As the DR Symphony Orchestra celebrates its centennial, Copenhagen's DR Koncerthuset becomes the epicenter of a musical journey like no other. A lineup that includes world-renowned conductors, acclaimed soloists, and masterpieces from legendary composers promises to captivate audiences. From Bruckner's ninth symphony to Mahler's grand 'Symphony No. 8,' the series of concerts not only marks a monumental occasion but also showcases the timeless beauty of orchestral music. Join us as we delve into the highlights and artistic contributions that make this series a milestone in the world of classical music.

A Symphony of Celebrations: DR Symphony Orchestra's 100th Anniversary Extravaganza

Step into the world of orchestral excellence with DR Symfoniorkestret's 2025 season, showcasing a constellation of musical brilliance at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. This season promises to be a memorable journey through time-honored classics and modern masterpieces, featuring legendary conductors, virtuosic soloists, and groundbreaking creative works. From the timeless grandeur of Bruckner's 9th to the powerful resonance of Mahler's 8th, each performance is a celebration of artistic mastery and cultural heritage.

A Symphony of Stars: DR Symphony Orchestra's 2025 Season Highlights

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra is set to offer a series of captivating musical events in 2026, showcasing an impressive array of orchestral performances and talented soloists. From Wagner's epic operatic suite to Beethoven's dramatic compositions, audiences can expect unforgettable evenings at the renowned DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. With contributions from star conductors and soloists, these events promise to explore the depths of musical storytelling and the enduring power of classical masterpieces.

A Symphony of Events: Danish National Symphony Orchestra's 2026 Highlights

This year, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra offers an eclectic mix of musical experiences. From the enigmatic tales of Bluebeard to the haunting melodies of Mozart and the passionate strains of Beethoven, the 2026 line-up promises to captivate audiences. Featuring renowned conductors like Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Leif Ove Andsnes, as well as stunning solo performances by the likes of Dorottya Lang and Soo Jin Hong, these concerts span genres and centuries. Held at breathtaking venues such as The Royal Danish Academy of Music and DR Koncerthuset, each event is an invitation to explore the depths of symphonic and operatic art.

A Musical Odyssey: Danish National Symphony Orchestra's 2026 Line-Up

The key of C minor represented something particularly dramatic in Beethoven, and this evening the key runs like a stormy, red thread through the program. In Symphony No. 5, fate itself knocks on the door, and the entire work seethes with energy and intensity, before the darkness is finally overcome and it all ends in bright triumph.

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Manacorda, Andsnes & Beethoven

DR Koncerthuset

The story of Pelléas and Melisande is one of literature's greatest love stories, along with Romeo and Juliet and Tristan and Isolde .

Luisi & Pelléas and Mélisande

"I would like to write you a violin concerto," wrote the composer Felix Mendelssohn to his friend, the star violinist Ferdinand David. "I have one in E minor in my head, and the beginning will not leave me alone." And the opening of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto is among classical music's most iconic, stormy and passionate, with the solo violin in the role of the ultimate romantic hero. Here, it is the DR Symphony Orchestra's 1st concertmaster Soo-Jin Hong who is allowed to be the soloist with his own orchestra.

Eun Sun Kim & Dvorak's 8th.

Like Mozart, the Spanish composer Juan Arriaga died far too early. Yet he left behind a large body of excellent music, including several vocal works. In the two vocal works for tonight's concert, the dramatic cantata Herminie and an aria from the opera Medée , Arriaga shows himself to be a surprisingly mature composer, with impressive dramatic sense. The soloist is the Norwegian soprano Berit Nordbakken, one of the Nordic countries' foremost interpreters of early music.

Mena & Mozart

Here is a rare opportunity to experience two of the DR Symphony Orchestra's own soloists as soloists: clarinetist Johnny Teyssier and violist Michael Grolid, who together with the orchestra play Bruch's beautiful and arch-romantic double concerto - full of Swedish melancholy with quotes from the folk melody Ack, Värmeland, du sköna.

Kochanovsky & Strauss

Nothing is as it seems in Bartók's only opera, Duke Bluebeard's Castle . The story is known from fairy tales by, among others, the Brothers Grimm, but in Bartók's work, the story of the murderous duke also becomes an inner drama. Because when the doors are opened and the secrets are revealed, we may see ourselves stepping onto the stage.

Saraste & Duke Bluebeard's Castle

PULSAR Festinval 2026

The Royal Danish Academy of Music

This season, several of the DR Symphony Orchestra's own musicians can be experienced as soloists in front of their orchestra, and for this concert it is 1st solo cellist Henrik Dam Thomsen, who has recently won both Danish and international awards for his playing. He is the soloist in Elgar's expressive cello concerto, which for this concert is surrounded by two eerie parties.

