February 2025 in Bremen promises an eclectic mix of musical and cultural events that are sure to captivate audiences. From the jubilant notes of Haydn's Symphony No. 44 to the literary echoes in 'Music meets Literature,' and the spirited celebration of International Women's Day, the Bremer Philharmoniker offers an array of performances that honor both historical and contemporary artistry. Each event, whether it's a philharmonic concert or a family-friendly show, showcases the vibrant creativity and cultural dialogue that define this city's rich artistic tapestry.

A Symphony of Culture: February's Diverse Musical Landscape in Bremen

March 2025 promises to be a vibrant month for music lovers, as the Bremer Philharmoniker rolls out a series of captivating events. From celebrating the 50th anniversary of International Women's Day with inspiring performances and discussions to honoring the 150th birthday of Maurice Ravel, these events spotlight the diverse tapestry of music. Highlights include distinguished violinist Reinhold Heise and pianist Verena Louis performing Maier and Dussik's sonatas, the thought-provoking gala concert, and a whimsical 'Puss in Boots' family concert. Each event is a testament to the orchestra's commitment to cultural enrichment and artistic excellence.

Bremer Philharmoniker's March 2025 Events: A Celebration of Culture, Women in Music, and French Melodies

Dive into the rich tapestry of musical performances orchestrated by Bremer Philharmoniker, where classical symphonies meet cultural narratives. From the intimate vibes of Trio à la française to the grand strides in 'The First,' these events cover an impressive range of genres and themes. Experience the emotional depth in Dvořák's Stabat Mater and explore the musical journey across the Pacific in 'Great Ocean of Music.' Join us as we unfold a series of events celebrating diverse expressions of music and culture.

Exploring the Rhythms of Classical and Cultural Fusion: A Journey with Bremer Philharmoniker

Spring 2025 promises an eclectic musical journey in Bremen as the Bremer Philharmoniker presents a series of captivating events. From classic symphonies by Haydn and Beethoven to contemporary pieces by Lera Auerbach, audiences are set to experience a rich tapestry of sounds. With celebrated conductors and performers, each event is designed to transport listeners to new horizons of musical exploration and cultural appreciation. Expect a blend of historical and modern influences, as well as engaging interdisciplinary collaborations that highlight the unique flavor of this season's offerings.

A Harmonious Journey: Bremer Philharmoniker's Spring Concert Series

This June and July, Bremen will be alive with a captivating array of musical events that promise to enthrall both seasoned enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike. From the delicate nuances of viola concerts to the thunderous majesty of Mahler's Symphony No. 8, the Bremer Philharmoniker is set to offer an unforgettable season. Highlights include the 'Feather-light flights of fancy' concert, the energetic Bremen brass festival 'dat brasst', and an experimental opera inspired by an East German punk legend. Dive into this symphonic journey as Bremen's rich musical tapestry unfolds.

Bremen's Musical Kaleidoscope: A Symphony of Sounds and Stories

Join the Bremer Philharmoniker as they orchestrate a spectacular season of harmony and innovation. From the 'Feather-light flights of fancy' to 'Noperas! – Oper Otze Axt,' this season is a medley of dynamic performances. Noteworthy highlights include Haydn's 'La poule,' Hindemith's 'Der Schwanendreher,' and a grand finale of Mahler's 'Symphony of a Thousand.' With performances by renowned artists like Elena Schwarz and Tabea Zimmermann, this season promises to be a symphonic journey through diverse musical landscapes.

A Symphony of Stories: Celebrating Bremer Philharmoniker's Dazzling Season

The Bremer Philharmoniker is set to deliver an enthralling series of events that promise to captivate audiences with their diverse range of musical offerings. The orchestra will commence with Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 8, famously known as the 'Symphony of a Thousand', performed at Die Glocke. Following this is an exquisite viola ensemble showcasing works by renowned composers at the Tabakquartier. The series concludes with a bold and experimental music theater performance inspired by the life of East German punk icon Dieter 'Otze' Ehrlich at Theater Bremen. Each event promises a unique journey through sound and storytelling.

Bremer Philharmoniker's Grand Performances: A Symphony of Thousand, Viola Melodies, and Experimental Opera

The Bremer Philharmoniker invites music enthusiasts to an array of captivating events that blend tradition with innovation. From the gentle awakening of a cello to the energetic embrace of nature in symphonies, each event offers a unique exploration of sound and creativity, promising a memorable journey through various musical landscapes. With performances that include Baroque classics, operatic farces, and a celebration of women in chamber music, the upcoming events are set to resonate with audiences in Bremen, shaping an unforgettable cultural experience.

