Dive into a whirlwind of musical festivities with the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen as they present a series of events celebrating the quirky genius of Mozart, the vibrant energies of Baroque and Romantic compositions, and innovative interpretations that will surprise and delight. With a mix of humor, classical mastery, and modern twists, these events promise a journey through sound that is both engaging and thought-provoking, featuring renowned musicians and captivating performances over the course of several months.

Exploring the Musical Eccentricities of Mozart and More with Folkwang Chamber Orchestra

Get ready to experience a delightful blend of humor, rhythm, and classical brilliance with the Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen. This season, they bring you an exciting lineup of events that showcase the playful genius of Mozart, the energetic beats of Beethoven, and the vivid storytelling of Vivaldi. With performances by renowned artists like Johannes Klumpp and Lina Kochskämper, each concert promises a unique journey through the world of music, full of unexpected twists and vibrant melodies.

A Symphony of Laughter and Rhythm: Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen's Musical Extravaganza

"What's worse than one flute? - Two flutes!" This joke is attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Crude jokes, subtle barbs and funny pranks! The star composer was not only a child prodigy and a genius. He was also a joker who loved to laugh, dance and celebrate. Today you might call him a comedian. In this concert, the Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen with the wonderful flautist Lina Kochskämper and KiKA presenter Juri Tetzlaff discover the humorous side of this exceptional musical talent. No one knows better how to joke and prank with sounds and melodies. Who is Mozart after? Did he really have something against the flute? And if so, why? In his musical fun, he takes aim at fellow composers and makes fun of brass musicians who drank a little too much at the village festival. And that's just the beginning! Fun participatory concert for everyone who enjoys laughing and joking! 

Amadeus Pranks & Lots Of Miserables

Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen

Mozart also goes wonderfully off-kilter: nothing seems to be right, the harmonies are off, the transitions are bumpy, wrong notes are everywhere! But that is exactly what is intended in “musical fun”: here Mozart takes aim at amateur composer colleagues as well as drunken and arrogant musicians. In Divertimento No. 17, order is restored, but the cheerfulness remains.

Mozart – Wonderfully Weird

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed Symphony No. 29 in A major shortly after his 18th birthday in Salzburg. How did the child prodigy celebrate his coming of age? A family birthday or a wild party? Maybe both? What gifts did he receive? The music contains anticipation, uncertainty and trembling enthusiasm. A journey through time to the young adult Amadeus. With a brilliant surprise guest: the enchanting soloist Anne Luisa Kramb celebrates with us and brings a birthday serenade for the star composer.

Happy Birthday, Amadeus Cakes, Candles And Gifts

Mozart was not yet 20 years old when he wrote the pieces in this program, and they all represent important moments in the young composer's work. Magnificent symphonies, brilliant concertos, elegant divertimenti: in a wide variety of genres, he processed influences and musical souvenirs from his many years of travel and touring, and implemented everything in his very own style. Mozart wrote his first symphony in London at the age of 8 - an extremely early masterpiece that is shaped by the impressions the child prodigy had gathered in England.

Young Brilliance

Die ABBA-Party geht weiter im neuen Jahr: 2025 beginnt für das FKO mit einer rauschenden Party in Mülheim! Nach dem überwältigenden Erfolg der ABBA-Show zu Silvester 2023 ist das Programm in dieser Spielzeit am 03. Januar 2025 als Neujahrskonzert in der Stadthalle Mülheim zu erleben – für alle begeisterten Fans, die noch einmal die Hits im Orchester-mit-Popband-Gewand hören wollen, und natürlich für diejenigen, die beim letzten Mal keine Karten mehr kriegen konnten.

Abba – Dancing Queen

Stadthalle Mülheim an der Ruhr

Silent Night, Holy Night

Hair plays a big role in string music! Without 150 to 170 horsehairs on the bow, there would be no sound at all. This concert is not just about the bows, but also about the beards and hairstyles of legendary composers and what their hairstyle says about the person and their music. Ludwig van Beethoven's wild mane. The chic quiff of the young Brahms and his bushy beard as a mature man. Tchaikovsky's neatly coiffed receding hairline and his well-groomed facial hair. Composers are stars. They have set trends and shaped styles. Not just in music. Is there a connection between hair fashion and music? The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen and KiKA presenter Juri Tetzlaff take a different approach to the subject of hair. A hairy concert with fun, excitement and opportunities to get involved. Not just for hairdressers!

Mane, Matte And Music Very Hairy!

What does hair say about a person? The Museum Folkwang is addressing this question in the exhibition "Grow It, Show It!" with photographs and posters, record covers and TikTok clips. At its concerts in the museum rooms, the FKO takes up the question and combines beautiful music with the exhibits. In a program curated especially for the exhibition by chief conductor Johannes Klumpp, the journey goes from the middle of the 20th century into the past. The conformist musicians, the freedom lovers, the geniuses: is the composition style visible in their hair? Is a "neat" hairstyle an indication of clear, tidy music - and does chaos on the head also mean a wild musical signature? A musical search for clues with the FKO in the Museum Folkwang!

Grow It? Show It?

Museum Folkwang

The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen is starting the Baroque series with two outstanding musicians: the star bassoonist Sergio Azzolini, a veteran of the early music scene and one of the most popular guests at the FKO in recent years, is coming back to Essen - this time with the renowned oboist Giovanni de Angeli. Their program is a journey to their homeland of Italy and revolves around their two instruments, the bassoon and the oboe: they have selected magnificent solo concertos and concerti grossi by Vivaldi and three other composers from Venice and northern Italy, which reflect a variety of styles of this period with different timbres, structures and characters. A virtuoso Italian musical treat for the autumn days!

