllez Gutiérrez, principal trombonist of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, meets the world-renowned trombone legend Christian Lindberg. Together they present the world premiere of composer Andrea Tarrodi's captivating new double concerto – a work that will captivate and inspire you with the power and richness of sound of two outstanding soloists.
Alpesh Chauhan then guides you through Anton Bruckner's monumental 7th Symphony, which, with its sublime sound architecture, rises before you like an imposing cathedral. 

Bruckner 7

The Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra makes a spectacular start to the new season with Beethoven's brilliant 5th Piano Concerto, a work that demonstrates how well Beethoven knew that when exploring heights and depths, the soul prefers the Swiss Alps to the flatness of Holland. With Ben Kim, you will experience a pianist who has already been celebrated for his Chopin interpretations – it is said that he plays as if he breathes the music.

Beethoven

Mendelssohn Hall

We asked you, and you answered: IGNITION is dedicated to video games! For this event, we've invited Wil Roget – the composer of games like Call of Duty, Mortal Kombat, and Star Wars Outlaws. Together, we'll delve into the world of video game music, listen to his and other works, and talk with him about how to compose music for games. There will also be highlights from classical music, anime, and film. Gordon Hamilton and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra look forward to seeing you. Join us!

#IGNITION goes Video Games

"Only those who grow up and remain children are human," Erich Kästner once said, and he faithfully adhered to this maxim. His novel "Pünktchen und Anton" (Pink and Anton) alternates masterfully between playful fantasy and philosophical contemplation. It deals with betrayal, responsibility, and the power of unconditional friendship. And with a saving blow from a wooden club. To transform the book into a musical story, the main characters encounter the rich sound of a symphony orchestra.

Shooting Star from 6 years

Frank Peter Zimmermann is as ageless as his interpretations. Even at 30, he was considered a world-renowned violinist with a clear, tradition-conscious compass. Born in Duisburg, he maintains contact with the region and its musicians to this day. He has deliberately and successfully structured his annual repertoire to ensure he can continue to learn. We're celebrating his 60th birthday with Brahms, Strauss, and a conducting debut.

Brahms Violin Concerto

The general Otello has achieved everything an ambitious upstart like him could dream of: Respected as the successful commander of the Venetian fleet and loved by his beautiful wife Desdemona, fate seems to have favored him. But one man senses the self-destructive jealousy smouldering behind the façade of the successful man: Jago. Ever since Otello's ensign was passed over for a promotion, he has been driving his superior's downfall with a coolly calculated destructive fury, cleverly feeding Otello's doubts about Desdemona's fidelity...

Otello

German Oper am Rhein

Symphony Orchestra in the Palace

Sometimes you can say: more is more! Nine ensembles from the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra perform well-known and lesser-known gems of chamber music. From duos to octets, from elegant to lively, everything is included.

The focus of this year's "Climate Concert" is the particular challenges of climate change in the region. In addition to musical contributions, the compensation initiative of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra and the Tonhalle will be presented: the agroforestry project at the Lammertzhof in Kaarst, a pioneering project in this field. Together with Ulrich Schurr (Jülich Research Center, an expert in the Helmholtz Climate Initiative) and Janina Alff (Vivocarbon), members of the "Orchestra of Change" initiative will create a classical chamber music format with climate-sensitive impulses.

EPSG:4326

The Symphonic Palace

Heinrich Heine Institute

What the imagination of ancient trysts can trigger. Debussy's "Prélude" signified nothing less than a silent revolution. For Ravel, it was an epiphany: "Only after I first heard 'Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune' did I know what music is." In his music for "Daphnis et Chloé," he presented sound in a completely different way, magnificently and expansively. In the splendid isolation on the island of Ischia, the late William Walton was no longer concerned with revolution. He enjoyed—and longed for—England.

Daphnis and Chloé

An extraordinary evening in the spirit of charity with top-class artists on stage and illustrious names in the audience: for the 15th time, Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the German AIDS Foundation invite you to the gala at Düsseldorf Opera House. International opera stars and award-winning singers from the Deutsche Oper am Rhein ensemble will perform at the gala together with the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. All artists waive their fees so that the net proceeds can go to aid projects of the German AIDS Foundation in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia and for affected children and young people in Ukraine and southern Africa. By purchasing your ticket and making a donation, you are actively supporting this important aid for people with HIV/AIDS.