Bremer Philharmoniker: A Symphony of Diverse Musical Experiences

March 2026 ushers in a captivating series of events orchestrated by the Bremer Philharmoniker. From whimsical family concerts like 'Ghosts and Monster Fun,' to thought-provoking discussions on climate, and a celebration of women in chamber music, this month promises an eclectic mix. There's also the dramatic flair of operatic performances, the introspective depth of Britten's 'War Requiem,' and the emotional gravitas of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2. These events, featuring guest artists and diverse genres, create a month-long celebration of music and culture in Bremen.

Bremer Philharmoniker's March: A Symphony of Diverse Themes and Performances

Israeli conductor Bar Avni and South Korean cellist Hayoung Choi bring female power to the stage – with a program that showcases everything an orchestra has to offer. Bach opens the evening, but not as we know it: Ottorino Respighi takes the famous Passacaglia to a new level, orchestrating it grandly and majestically, with new colors and nuances. Then comes Witold Lutosławski's Cello Concerto! Not a classical solo concerto, but a dramatic duel, orchestra against soloist, complete with attacks, lyrical moments, and explosive eruptions of sound. A musical exchange in which every note is charged with high tension. And finally: Tchaikovsky's Pathétique. His last work – and arguably his most personal. Nine days after the premiere, he died under mysterious circumstances. The final movement sounds like a requiem: deeply sad, somber, and moving. It couldn't be more dramatic.

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” | Bar Avni

The Bell, Bremen

A lecture followed by a rehearsal visit: Dr. Helge Goessling from the Helmholtz Earth and Environment Center will report on weather phenomena and climate simulations. Afterwards, we'll head to the rehearsal for the 8th Philharmonic Concert.

Is this still weather or already climate?

Tobacco Quarter Hall 1

Celebrating Women

A large orchestra, a guest, a sofa, and a host! "My Playlist" is a completely new talk format in which the audience can get to know well-known personalities from culture, sports, and business in an unusual way. The guest selects the music, which will be played live by the Bremen Philharmonic and will provide the basis for the conversation topics: Songs from childhood? The first concert? The soundtrack to true love? The sounds that accompany your job? Music that inspires, motivates, or reminds you of special life events? In a relaxed living room atmosphere, the guests offer insights into their lives and thoughts through their chosen music and in a conversation with Axel Brüggemann.

Jan Böhmermann

Chaos erupts in Transylvania: a ghost who has forgotten how to haunt, and monsters who want to throw a big party. Things are going on! The family concert "Ghost Spooks and Monster Fun" teaches you how to be scared.

EPSG:4326

Ghosts and monster fun

Love tangles, deception, double standards: Rossini ignites a fast-paced firework display in the lively overture to his opera La scala di seta. Hardly anyone could deliver this with more spirit than a stylistically assured conductor like Antonino Fogliani. Things get exciting in Bruno Maderna's Giardino religioso. There are no fixed sequences here; musicians and conductor decide in real time where the journey will take them. It sounds chaotic, but it's cleverly executed! The result is a truly special concert moment. No less thrilling is Nino Rota's Bassoon Concerto, played by Sophie Dervaux, the principal bassoonist of the Vienna Philharmonic. Rota was much more than "just" a film music genius. In addition to ten operas, he composed numerous other works – and this charming, joyful concerto. Haydn's Symphony "Mit dem Paukenschlag", which sparkles with wit and inventiveness, is another highlight of a program that promises to be as unusual as it is entertaining.

Haydn: Symphony No. 9 “With the Timpani Roll”

A Song for Peace

In Rossini's farce, a mixture of aristocratic superficiality and subtle operatic clichés, a group of people of different nationalities find themselves stranded in the French countryside on their way to the royal coronation. A farcical farce with the most beautiful bel canto arias!

The journey to Reims

Theater am Goetheplatz

Next Level shatters all common stereotypes of a classical concert! This requires unconventional, experimental, and inspiring characters on stage and an open-minded audience that is curious about unusual program combinations, wants to be close to the concert hall with a drink in hand, and appreciates the dialogue with the musicians. Next Level, the other face of classical music – new, unsettling, exciting, intoxicating.

Baroque'n'Roll

Summer 1889. Antonín Dvořák escapes the hustle and bustle of the concert season and retreats to rural Vysoká. Nature, idyll, and tranquility await him here. Inspired by this environment, he quickly composes his Eighth Symphony – rich in color, full of freshness, and energy. Nature also plays a major role in Konstantia Gourzi's Message Between Trees. "I have learned to love trees," writes the composer, who was awarded the Opus Klassik in 2023. She felt their soothing power and a longing to embrace them. Here, nature becomes sound, a message. Her viola concerto "Ishaón, The Angel in the Golden Garden" was born out of a spiritual experience. It is part of a series of works dedicated to angels. Who better to premiere this premiere than Nils Mönkemeyer? The world-class violist is a transcendent explorer and a passionate ambassador of his instrument. The stage is set for sound, nature, and visions.

