Homage to Johann Strauss

A homage to love

A homage to love

A homage to love

Dear to the heart

Supporting the »wir helfen« (we help) campaign by the newspaper Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger is more than just a tradition upheld by the Gürzenich Orchestra – it is of heartfelt importance. This season, contributing to the initiative for underprivileged children and adolescents in the region, the orchestra will play a passionate concert full of deep emotions. Before giving birth to his second concerto for piano and orchestra, with its endless melodies and sweeping, intense drama, Sergei Rachmaninoff had to fight his way through a deep valley of depression and self-doubt. In the end, hypno-therapy is what helped the Russian composer dissolve his writer’s block. Against all expectations, the concerto was a great success: It offers everything ranging from chamber musical intimacy to symphonic opulence, and demands everything from the soloist, emotionally and technically. No problem for the 24-year-old Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev, a sensational shooting star who has won countless prizes and travels the world. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky described his last symphony, the »Pathétique,« as his best work, as being dear to his heart. He claimed to have put »all his soul« into it. The fact that he died just a few days after the premiere amplifies the impression of someone who condenses all facets of his artistic identity and symphonic oeuvre, and puts them to paper. Yet the musical approach he chooses is absolutely surprising. One would think he might bring his last symphony to a rejoicing and triumphant end, an emphatic summary of his own highly successful career. Instead, Tchaikovsky chooses a melancholy, introspective ending – not so much a real finale as a touching farewell with many open questions, a musical »good bye« which, still today, goes straight to the heart.

Neujahrskonzert Johann Strauß Festjahr

In 2025, Vienna will celebrate the 200th birthday of "Waltz King" Johann Strauss with a festival. The Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, led by General Music Director Andrea Sanguineti, invites you to a cheerful New Year's concert featuring Strauss's waltzes, polkas, and operetta excerpts to kick off the new year.

Concert broadcast to the Zeiss-Grossplanetarium

Enjoy symphony concerts with a view of the starry sky in the Zeiss Grand Planetarium – heavenly sounds in the truest sense of the word.

Concert broadcast to the Zeiss-Grossplanetarium

Enjoy symphony concerts with a view of the starry sky in the Zeiss Grand Planetarium – heavenly sounds in the truest sense of the word.

Concert broadcast to the Zeiss-Grossplanetarium

Enjoy symphony concerts with a view of the starry sky in the Zeiss Grand Planetarium – heavenly sounds in the truest sense of the word.

Wiener Johann Strauß Konzert-Gala

Freshness, vitality and sensuousness guaranteed: the »Viennese Johann Strauss Gala Concert« celebrates the Austrian »Waltz King« and the era of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Matthias Georg Kendlinger’s »Made in Austria« export hit has cast a spell over more than a million music lovers in 19 European countries since 1996 – a musical fountain of youth at which even kings and emperors would find true pleasure. Cult status included.

Wiener Johann Strauß Konzert-Gala

The "Vienna Johann Strauss Concert Gala" guarantees a fresh sense of life, vitality, and sensuality. Since 1996, this Austrian export hit, featuring the K&K Philharmonic and Ballet, has captivated over 1.4 million enthusiasts in 19 European countries—a musical fountain of youth that even kings and emperors would have enjoyed.