Concerts with works by

Anton Bruckner

Haydn-Orchester Hamburg

Playing good music at a high level – that is the goal that the Haydn Orchestra Hamburg has set itself. And it is not without pride that it is one of the leading non-professional orchestras in northern Germany. The Haydn Orchestra Hamburg was founded in 1977 as a chamber orchestra. In the early years, the name was the programme: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach were the composers of the orchestra’s early phase. Today, the orchestra consists of 90 musicians with a full woodwind and brass section. It is therefore only natural that the great symphonies and concertos of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as the works of Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven and George Gershwin, are now increasingly played.

NDR Vokalensemble / Simon Halsey

British conductor Simon Halsey leads »SINGING!« 2025 and, together with the NDR Vokalensemble, the award-winning choral conductor wants to breathe new life into the participatory concert after the coronavirus years. Register now to take part!

Bruckner: Messe

In 1867, Anton Bruckner, recovering from a nervous ailment, began composing his large-scale Mass No. 3. Twenty-five years later, he quoted it in his unfinished 9th Symphony as a gesture of thanks to God.

Pablo Heras-Casado dirigiert Anton Bruckners f-Moll-Messe

After personal and professional setbacks drove Bruckner to the brink of madness in 1867, the organist suffered a nervous breakdown. Recovering in an asylum, he returned to composing and created his "Great" f-minor Mass, a work of symphonic scale and profound expressiveness. The SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, and SWR Symphonieorchester reunite with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado this season for a performance of Bruckner's final mass setting.

Bruckner: Messe

In 1867, Anton Bruckner, recovering from a nervous ailment, began composing his large-scale Mass No. 3. Twenty-five years later, he quoted it in his unfinished 9th Symphony as a gesture of thanks to God.

Pablo Heras-Casado dirigiert Anton Bruckners f-Moll-Messe

After personal and professional setbacks drove Bruckner to the brink of madness in 1867, the organist suffered a nervous breakdown. Recovering in an asylum, he returned to composing and created his "Great" f-minor Mass, a work of symphonic scale and profound expressiveness. The SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, and SWR Symphonieorchester reunite with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado this season for a performance of Bruckner's final mass setting.

Angel Blue | Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest | Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Soprano Angel Blue, known for her clear, warm, and radiant lyrical timbre, has graced opera houses from New York to Vienna and London. In Cologne, she presents Richard Strauss's melancholic and indulgent "Four Last Songs." She's accompanied by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who combines Strauss's poignant song cycle with Bruckner's yearning Third Symphony.

Pablo Heras-Casado dirigiert Anton Bruckners f-Moll-Messe

After personal and professional setbacks drove Bruckner to the brink of madness in 1867, the organist suffered a nervous breakdown. Recovering in an asylum, he returned to composing and created his "Great" f-minor Mass, a work of symphonic scale and profound expressiveness. The SWR Vokalensemble, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, and SWR Symphonieorchester reunite with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado this season for a performance of Bruckner's final mass setting.

Pablo Heras-Casado dirigiert Anton Bruckners f-Moll-Messe

Bruckner: Messe

In 1867, Anton Bruckner, recovering from a nervous ailment, began composing his large-scale Mass No. 3. Twenty-five years later, he quoted it in his unfinished 9th Symphony as a gesture of thanks to God.

Guest performance

8ZEHN30 – Kurzkonzert

The one-hour short concerts ‘8Zehn30’ on Thursdays from 18:30 at the Konzerthaus Berlin are always short and sweet: let go of everyday life and simply immerse yourself in 60 minutes of music without a break - regardless of whether the end of the working day is already in sight or another evening shift has to be put in. The orchestra musicians of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin accompany their audience through a short(er) concert evening - from the personal introduction to the after-concert drinks at the bar in the Beethoven Hall.This time, they will perform Bruckner's Symphony No. 3, which the composer revised more often than any other of his nine symphonies.

Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach

Our former chief conductor Christoph Eschenbach is back on the podium of the Konzerthausorchester and is bringing a highly talented young pianist with him: The 19-year-old Simon Haje will play Beethoven's fourth piano concerto from 1805, which already points in the direction of Romanticism. Robert Schumann was not the only one who loved the work, which is the first of its genre to begin directly with the solo instrument. The audience also liked it extraordinarily well straight away. Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 did not fare so well at first, which is why the easily unsettled composer revised it more often than any other of his nine symphonies. It was not until 1890 (17 years after the completion of the first version) that musicians and Viennese audiences finally stopped objecting and the work was finalised!

Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Christoph Eschenbach

Our former chief conductor Christoph Eschenbach is back on the podium of the Konzerthausorchester and is bringing a highly talented young pianist with him: The 19-year-old Simon Haje will play Beethoven's fourth piano concerto from 1805, which already points in the direction of Romanticism. Robert Schumann was not the only one who loved the work, which is the first of its genre to begin directly with the solo instrument. The audience also liked it extraordinarily well straight away. Bruckner's Symphony No. 3 did not fare so well at first, which is why the easily unsettled composer revised it more often than any other of his nine symphonies. It was not until 1890 (17 years after the completion of the first version) that musicians and Viennese audiences finally stopped objecting and the work was finalised!

Jakub Hrůša, Konstantin Krimmel

»Mahler is a must!« That was absolutely clear to Jakub Hrůša when our journey together began in 2016 – as his late Romantic music is »genetically very close« to both him and ourselves. We have already performed five of his symphonies together in recent years. This programme includes the enchanting »Blumine« movement, which Mahler erased from his autobiographical first symphony and described himself as a »blissful infatuation«: he wrote it in 1884 as a young conductor when he had a crush on a soprano. However, his affection was not returned – and a year later, the »Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen« (»Songs of a Travelling Companion«) emerged from his emotional misery. Together with Konstantin Krimmel, we embark on the restless wanderings of the lovesick artist. After that we say: Not only Mahler is a must. For some time now, Jakub Hrůša has also been working more intensively on Bruckner, as he has recognised that only an orchestra that »really loves this music enough« will be able to make it work. He described the phase in which we immersed ourselves in the Symphony No. 4 in the 2018/2019 season as a »blissful experience with Bruckner« – and it was deepened even further: In the 2020 pandemic, we recorded our Chief Conductor’s personal take on all three versions of the work for a phenomenal and award-winning recording. In this programme, the »Romantic« is performed in the 1878/1880 version – first in Bamberg, as is traditional, of course. Then we will once again become »travelling companions« ourselves and present the works in two of the best halls in Europe: in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and (for the 10th time already!) in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie – where we have come to love and appreciate the inspiring acoustics.

Gewandhausorchester, Herbert Blomstedt Dirigent

If the Gewandhaus Orchestra could only perform one work, it would be Bruckner's Seventh Symphony. This piece, premiered by the orchestra, is uniquely tied to its history and represents the deepest emotions. Conductor Herbert Blomstedt receives standing ovations upon entering the stage, and the hall's structural integrity is tested after every performance. The symphony's climax features a powerful cymbal crash in the Adagio, a controversial addition potentially attributed to the first conductor, Arthur Nikisch, and now accepted in the latest edition.

Gewandhausorchester, Herbert Blomstedt Dirigent

If the Gewandhaus Orchestra could only perform one work, it would be Bruckner's Seventh Symphony. This piece, premiered by the orchestra, is uniquely tied to its history and represents the deepest emotions. Conductor Herbert Blomstedt receives standing ovations upon entering the stage, and the hall's structural integrity is tested after every performance. The symphony's climax features a powerful cymbal crash in the Adagio, a controversial addition potentially attributed to the first conductor, Arthur Nikisch, and now accepted in the latest edition.

On Tour: Concertgebouw Amsterdam

»Mahler is a must!« That was absolutely clear to Jakub Hrůša when our journey together began in 2016 – as his late Romantic music is »genetically very close« to both him and ourselves. We have already performed five of his symphonies together in recent years. This programme includes the enchanting »Blumine« movement, which Mahler erased from his autobiographical first symphony and described himself as a »blissful infatuation«: he wrote it in 1884 as a young conductor when he had a crush on a soprano. However, his affection was not returned – and a year later, the »Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen« (»Songs of a Travelling Companion«) emerged from his emotional misery. Together with Konstantin Krimmel, we embark on the restless wanderings of the lovesick artist. After that we say: Not only Mahler is a must. For some time now, Jakub Hrůša has also been working more intensively on Bruckner, as he has recognised that only an orchestra that »really loves this music enough« will be able to make it work. He described the phase in which we immersed ourselves in the Symphony No. 4 in the 2018/2019 season as a »blissful experience with Bruckner« – and it was deepened even further: In the 2020 pandemic, we recorded our Chief Conductor’s personal take on all three versions of the work for a phenomenal and award-winning recording. In this programme, the »Romantic« is performed in the 1878/1880 version – first in Bamberg, as is traditional, of course. Then we will once again become »travelling companions« ourselves and present the works in two of the best halls in Europe: in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and (for the 10th time already!) in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie – where we have come to love and appreciate the inspiring acoustics.