Konstantia Gourzi & Dvořák: Symphony No. 8

Longing

Aurel Dawidiuk | Dances and Marches by Strauss & Brahms

Forgotten Discoveries

House in the Park

Igor Stravinsky was a musical chameleon: a radical avant-gardist, a curious neoclassicist, and later even a proponent of twelve-tone music. Stagnation? None of this! Pulcinella, the ballet from his neoclassical phase, is based on music by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. But Stravinsky wouldn't be Stravinsky if he hadn't created a modern soundscape from Baroque quotations. The result is a modern classic. Joseph Haydn is a classic of "true" classical music. His Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major is a stroke of genius: playful, virtuosic, and full of sophisticated surprises. He knew exactly how to captivate his audience—and how to challenge his soloists, in this case Roman Lemmel, principal trumpeter of the Bremen Philharmonic. And of course, Brahms: He is always a classic—even if not in the stylistic sense. Clara Schumann was enraptured by his Third Symphony: "What a work, what poetry! Every movement a jewel, every note of a single piece."

Brahms: Symphony No. 3 | Marko Letonja

A hiker is searching for the most beautiful sounds of the forest. So, prick up your ears and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of sounds of the trees and animals in the forest.

birdsong

The Little Prince opens up a philosophical world with his seemingly simple questions. The Fidis Quartet and Claudia Spörri from the puppet theater "Mensch, Puppe!" tell Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's story with music and theater—a unique experience for all the senses.

The Little Prince

Finnegan Downie Dear | Elgar: Enigma Variations

1879 – 1899 – 1919: Three compositions from three eras, exactly 20 years apart. But that's not the only thing that connects them. All are closely linked to very specific individuals. With Le Tombeau de Couperin, Maurice Ravel creates a musical monument to one of the greatest composers of the French Baroque – François Couperin. In his Enigma Variations, Edward Elgar portrays friends and companions. But who lies behind these musical character studies was a mystery for a long time. That has long been revealed, but the magic remains. And Brahms's only violin concerto would be unthinkable without Joseph Joachim. The star violinist not only advised Brahms, he wrestled with him over every note. The result: one of the most popular works in violin literature. At the helm is Finnegan Downie Dear, one of the most promising conductors on the international scene, and the name of violinist Hana Chang is also worth remembering. This is the music of the future. And it sounds spectacular.

Ravel, Brahms, Elgar | Finnegan Downie Dear

A lion, an elephant, and a kangaroo want to celebrate Carnival. Sounds strange? But it's true – in Camille Saint-Saëns' uniquely funny and touching Carnival of Animals. Also present this time: The Troublemaker and all sorts of chaos!

Carnival of Animals

Theater Bremen

The big charity advent concert

Year after year, she dances her way straight into our hearts on television—Empress Elisabeth. Stefan Klingele coaxes entirely new sounds from this hometown melodrama, which doesn't even want to be one. There's no dry eye, no waltz left undanced—holladiho!

Sissy

Namibia 2024: Sixteen-year-old Anirus dredges up repressed memories with her questions to her grandmother Ouma, but she receives no answers. At the same time, Hermann, the son of a German businessman, sets off for Namibia to return an inherited artifact. An unusual family comes together.

Sound of Windhoek – People of Song in Concert

It's a now iconic masterpiece: Aaron Copland's legendary Fanfare for the Common Man. This music promises pure goosebumps. Together with the ballet music to Billy the Kid, it embodies the sound of America – endless expanses, an unbroken spirit of adventure, a pathos that still resonates today. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's suite from The Sea Hawk offers real adventure. Hollywood was Korngold's new home, and film music his artistic salvation. With Korngold's lush orchestral sound as cinema for the ears, the epic soundtrack to The Sea Hawk promises pure drama. And Sibelius? He is considered the epitome of the Nordic sound. No composer has shaped Finland musically like he has. His Second Symphony is more than "just" music; it is also a story of protest, of hope, of the Finnish struggle for freedom. It is not for nothing that it bears the nickname "Symphony of Independence." A manifesto in music, powerful, courageous, timeless.

Film music & Sibelius | Jonathan Stockhammer

Franz Schubert's Fantasy in C major is one of his most important chamber music works for violin and piano. Lyrical melodies and brilliant virtuosity merge here into a poetic soundscape that transcends the everyday.

