Events in Köln | ConcertPulse

Magdalena Lucjan (Soprano), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Manfred Honeck (Conductor), Michael Lohse (Introduction)

Waltzes, polkas, blissful operetta charm, sparkling like champagne: this is what the Viennese masters from the great Strauss family and Franz Lehár stand for. Atmospheric opera moments by contemporary Giacomo Puccini introduce the gala, before the imaginary curtain opens to forays through operetta classics such as "The Merry Widow", "Giuditta" and "Die Fledermaus". Waltzes and fast polkas provide the furious finale. The star guest is Polish soprano Magdalena Lucjan, who studied in Vienna.

January 17, 2025

Neujahrsglanz – Strauß & Puccini

Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 20:00

Magdalena Lucjan (Soprano), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Manfred Honeck (Conductor)

Waltzes, polkas, blissful operetta charm, sparkling like champagne: this is what the Viennese masters from the great Strauss family and Franz Lehár stand for. Atmospheric opera moments by contemporary Giacomo Puccini introduce the gala, before the imaginary curtain opens to forays through operetta classics such as "The Merry Widow", "Giuditta" and "Die Fledermaus". Waltzes and fast polkas provide the furious finale. The star guest is Polish soprano Magdalena Lucjan, who studied in Vienna.

December 31, 2024

Silvesterkonzert - Bernstein & Gershwin + Livestream

Tue, Dec 31, 2024, 18:00

Julia Bullock (Soprano), Alfred Walker (Bariton), WDR Rundfunkchor (Chorus), Marvin Kernelle (Einstudierung), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), Andris Poga (Director)

A musical trip to America at the year's end featuring composers Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, whose works blend new Western and jazz sounds with European classical traditions. Between Bernstein's "Divertimento" and Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess", hear one of America's strongest female voices: composer Jessie Montgomery (born 1981). Her "Freedom Songs" were written for soprano Julia Bullock and arrange traditional African-American music.

December 21, 2024

Mysterium - Bruckners Achte + Livestream

Sat, Dec 21, 2024, 20:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), Philippe Jordan (Conductor)

Philippe Jordan, music director of the Vienna State Opera, is renowned for his interpretations of large-scale symphonic works. Especially in Bruckner's anniversary year, his conducting will transform the Austrian composer's music into a grand symphonic narrative, reflecting influences such as Wagner. Bruckner's Eighth Symphony, a work he called "Mysterium", promises to reveal some of its secrets under Jordan's baton.

December 20, 2024

Mysterium - Bruckners Achte

Fri, Dec 20, 2024, 20:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), Philippe Jordan (Conductor)

Philippe Jordan, music director of the Vienna State Opera, is renowned for his interpretations of large-scale symphonic works. Especially in Bruckner's anniversary year, his conducting will transform the Austrian composer's music into a grand symphonic narrative, reflecting influences such as Wagner. Bruckner's Eighth Symphony, a work he called "Mysterium", promises to reveal some of its secrets under Jordan's baton.

December 14, 2024

Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium + Livestream

Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 20:00

Julia Duscher (Soprano), Helen Charlston (Mezzo-Soprano), Kieran Carrel (Tenor), Jonas Müller (Bass), Projektchor (Chorus), WDR Rundfunkchor (Chorus), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), Simon Halsey (Director)

"Jauchzet, frohlocket!" Bach's Christmas Oratorio rings in Advent with rousing choirs, atmospheric solos, and contemplative chorales. A star cast of soloists, the WDR Rundfunkchor and Sinfonieorchester, and conductor Simon Halsey bring the timeless story of peace on earth to life.

December 12, 2024

Bach mal anders: Christmas Escape Room

Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 19:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), WDR Rundfunkchor (Choir), Schulchöre aus Nordrhein-Westfalen (Choir), Helen Charlston (Alt), Kieran Carrel (Tenor), Simon Halsey (Director), Johannes Büchs (Moderator)

Bach's Christmas Oratorio is a holiday staple. In this unique concert format, the audience actively participates by solving puzzles in an exclusive Bach Escape Room game. Only upon successful completion will the beloved Christmas music be heard.

December 7, 2024

Vollendung - Mozarts letzte Sinfonien + Livestream

Sat, Dec 7, 2024, 20:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Orchestra), Adam Fischer (Conductor)

In a few summer weeks, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart hastily composed three large symphonies, unaware they would be his last. These symphonies are often seen as a culmination of his creative power. Some theorize they form a single work in three chapters, expressing different moods: joyful grandeur, tragic drama, and overwhelming power.

December 6, 2024

Vollendung – Mozarts letzte Sinfonien

Fri, Dec 6, 2024, 20:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Adam Fischer (Conductor)

In just a few summer weeks, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart hastily composed three major symphonies, unaware they would be his last. These works are often seen as a culmination of his creative power, even theorized as a single three-chapter work. Each symphony explores different moods: joyful grandeur in E-flat major, tragic drama in G minor, and soaring power in the "Jupiter" Symphony.

November 29, 2024

WDR Happy Hour – Barber

Fri, Nov 29, 2024, 19:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Roderick Cox (Conductor), Jan Malte Andresen (Presentation), Jan Malte Andresen (WDR 2)

Der Durchbruch kam für den Dirigenten Roderick Cox 2018 mit dem »Sir Georg Solti Award«. Die Aufmerksamkeit nutzte er aber nicht nur als Sprungbrett für weltweite Gastdirigate, sondern auch, um ein Förderprojekt für junge farbige Musikerinnen und Musiker ins Leben zu rufen. In Köln baut der Maestro-Shootingstar eine musikalische Brücke zwischen seiner amerikanischen Heimat und Europa. Sein Landsmann Samuel Barber schrieb seine erste Sinfonie voller Begeisterung über seinen Rom-Aufenthalt in den 1930er-Jahren, die der junge Komponist als ungetrübte Schaffensphase erlebte. Sie steht als sinfonische Entdeckung neben Jean Sibelius‘ populärer »Fünfter«.