De la Parra & Sacre

'The Ring' stands as the undisputed giant of operatic literature. Wagner's great divine tale of the creation and destruction of the world takes four evenings to perform, but in composer Henk de Vlieger's arrangement, the glowing orchestral sounds are allowed to shine with undiminished dramatic power, even though the suite only lasts a little over an hour.

Hermus & Wagner

Despite dying at the age of just 26, French composer Lili Boulanger left behind a wealth of fantastic music. Among the highlights is the buzzing, lively spring morning she evokes in the short tone poem D'un matin de printemps , which she composed just a few months before her death.

Søndergaard & Ravel

With spectacular mountain ranges and magnificent nature in the background, the title character in Lord Byron's drama Manfred wanders around and tries to forget. But not even magic can help him forget the past and his deceased beloved. In his Manfred symphony, Tchaikovsky gives musical expression to the torments of the soul, angels and demons, but also to rural idyll and the great, lost love.

Matvienko & Tchaikovsky

Bruch's intense Violin Concerto contains both full-blooded romance and folk-inspired power. From the cautious, yet dramatic opening with swirling timpani to the stomping, energetic final movement – ​​and not forgetting the infinitely beautiful middle movement – ​​the concert oozes intensity.

Gardner & Szeps-Znaider

Say goodbye to 2025 in style when the DR Symphony Orchestra invites you to the traditional New Year's Gala at the DR Concert Hall.

New Year's Gala 2025

When the young Benjamin Britten sat down to write his first symphony, he used melodies and themes he had written as a child. Perhaps that is why he called the symphony the Simple Symphony . Regardless, it is music that is easy to get carried away by, with catchy melodies and a good dose of musical humor.

Sokhiev & Beethoven's 6th.

There is pathos and passion from the first bar of Brahms's first piano concerto. A powerful timpani roll sets off a great symphonic drama, and during the concert both soloist and orchestra face great trials. But at the same time they share the same desire to perform the dazzlingly beautiful music.

Elim Chan & Shostakovich

Many thousands of Danish children and parents have learned about classical music thanks to the multi-artist Sigurd Barrett, who with his warmth and commitment has invited several generations into the world of music in his own special way.

Sigurd & the Symphony Orchestra

The German-Austrian singer Jonas Kaufmann is recognized as one of the most significant and versatile tenors of his generation, and his ability to combine technical perfection with emotional depth continues to make him one of the world's most sought-after singers.

Jonas Kaufmann & the Danish National Symphony Orchestra

“Imagine the whole universe bursting into song!” said Gustav Mahler about his great Symphony No. 8, which the DR Symphony Orchestra is performing on the occasion of its 100th anniversary together with three choirs: the DR Concert Choir, the BBC Singers and the Copenhagen Boys’ Choir.

Luisi & Mahler's 8th.

The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra marks its 100th anniversary with one of the orchestra's great international successes, namely the masterpiece Music of the Spheres , which they have previously performed at The BBC Proms, among other places.

Luisi & the Music of the Spheres

Up-and-coming conductor Jonathon Heyward is known for his fearless interpretations of a wide repertoire that bring refreshing new life to music. As chief conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, a position he took over from the legendary Marin Alsop, he is also the youngest chief conductor in the United States.

Heyward & the Fountains of Rome

For over three decades, violinist Hilary Hahn has belonged to the world's elite of violinists with a very special combination of expressive musicality and brilliant technique. She is an active interpreter of new music, while her recordings of the classical violin repertoire already stand as reference recordings.

Mälkki & Hilary Hahn

"When you experience his music, you feel a beauty and grandeur beyond the horizon that will last forever," conductor Herbert Blomstedt has said of Bruckner – a composer he has cultivated his entire life. With Bruckner, we find ourselves in a universe all to ourselves, where the soul finds a rare peace, while the music takes over consciousness.

Blomstedt & Bruckner's 9.

Richard Strauss could shock when he wanted to, and he did so to the fullest with the one-act Salome . In the opera, the young princess Salome asks for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter, to music that is both seductive and disgusting. To get her way, she must dance the Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather, King Herod.

Hasan, Strauss & Mozart

With a broad repertoire and enormous musical energy, the Austrian Manfred Honeck has distinguished himself among the world's leading conductors. When he now returns to DR Koncerthuset, it is with both Viennese classical elegance and high romantic intensity – two of his specialties.

Danish National Symphony Orchestra

May 21, 2026

Hasan, Strauss & Mozart

4 - 5 Jun, 2026

Honeck & Liszt

Apr 30 - May 1, 2026

Manacorda, Andsnes & Beethoven

24 - 25 Apr, 2026

Luisi & Pelléas and Mélisande

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Danish National Symphony Orchestra