Musical Fantasies

A lecture followed by a rehearsal visit: Sabrina Hüpperling (Osterholz Biological Station) explains the important role of peatlands in climate protection. Afterwards, we'll head to the rehearsal for the 3rd Philharmonic Concert.

Climate & Moor

Franz Schubert's quartet movement recalls the unfulfilled hopes of his short life and, in its expressive musical language, reveals a world of past desires and losses.

Commemoration

Marko Letonja | Beethoven & Dean

To mark their bicentenary, the Bremen Philharmonic will treat themselves to two performances of the Second Symphony – by Beethoven and Brahms. The anniversary concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the orchestra's birth not only offers Beethoven's Second Symphony, a work that was on the program of the newly founded orchestra's first concert in November 1825, but also makes a powerful, optimistic statement, full of energy and hope. This marks the beginning of a musical new beginning, an evening that unites past and future in one breath. Brahms' Second is also a work full of intensity and confidence. It was celebrated by audiences and critics alike, but Brahms misled his friends beforehand with erratic hints. It was "so melancholic that you won't be able to bear it!" he wrote with a wink, and then surprised them with a groundbreaking work. A world premiere by Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini promises to be fresh, radical, and unexpected. One of the most popular composers of our time combines the symphonic tradition with the musical sound of our time and writes a new work exclusively for the Bremen Philharmonic to mark the anniversary.

Brahms: Symphony No. 2 | Marko Letonja

Renata is captivated by the vision of a fiery angel. Her obsession escalates as she tries to recreate this angelic figure in humans. Director Barbora Horáková makes her debut with Prokofiev's intoxicating opera at the Theater Bremen.

The fiery angel

What operatic subject could be more fitting for the Tobacco Quarter than the story of Carmen—the freedom-loving woman who works in a tobacco factory and conquered the world with her fiery love? Georges Bizet's world-famous melodies resound here in a chamber music setting—in a place where tobacco was once actually processed.

Croissants for breakfast

Stephanie Childress | Nielsen & Schumann

Thomas Schaaf

From mid-September, the melancholy calls of cranes will once again resound over Bremen and the surrounding area. The autumn roosting season begins. In recent years, the Teufelsmoor region northeast of Bremen has developed into an important crane roosting area.

From crane flight & climate protection

What's wrong with the orchestra? The piccolo isn't growing, the trumpet has a cold, and the double bass has a frog in its stomach – a thorough examination of all the sounds produced by the strings, wind instruments, and percussion is urgently needed!

Vertebral fracture and string piercing

Rudi, the cello, is simply a sleepyhead. Can he be woken up with a little morning exercise, sing-alongs, and melodies from the old days?

Good morning, cello!

A cleaning angel discovers the harp and secretly coaxes a few notes from it. He begins a journey through the eras of music, landing gently back on earth at the end.

Harp tones

How do you break open the system, the state, the head - the opera? In its experimental music theater OPER OTZE AXT, inspired by the life of the East German punk antihero Dieter "Otze" Ehrlich, the collective DRITTE DEGENERATION OST examines destruction as a historical, narrative and musical motif.

A production by DRITTE DEGENERATION OST as part of the funding initiative NOperas! – an initiative of the Fonds Experimentelles Musiktheater (feXm). In cooperation with the NRW KULTURsekretariat, the Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen and the Staatstheater Darmstadt.

Noperas! – Oper Otze Axt

viola

Hall 1 / Tabakquartier

The end of the season is going to be gigantic: Gustav Mahler's legendary Symphony No. 8 is being performed for the first time by the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra - and it's going all out! At the premiere on September 12, 1910 in Munich, no fewer than 1,004 participants were called upon, a mass spectacle of unimaginable proportions. The work went down in music history as the "Symphony of a Thousand" and set new standards. But fortunately, 1,000 performers are not always needed. That would probably cause considerable problems in the comparatively cosy Great Hall of the Glocke. Nevertheless, Mahler's Eighth is a bombastic work anyway. It is a symphonic apotheosis, a modern hymn to joy (Veni creator spiritus) and a secular mass (final scene from Goethe's Faust II). It is characterized by the key of E-flat major, which exudes a majestic aura, and captivates with the unexpected modernity of its writing style: a dense and at the same time transparently audible structure, an extraordinarily lush orchestral apparatus and, hidden behind the mass of instruments, incredibly fascinating music.