November 21, 2024

PhilharmonieLunch

Thu, Nov 21, 2024, 12:00

WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Cristian Măcelaru (Conductor)

Experience a small break from everyday life at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall – inspiring, touching, authentic. A place full of music, for an unusual lunch break, a break from the city noise or simply a break from everyday life. The Philharmonic Lunch is made possible by KölnMusik together with the WDR Symphony Orchestra and the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.

November 15, 2024

Lebenswege – Buchbinder & Bartók

Fri, Nov 15, 2024, 20:00

Rudolf Buchbinder (Piano), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Cristian Măcelaru (Conductor)

Rudolf Buchbinder's piano interpretations set pianistic standards, combining tradition and innovation in his readings of classical piano literature for over 60 years. He plays Brahms' first piano concerto, a work full of great tragedy and dramatic power. Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra" is in no way inferior to it in terms of musical drama. In 1940, the Hungarian composer had to emigrate to the USA, where he suffered from artistic neglect and health problems. In his last orchestral work, he spans the arc "from the darkness of the sad lament to the affirmation of life," as he himself writes.

November 9, 2024

Musik der Zeit – Musik und Verlangen

Sat, Nov 9, 2024, 20:00

Anna-Lena Elbert (Soprano), Holger Falk (Bariton), Christoph Sietzen (Drums), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Brad Lubman (Conductor), Michael Struck-Schloen (Presentation)

Johannes Maria Staud's drum concerto for Christoph Sietzen, portrait artist of the 2024/2025 season, captures the shimmer of reality. A highly virtuosic pleasure on sought-after and found instruments, from drums to flowerpots. The protagonists in Gordon Kampe's "Lyrical Symphony" are "delighted to devour": inhumanly heightened desire dominates the music. Nicolas A. Huber devotes himself to the perfection of the number 4.

November 2, 2024

Ewigkeit – Măcelaru & Mahlers Dritte

Sat, Nov 2, 2024, 20:00

Sasha Cooke (Mezzo-Soprano), Knaben und Mädchen der Kölner Dommusik (Ensemble), Oliver Sperling (Rehearsal), Eberhard Metternich (Rehearsal), WDR Rundfunkchor (Ensemble), Paul-Boris Kertsmann (Rehearsal), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Cristian Măcelaru (Conductor)

Cristian Măcelaru and Gustav Mahler's collaboration has become known for unique interpretations, especially of Mahler's Third Symphony. This symphony explores connections between nature and spirituality, the tangible world and the divine. Mahler described symphonies as building a world with available techniques, depicting the emergence of life from inanimate matter, evolving through flowers, animals, humans, and spirits to angels.

November 1, 2024

Ewigkeit – Măcelaru & Mahlers Dritte

Fri, Nov 1, 2024, 20:00

Cristian Măcelaru and Gustav Mahler's collaboration has become known for unique interpretations, especially of Mahler's Third Symphony. This symphony explores connections between nature and spirituality, the tangible world and the divine. Mahler described symphonies as building a world with available techniques, depicting the emergence of life from inanimate matter, evolving through flowers, animals, humans, and spirits to angels.

September 27, 2024

Schwerelos – Strawinsky & Mendelssohn

Fri, Sep 27, 2024, 20:00

Alina Ibragimova (Violin), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Anja Bihlmaier (Conductor)

Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, interpreted by Alina Ibragimova, enchants audiences. Jean Sibelius's first symphony captures the vastness of Nordic landscapes, while Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks" translates the colorfulness of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos into the 20th century.

September 21, 2024

Klangzauber - Măcelaru & Kanneh-Mason

Sat, Sep 21, 2024, 20:00

Miriam Khalil (Soprano), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (Cello), WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Cristian Măcelaru (Conductor)

Mit nur 17 Jahren gewann Sheku Kanneh-Mason 2016 den Wettbewerb BBC Young Musician of the Year und zählt seitdem zu den Shootingstars der internationalen Klassikwelt. Wie gemacht für das virtuos-sinnliche Spiel des jungen Briten ist Schostakowitschs erstes Cellokonzert, hinter dessen tänzerischer Freude sich viele Momente großer emotionaler Tiefe verbergen. Das packende Werk mit seinen schillernden Klangfarben passt wunderbar zu den klingenden Märchen aus Tausendundeiner Nacht von Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakow, in dem die Abenteuer von Sindbad und anderen Helden in einem fulminanten Tongemälde vorüberziehen.

September 14, 2024

WDR Familienkonzert: Das Konzert mit der Maus

Sat, Sep 14, 2024, 15:00

Die Maus, WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Jesko Sirvend (Conductor), Jana Forkel (Presentation), Johannes Büchs (Presentation)

The Mouse goes to a concert again, exploring the life and music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg through live music, stories, videos, and riddles. A concert for discovering, learning, and experiencing.

WDR Familienkonzert: Das Konzert mit der Maus

Sat, Sep 14, 2024, 11:00

Die Maus, WDR Sinfonieorchester (Ensemble), Jesko Sirvend (Conductor), Jana Forkel (Presentation), Johannes Büchs (Presentation)

The Mouse goes to a concert again, exploring the life and music of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg through live music, stories, videos, and riddles. A concert for discovering, learning, and experiencing.