Italian Autumn

Zusammen mit zwei herausragenden Musikern startet das Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen in die Barock-Reihe: Der Star-Fagottist Sergio Azzolini, Urgestein der Alte-Musik-Szene und einer der beliebtesten Gäste der letzten Jahre beim FKO, kommt zurück nach Essen – dieses Mal mit dem renommierten Oboisten Giovanni de Angeli. Ihr Programm ist eine Reise in ihre Heimat Italien und dreht sich rund um ihre beiden Instrumente, das Fagott und die Oboe: Prächtige Solokonzerte und Concerti grossi von Vivaldi und drei weiteren Komponisten aus Venedig und Norditalien haben sie herausgesucht, die mit unterschiedlichen Klangfarben, Strukturen und Charakter eine Vielfalt von Stilen dieser Zeit widerspiegeln. Ein virtuoser italienischer Musikgenuss für die Herbsttage!

Italienischer Herbst

Crime scene Vienna. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" is one of the most famous pieces of classical music and yet is full of mysteries: Why is it called "Nachtmusik"? And what is actually "small" about this piece? Does a minuet have anything to do with a minaret? Questions upon questions. The only hot lead: Mozart's score! The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen and KiKA presenter Juri Tetzlaff are starting a classical crime thriller together. A tricky concert experience for young and old with exciting stories and great music.

A Little Night Music

To open the season, the FKO will play one of Mozart's most famous melodies: "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" is not only a popular catchy tune, but above all a brilliant piece of music full of compositional sophistication. The String Quintet in C minor is also a night music: Mozart originally wrote it as a wind octet and adapted it for strings. Hidden between the mystical outer movements is a magical Andante that sounds like a relaxed evening stroll.

Chief conductor Johannes Klumpp combines this with an elegant Viennese piano concerto, in which Mozart demonstrated his mastery as a composer and as a soloist on the piano. The young and multi-award-winning pianist Nikola Meeuwsen from the Netherlands will be performing the expressive solo part for the first time with the FKO. An elegant and lively start to the season in Villa Hügel!

Ta-ta-ta-taaaaaa! Four notes are enough and it's clear what it's about: Beethoven's Fifth begins with one of the most famous motifs in classical music. An unshakable myth surrounds the "Symphony of Fate", as some hear the fate of the increasingly ill composer knocking on the door in the pounding beginning, while others hear the political struggles of the French Revolution. With a large ensemble

MYTH

A European journey for all the senses: The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen invites you to a musical and culinary journey at Zeche Zollverein from Hungary through the Czech Republic and Lithuania to Norway and Great Britain. The celebrated young conductor Izabele Jankauskaite leads you through a panorama of European folk music with dances, evening moods and other sonorous works.

Spirit Of Europe

The Folkwang Chamber Orchestra Essen will be coming to the Philharmonie in April with a lot of energy. Beethoven's 7th Symphony is full of dance rhythms that give the classic a driving groove and have contributed greatly to the work's popularity. Mendelssohn's E minor Violin Concerto, with its distinctive catchy tunes, is just as popular and listened to, especially in the first movement. The solo is played by the young violinist Anna Im, who recently won several international violin competitions. The music of the German-Turkish composer Sinem Altan, who explores the styles and traditions of her two home countries in her works and combines them with virtuosity, is also full of energy. In 2023 she wrote her work "Sieben Hügel" for the FKO, which can be heard here again after the brilliant premiere for the 150th anniversary of Villa Hügel.

Energie!

Philharmonie Essen

Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" are his most famous works and continue to inspire audiences today with their wonderfully vivid depiction of bird calls and dances, heat storms and bitter cold. The four violin concertos are part of a cycle in which Vivaldi published twelve works at once. Two more of them are set against the seasons at the end of the Baroque series. "Il Piacere" ("Joy") is a cheerful, feel-good concert, "La tempesta di mare" ("The Sea Storm") takes you out to sea, where whipping winds stir up the ocean and the waves rage. The FKO is in charge of the program itself: Concertmaster Ezgi Su Apaydin leads the ensemble from the podium in Baroque style and also plays the solos in the violin concertos. True joy of playing - young, wildly electrifying - an experience!

The Four Seasons

It's going to be exciting, wild and incredibly entertaining when the FKO meets the crossover band Uwaga!. The two ensembles have already proven in several programs that they are an absolute dream team - the latest coup focuses on Mozart: He himself was known for not only incorporating all kinds of influences into his music, but also for improvising with great enthusiasm and constantly reinventing individual passages or entire pieces. In this spirit, the Mozart expertise of the FKO and the creative improvisational enthusiasm of the Uwaga! members create a program full of swing, groove and Mozart that draws unexpected rhythms from the Magic Flute and transplants reggae into the violin concerto. Best of Mozart - and everything new! Just jam along!

Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen

Apr 5, 2025

Energie!

9 - 10 May, 2025

The Four Seasons

Jun 21, 2025

Swing! Groove! Mozart!

Jun 21, 2025

Swing! Groove! Mozart!

Mar 9, 2025

Amadeus Pranks & Lots Of Miserables

7 - 9 Mar, 2025

Mozart – Wonderfully Weird

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Folkwang Kammerorchester Essen