Symphonic Fireworks

Die Glocke

composers' music

Three times is Bremen's right! And so the Bremen brass festival "dat brasst" is entering its third round. Brass fans can not only look forward to the enthusiastic and versatile Bremen Philharmonic brass players and the BRAS series, but can of course also enjoy family concerts with the Bremen Town Musicians and performances by renowned guest ensembles in the Tabakquartier. If you haven't been a fan of horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba yet, you will definitely be now!

Bremen brass festival "dat brasst"

A hen, a swan, the nightingale and other birds come together here: Haydn had anything but poultry in mind when he wrote his Symphony No. 83, but because of the "cackling" theme in the second movement, a clever contemporary gave the work its famous nickname - "La poule". Hindemith, on the other hand, used some themes from folk songs in his viola concerto, including in the third movement. "Seid ihr nicht der Schwanendreher" is heard there - and the concerto already had its nickname. Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Un petit rien is also ornithological. The work, which was created as radio play music, consists of seven aphoristic movements that are clearly more than just "Ein kleine Nicht". Igor Stravinsky's symphonic poem Le chant du rossignol was based on his first opera The Nightingale, which is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. It will not only be incredibly good, but also magical – and with Elena Schwarz at the podium and violist Tabea Zimmermann, it will be another highlight of the anniversary season!

Feather-light flights of fancy

On the way

On the eve of the First World War, a small Baltic Sea resort serves as the backdrop for Eduard von Keyserling's radical critique of utopia, which foreshadows the catastrophes of the 20th century. Composer Elmar Lampson lends the subtly ironic tone of Keyserling's fine social analysis a dazzling polyphony. Director Philipp Rosendahl and conductor Yoel Gamzou make the burning topicality of the material immediately tangible.

waves

If you want to not only read but also hear what the upcoming season promises to be like in time for the publication of the 25/26 season book, then the entertaining season presentation is just the thing for you. With a large orchestra, General Music Director Marko Letonja provides an insight into the concert season and presents selected works with which the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra hopes to delight concert audiences in the 201st season. An entertaining presentation and a surprise guest round off the varied program.

season presentation

Hall 1 becomes the setting for a walking concert and the audience discovers new sound experiences. A soloist here, a chamber ensemble there - several musicians are spread out across the various rooms in Hall 1. The sound shows the way through corridors and hallways. Beyond the usual concert experiences, new sound spaces open up and finally the large, atmospherically lit orchestra hall, in which musicians and concert guests swap places: the audience can make themselves comfortable on the stage on stools, cushions and blankets and listen to relaxing compositions played from the visitors' gallery. The concept and dramaturgy are the work of violinist Lenamaria Kühner and director Vivien Hohnholtz.

Sound Space I

Dortmund

Dortmund Concert Hall

young geniuses

She is one of the hottest women on the classical music scene right now: Lera Auerbach. The works of the composer, pianist and author, who lives in the USA, have a large fan base around the world. Auerbach's exciting music is characterized by great stylistic freedom and is difficult to pigeonhole. Adam's Lament, which will be premiered at the 10th Philharmonic Concert, was commissioned by the Bremen Philharmonic Society. With Mieczysław Weinberg's Trumpet Concerto, the young, award-winning trumpeter Selina Ott makes her debut with the Bremen Philharmonic. Ott is now one of the undisputed stars of her profession. With the Weinberg Concerto, she plays a highly attractive work by Shostakovich's friend, which he has repeatedly praised as a veritable "symphony for trumpet and orchestra". Next on the programme is the Symphony of Fate, not Beethoven's, but Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's, which is also, significantly, his Fifth. If that isn't an omen...

A celebration of new things

Baroque on historical instruments

The "great ocean", the Pacific, and the countries bordering it are the motto of this special evening. Over 4 billion people from a wide variety of cultures live in the Indonesian region. It is becoming increasingly relevant for trade, politics and culture, but also for marine and climate protection. This region also has a lot to offer musically.

While chamber music ensembles from the Bremen Philharmonic explore the Pacific region musically at various stations, Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius and other scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute report on current interdisciplinary and intercultural projects. The audience strolls between these stations and experiences the haunting combination of scientific expertise and dreamy music. A grand finale beckons at the end of the evening.

Great Ocean of Music

Übersee-Museum

The First

During the chamber music on Sunday, changing ensembles from the ranks of the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra present personal favorite works from the chamber music repertoire in our Hall 1 in the Tabakquartier.

Variety is the soul of music

Antonín Dvořák's Stabat Mater is the musical result of several personal tragedies: in 1875, his joy at his first successes as a composer and his happy family life were shattered by the death of his daughter Josefa, who was only two days old. As a deeply religious person, Dvořák began working on the Stabat Mater to cope with his grief. Then, in 1877, his other two small children died in quick succession. Dvořák then immersed himself in the work again and completed it. With the Stabat Mater, which he himself conducted very often, Dvořák enjoyed enormous success - contrary to his publisher's expectations: "If only the text were different! I mean: for northern Germany and England and America, etc., the 'Stabat Mater' is completely lost. It is only for the Austrian states, that is, for Catholic countries." But the publisher was mistaken...