On Tour: Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

»Mahler is a must!« That was absolutely clear to Jakub Hrůša when our journey together began in 2016 – as his late Romantic music is »genetically very close« to both him and ourselves. We have already performed five of his symphonies together in recent years. This programme includes the enchanting »Blumine« movement, which Mahler erased from his autobiographical first symphony and described himself as a »blissful infatuation«: he wrote it in 1884 as a young conductor when he had a crush on a soprano. However, his affection was not returned – and a year later, the »Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen« (»Songs of a Travelling Companion«) emerged from his emotional misery. Together with Konstantin Krimmel, we embark on the restless wanderings of the lovesick artist. After that we say: Not only Mahler is a must. For some time now, Jakub Hrůša has also been working more intensively on Bruckner, as he has recognised that only an orchestra that »really loves this music enough« will be able to make it work. He described the phase in which we immersed ourselves in the Symphony No. 4 in the 2018/2019 season as a »blissful experience with Bruckner« – and it was deepened even further: In the 2020 pandemic, we recorded our Chief Conductor’s personal take on all three versions of the work for a phenomenal and award-winning recording. In this programme, the »Romantic« is performed in the 1878/1880 version – first in Bamberg, as is traditional, of course. Then we will once again become »travelling companions« ourselves and present the works in two of the best halls in Europe: in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and (for the 10th time already!) in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie – where we have come to love and appreciate the inspiring acoustics.

Gewandhausorchester, Herbert Blomstedt Dirigent

If the Gewandhaus Orchestra could only perform one work, it would be Bruckner's Seventh Symphony. This piece, premiered by the orchestra, is uniquely tied to its history and represents the deepest emotions. Conductor Herbert Blomstedt receives standing ovations upon entering the stage, and the hall's structural integrity is tested after every performance. The symphony's climax features a powerful cymbal crash in the Adagio, a controversial addition potentially attributed to the first conductor, Arthur Nikisch, and now accepted in the latest edition.

Haydn-Orchester Hamburg

Playing good music at a high level – that is the goal that the Haydn Orchestra Hamburg has set itself. And it is not without pride that it is one of the leading non-professional orchestras in northern Germany. The Haydn Orchestra Hamburg was founded in 1977 as a chamber orchestra. In the early years, the name was the programme: Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Georg Friedrich Händel and Johann Sebastian Bach were the composers of the orchestra’s early phase. Today, the orchestra consists of 90 musicians with a full woodwind and brass section. It is therefore only natural that the great symphonies and concertos of the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as the works of Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven and George Gershwin, are now increasingly played.

Kammermusikmatinee des Konzerthausorchesters

Haydn Bruckner

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden / Sol Gabetta / Tugan Sokhiev

What do Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto and Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony have in common? That’s right: they both have the catalogue number 107 and – and this is the real point – the cello can be heard at the beginning. One could assume that the similarities end here. While Bruckner focusses on long melodic lines and vocal arches, Shostakovich is much more rhythmic. Nevertheless, both composers pursue the same goal: the expression of the greatest and most intense emotions. With Tugan Sokhiev and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, they are in the best of hands. With its unique sound – Herbert von Karajan compared it to the »lustre of old gold« – the venerable orchestra puts the two sound monoliths at the Elbphilharmonie in the perfect acoustic light. Star cellist Sol Gabetta provides the right pitch on the cello.

Haydn Bruckner

Guest performance

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden / Tugan Sokhiev

After the captivating command of Sol Gabetta in Shostakovich, Tugan Sokhiev turns to Bruckner’s spellbinding Seventh Symphony, whose unique lyrical charm is in the best of hands with the Dresden Staatskapelle.

Pfingstfestspiele: François-Xavier Roth dirigiert Werke von Boulez und Bruckner

The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden celebrates Pierre Boulez's 100th birthday with several concerts, including two of his "younger" works paired with Bruckner's last symphony. Boulez admired Bruckner and played a key role in his recognition. The program features "Figures – Doubles – Prismes," where figures are varied and doubled, concluding with a new perspective on the earlier work. A vocal piece inspired by E. E. Cummings's poetry experiments combines text and music.

Gastkonzert: Pierre Boulez 100

The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden celebrates Pierre Boulez's 100th birthday with several concerts, including two of his "younger" works alongside Bruckner's last symphony. Boulez admired Bruckner, frequently conducting his works. "Figures – Doubles – Prismes" showcases variations and doublings of musical figures, culminating in a re-examination of the earlier work. Boulez also sets E. E. Cummings's poems to music, creating a unique blend of text and sound.

Lorenzo Viotti · Zemlinsky, Bruckner