AIDS-Gala

The choreographer duo Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich develop their own physical language for each creation, which arises from intuition in conjunction with the dancers and the interplay of stage elements and light, inspired by the symmetries in the music of Philip Glass.

Kalei­dos­ko

Cenerentola is poor: the ill will of her stepfamily makes her life difficult. But unlike in fairy tales, her transformation from Cinderella to a beautiful lady whom Prince Ramiro chooses as his wife is part of a turbulent comedy in which wit and disguise play a major role. For the prince also disguises himself in his search for a bride in order to win over the lady of his heart without being recognised. "La Cenerentola" is considered a masterpiece in the field of opera buffa, and to this day its scenic elegance and humour shine in splendid beauty, carried by spiritedly dazzling music

La Cenerentola

With the sadistic police chief Scarpia, Giacomo Puccini enriched opera literature with one of its most abysmal characters.
The painter Cavaradossi falls into his clutches when he helps a political prisoner to escape.
But for Scarpia, Cavaradossi is just a decoy through which he can finally win the celebrated singer Tosca.

Tosca

Every year in December, the anticipation grows for
a celebration where you can get together with family and friends
get together and enjoy something special.
something special. Our early Christmas present goes to our most loyal supporters: the members of the Friends of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.

Weih­nach­ten mit Freun­den

When orphan boy Krabat enters the mill in Koselbruch for the first time, he has no idea what secrets are guarded here by the mysterious master miller. The twelve apprentices stacking sacks of flour under the creaking beams are not only taught earthly craftsmanship, but also the art of black magic. Krabat quickly makes friends here, but something seems odd: year after year, one of the mill workers mysteriously dies. The power of the master, who has devoted himself to evil forces, takes its toll in order not to be weakened

Krabat

A chalk circle, a child in the centre. Each child's arm is pulled by a woman who claims to be the mother. "The right mother will have the right strength," says Prince Pao - it will be the one who lets go of her child so as not to tear it apart. By the time Haitang is able to hold her child in her arms again, she has an odyssey of injustice under her belt. Abandoned, sold, mistreated, slandered and convicted of murder, it is nothing short of a miracle that justice unexpectedly receives strong intercession here.

Der Kreidekreis

The line from Mozart to Debussy and Ravel is usually straighter than that to their German-speaking contemporaries. For all three share a playful quality – a delight in sound that delights the ear and yet never remains superficial. But when things get serious, Mozart transcends the player and shows in his great church works that beauty and reverence are not mutually exclusive. His Great Mass in C minor is one of those masterpieces that has something tragic and, at the same time, stately about it.

Debussy

Adam Fischer has never been an ivory tower artist. Political engagement and the fight for human rights are an integral
part of his life. The Principal Conductor of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra is passionately committed to freedom and civil rights, is a member of the Helsinki Committee, and upon taking office in Düsseldorf, he
made the establishment of a human rights prize a condition. Since 2016, Fischer has presented
the Tonhalle's €10,000 award each year to an individual or organization that has made a special commitment to freedom, democracy, and human rights. The award ceremony, which takes place during the Human Rights Concert, is always a highlight of the concert year.

Human Rights Concert

It was a pandemic that disrupted musical mathematics – but Schubert and Beethoven defy every rule of arithmetic. Therefore, today, instead of the mysterious (and sadly nonexistent) "Seventh," Schubert's elegant and charming Symphony No. 5 will be performed again – but this time with a full orchestral sound for all. Before that, Alban Berg's "Lyric Suite" from 1926 surprises with passionate intensity and a hint of the Roaring Twenties. The "Golden Twenties" also shimmer through the operetta sounds of Franz Lehár's "Paganini," whose authentic performance is a matter close to Adam Fischer's heart: After all, as a young conductor in St. Pölten, Austria, he gained his first experience of how "light musical theater" can indeed be a serious matter. Especially with Lehár, who for the first time dispenses with the obligatory happy ending: Paganini renounces the world of women – seriously tragic, without a wink.

Düsseldorfer Symphoniker

20 - 23 Mar, 2026

Debussy

Mar 29, 2026

Human Rights Concert

17 - 20 Apr, 2026

Beethoven 3

20 - 23 Feb, 2026

Kodaly

Feb 14, 2026

Valentine's Day Concert

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Düsseldorfer Symphoniker