Stabat Mater

St. Petri Cathedral Bremen

Iago feels ignored and strikes back. He whispers to Otello that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. The seed sprouts: doubt gnaws at Otello and finally breaks out in raging thoughts of destruction. Verdi's Otello is a large-scale intrigue that falls on fertile ground and a free, powerful fantasy about a person whose social position is so exposed and unstable that he ultimately destroys himself.

Otello

Emden

Festspielhaus am Wall

High Five

Trio à la française

Today it is a matter of course, 300 years ago it was a rarity: women in research and science. This musical reading with historian Dagmar Freist is about female scholarship, music and literature in the French salon culture of the 18th century. She reads texts by Émelie du Châtelet, a close confidante of Voltaire and one of the most famous scientists and mathematicians of her time. Simone Nill (recorder) and a string quartet with Ines Huke-Siegler and Bettina Blum (baroque violins), Annette Stoodt (baroque viola) and Benjamin Stiehl (baroque cello) as well as harpsichordist Torsten Johann play works by Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, André Chéron, Georg Philipp Telemann, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and others on baroque instruments.

The Speech of Happiness

West-Eastern Four-Part Harmony

Many composers were inspired by their pets and wrote their very own cat music. Rossini designed a meow duet, Prokofiev placed a cat next to Peter and the Wolf, and Jacques Offenbach dedicated an entire operetta to the cat. The last family concert of the season, however, is dedicated to a special specimen of the species, a legendary, exemplary self-made cat. When the inheritance is distributed, the miller's youngest son is cheated. He only receives one cat, but it is a real beast. She confidently takes her fate into her own hands, does not shy away from kings and evil wizards, and shows that a quick mind and solidarity are worth more than rank, power, or physical strength.

Puss in Boots

The 8th Philharmonic Concert is all about Francophile! With the Piano Concerto in G major and the famous Boléro by Maurice Ravel, the Bremen Philharmonic pays homage to the sonic sophistication of French origin. And there is a very specific reason for this: this year we are commemorating the 150th birthday of the French sound magician, who knew like no other how to coax subtle nuances and shades out of the orchestra. With the Piano Concerto, Ravel created a virtuoso piece par excellence, and with the Boléro, a catchy tune that creates an overwhelming orgy of sound from a simple musical nucleus. And Schoenberg? Admittedly, he wasn't French, but in his lavishly scored suite he devotes himself to one of the most famous French lovers of all: Pelléas and Mélisande. Contemporaries would have liked to declare the composer mad for his music, which was almost bursting with exuberant expressiveness. Fortunately, this did not happen – on the contrary: Even then, many recognized Schönberg’s genius and appreciated the courage with which he broke new musical ground.

Happy anniversary, Monsieur Ravel!

Do we even need to talk about it anymore? About the role of women in society, at work and in music? Of course! Equality between men and women may be the law, but it is not yet a reality everywhere. There is hardly a better opportunity to talk about it than on International Women's Day. It has been celebrated since 1911 and has been officially recognised by the UN for 50 years. Reason enough for the Bremen Philharmonic to devote itself to this topic - in word and sound. Konstantia Gourzi, one of the most prominent conductors and composers currently on the podium, will discuss the self-image, importance and visibility of women in music with artistic director Guido Gärtner and conductor Hansjörg Albrecht. Musically, Gourzi will be performing her piece "Moonrise by the Sea", inspired by Caspar David Friedrich, and Albrecht will then perform the beautiful, romantic mass by Ethel Smyth. She was one of the pioneers of her profession – at a time when this was anything but self-evident.

50th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Do we even need to talk about it anymore? About the role of women in society,
at work and in music? Of course! Equality between men and
women may be the law, but it is not yet a reality everywhere. There is hardly a better
opportunity to talk about it than on International Women's Day.
It has been celebrated since 1911 and has been officially recognised by the UN for 50 years. Reason enough for the
Bremen Philharmonic to devote itself to this topic - in words and music.

gala concert for International Women's Day

Laeiszhalle Hamburg

Découvertes

heavenly music

"He is a true poet. What a sophisticated musician!" wrote the Austrian press about the cellist Jeremias Fliedl, one of the most promising cellists of his generation. Fliedl is the soloist in Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto, which is on the programme of the 7th Philharmonic Concert alongside Jean Sibelius' first symphony. Both composers have had a significant influence on music in their home countries, both have the aura of being a kind of "national composer". And both have given strong impetus to the stylistic development of music in the Czech Republic and Finland: Dvořák by drawing inspiration for his works from Czech folk music, Sibelius by managing to establish something like a "Finnish tone" with his music. This is certainly just as much fun to listen to as seeing Emmanuel Tjeknavorian again.
He has, however, changed sides: two seasons ago he was a guest with the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra as a soloist with his violin, and now he stands at the podium in front of the orchestra. The Austrian musician is multi-talented, which he will prove this evening.

A toast to passion

This season, the family concerts are going to be full of animals. An elephant playing the double bass and a dancing turtle? That can only mean one thing: Camille Saint-Saëns' "Carnival of the Animals" brings cackling violins and floating xylophones to the stage in family concert #1. In family concert #2, the fox, snake and hat take you through the magical world of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his "Little Prince". Cats need a lot of music - that's well known. So put on your boots, hat and off you go on a wild tour through fairytale land in family concert #3 with the cat in boots. Meow!

You are not from here, says the fox

With Béatrice et Bénédict, Hector Berlioz put a cheerful end to his operatic work in 1862 and spun a subtle musical comedy about sharp-tongued battles in the field of love, successful matchmaking and a wedding for four.

Béatrice et Bénédict

The book tells of the small adventures and discoveries, encounters and insights that shape the life of 11-year-old Lotte and her family in the immediate post-war period. Family life in the old forester's lodge includes the clatter of an old typewriter, the singing of the kitchen maid, the wind and the twittering of birds in the forest - all of which are accompanied by selected works by Leroy Anderson, Carl Maria von Weber, Robert Schumann, Michael Jary and Antonín Dvořák, played by Anette Behr-König and Romeo Ruga (violin), Anke Ohngemach (viola), Karola von Borries (violoncello) and Rose Eickelberg (percussion).

“Music meets Literature” – Cherry Thieves or When the War Was Over

Central Library (Wallsaal)

Sparkling and surprising, that is how we know and love the music of Joseph Haydn. Symphony No. 44 is no exception, and it is all the more puzzling why the work was given the nickname "Mourning" after Haydn's death. It has absolutely nothing to do with mourning, and no one gets sad when listening to it. On the contrary: Haydn puts the audience in a celebratory mood. Sergei Prokofiev's third piano concerto also promises a virtuoso firework display, especially since Isata Kanneh-Mason, one of the rising stars of the international piano scene, is a guest in Bremen. The Brit has also made a name for herself as a blogger and is not the only one increasing the celebrity factor at the 6th Philharmonic Concert. Shiyeon Sung, probably the best-known Korean conductor at the moment, is at the podium and is also conducting Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Sung is a star in her home country. She was the first South Korean conductor to ever make the leap to the podium of internationally renowned orchestras, including the Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In a celebratory mood

Hidden depth beneath the apparent simplicity

Bremer Philharmoniker

Stilles Appassionata

The Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra plays the historical program of the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra from March 29, 1945.


Music in Times of War

The legendary violinist of the century, Fritz Kreisler, was certain: Edward Elgar was THE composer of his time, and even put him on a par with Beethoven and Brahms: "If you want to know who I consider to be the most important living composer, I would say without hesitation: Elgar. Elgar will surpass them all." The 5th Philharmonic Concert now allows a direct comparison: Elgar's voluminous violin concerto against Beethoven's dramatic "Eroica", romantic pathos against classical heroism. Whatever the comparison, the winners are already clear: the music - and the audience. The Bremen Philharmonic and its General Music Director Marko Letonja are hosting the violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann. His international career is unparalleled. For such a colossal jewel as Elgar's Violin Concerto, a violin heavyweight like Zimmermann is just the right person - and a very welcome star guest to congratulate the orchestra on its 200th season.

sounds of jubilation

"I revel in Mozart"

Between Baroque and Modern: Purcell and Schoenberg reveal two fates, caught between suffering and life, yearning and searching. Until the question remains: How much pain can love endure?

Dido and Aeneas / Expectation

Britten's timeless plea for peace and humanity is a requiem, an indictment, and a warning. Yet it offers hope and comfort, and is an occasion for reflection on our shared civilizing values, which must be defended.

War Requiem

Cathedral Concert

St. Petri Dom Bremen

Iconic couples – tragic fates: Love is by no means a guarantee of a happy ending, as couples like Romeo and Juliet or Tony and Maria from West Side Story demonstrate. With their compositions, Sergei Prokofiev and Leonard Bernstein created two masterpieces of cult status. Marko Letonja brings these highly dramatic love stories to the stage – as pure, thrilling music. Often enough, however, there are dramas behind the scenes too: Sergei Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto, for example, was almost never written. Self-doubt and depression plagued the composer, and he was blocked. Only therapy brought him back to music, back to himself. The concert was a triumphant comeback, full of emotion and depth. As a thank you, Rachmaninov dedicated it to his doctor. It is a musical monument to the strength it takes to get back up again and again.

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 | Benjamin Grosvenor

Overtures, arias and duets from popular operas by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and others, as well as from Viennese operettas by Oscar Straus (1870-1954), Franz Lehár (1870-1948) and other composers of the so-called Silver Operetta Era.

Gala against cancer

Bremen Market Square

And we continue with news about the Bremen Town Musicians, with more animal stories alternating with lively music from an original ensemble.

Siblings' Concert

Forum am Wall

Bright spots in spring

Julie Rossland | Scandinavian evening

Contemporary music is difficult and not for children? Far from it! This concert shatters all preconceptions and demonstrates how enjoyable, child-friendly, diverse, and surprising the sounds and melodies of modern compositions can be, inspiring and encouraging participation. An interactive concert with a large orchestra and performance.

My Sound Journey – Music by Konstantia Gourzi

Pearls in the Park

This is what the 202nd concert season of the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra sounds like!

Season presentation

It is bold, well-conceived, and full of dramatic power: Mozart's G minor Symphony, a stroke of genius. Composed at just 17 years old, it is anything but a mere youthful work. It is unique – and unfathomable. "We won't get close to Mozart," the writer and Mozart expert Wolfgang Hildesheimer already suspected. Gustav Mahler is another mystery. His Fourth Symphony is a sonic vision of paradise. Mahler himself spoke of "experience and suffering, truth and poetry in tones." Critics tore the work to pieces, but Mahler remained steadfast, always searching for the great symphonic redemption. Two extraordinary musicians make Mahler's vision of "heavenly life" a reality: Erika Baikoff, one of the most successful young voices of her generation, and Tabita Berglund, a conductor with a clear style and a great sense of musical depth. This will be visionary!

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 | Tabitha Berglund

Giovanni Di Lorenzo

Flaps, keys and strings

Everyone knows the music of this most frequently performed German-language opera. Marco Štorman's new production draws fresh (magical) sounds from this musical fairytale and mystery, in which people between the ages of 9 and 99 can discover themselves and the world.

The Magic Flute

Two exceptional musicians come together here: Delyana Lazarova, a violinist and a true rising star as a conductor, and Marc-André Hamelin, a world-class pianist who feels a close connection to the Bremen Philharmonic. This is a perfect combination for Beethoven's groundbreaking Fourth Piano Concerto. Soloist and orchestra are more closely interwoven here than ever before. Beethoven proves himself once again to be a bold innovator, ahead of his time – and still relevant today. Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra also turns some conventions on their head: Here, the entire orchestra is the soloist. A challenge? Certainly. But the Bremen Philharmonic are ready for it, each and every one of them. Bartók cedes the stage to them – in a work that takes virtuosity and inventiveness to the extreme.

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 | Marc-André Hamelin

A bear wants to learn something: who he is! And so he sets off on an enchanting journey. There, the Lazy Mountain Ox and the Lazy Salamander assure him what all people, big and small, should know: You are good just the way you are!

The bear that wasn't there

The genius on his shoulders

Katharina Wincor | Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The season finale will be breathtaking: the cycle of all Brahms symphonies will be completed, and Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto delivers pure drama. A somber beginning, a frenzied scherzo, an epic passacaglia, and a furious finale—Shostakovich has arguably created one of the greatest solo concertos of the 20th century. This is music of existential importance that truly gets under your skin. The internationally renowned violinist Vadim Gluzman is the ideal soloist for this bravura piece. Brahms' Fourth Symphony completes his symphonic oeuvre. In his own words, he "wasn't at all eager to write a bad No. 4." And he wasn't—quite the opposite: the composer has created a milestone here. And just as the season began with Brahms, so it ends with him. Brahms, Bremen, and the Bremen Philharmonic belong inextricably together.

Bremer Philharmoniker

Mar 22, 2026

"I revel in Mozart"

Mar 28, 2026

Dido and Aeneas / Expectation

Mar 29, 2026

War Requiem

Apr 3, 2026

Cathedral Concert

13 - 14 Apr, 2026

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 | Benjamin Grosvenor

15 - 16 Mar, 2026

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” | Bar Avni

Mar 11, 2026

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Articles & News

Bremer Philharmoniker