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Classical Concerts at
Pierre Boulez Saal

I*age that describes the item

Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin is a renowned modular performance venue, famous for its unique oval shape and flexible seating arrangements. Designed by Frank Gehry, it serves as the home of the Barenboim-Said Akademie, offering a space that enhances acoustics for a diverse array of musical performances and cultural events.

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Overview

Quick overview of Pierre Boulez Saal by associated keywords

Concert FeaturesAt Pierre Boulez Saal

Vocal Music
Genre
Vocal Music
26
Feature
Academy Concert
15
Chamber Music
Genre
Chamber Music
15
Feature
Quartet
14
Genre
Arab and Persian Music
9

ProgramFrequently performed

Ludwig van Beethoven
Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven
52
Franz Schubert
Works by
Franz Schubert
35
Gustav Mahler
Works by
Gustav Mahler
24
Johannes Brahms
Works by
Johannes Brahms
20
Robert Schumann
Works by
Robert Schumann
14

MusiciansFrequently performs

Daniel Barenboim
Conductor
Daniel Barenboim
3

Upcoming Concerts

Concerts at Pierre Boulez Saal in season 2024/25 or later

Artistic depiction of the event
Tonight
In Berlin

EMA NIKOLOVSKA & SEAN SHIBE

Wed, Mar 12, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Nikolovska Ema (Mezzo-Soprano), Shibe Sean (Guitar), Shibe Sean (Electric Guitar)
ORLANDO, THE ETERNAL ADVENTURER In a highly original program for mezzo­-soprano and guitar, Ema Nikolovska and Sean Shibe trace the legendary troubadour’s story through space and time. Journeying from the medieval Chanson de Roland to Ariosto’s famous epic, to Virginia Woolf ’s 1928 novel, they explore fantastical worlds and encounter the great adventures of life: love, conflict, and the search for one’s own identity. Works by Franz Schubert, Detlef Glanert, Thomas Adès, and others, as well as newly commissioned pieces by Sasha Scott and Cassandra Miller provide the musical tapestry.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next week
In Berlin

FABIAN MÜLLER

Sun, Mar 16, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Müller Fabian (Piano)
When Fabian Müller made his Pierre Boulez Saal debut in January 2022, his memorable performance of Beethoven’s monumental “Hammerklavier” Sonata confirmed his reputation as one of the outstanding pianists of his generation. Now the ARD Competition winner, who was born in 1990 in Beethoven’s hometown of Bonn, takes on the challenge of presenting all the composer’s sonatas as a complete cycle. Dubbed the “New Testament” of piano music by Hans von Bülow— Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier was known as the “Old Testament”—the 32 works will be heard over the course of eight Sunday-afternoon concerts. Completing the individual programs are short pieces newly composed by Müller himself, in which he expresses his reflexions on Beethoven’s sonatas.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next week
In Berlin

ELTERNZEIT CONCERT

Mon, Mar 17, 2025, 10:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Müller Fabian (Piano)
“Parental Leave” concerts are aimed at all new mothers and fathers (as well as uncles, aunts, grand­ parents…) who would like to experience music together with their babies in a relaxed setting. The number of seats is limited, and all amenities to make your visit as pleasant as possible are provided in the lobby. These concerts, featuring Pierre Boulez Saal artists performing excerpts from their programs, are approximately 45 minutes long and intended exclusively for visitors with babies aged 12 months and younger.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next week
In Berlin

JACK QUARTET

Thu, Mar 20, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
JACK Quartet (String Quartet)
Pierre Boulez’s Livre pour quatuor is among the most complex chamber music works of the 20th century. At the same time, the score—left unfinished by the composer—also has a fragmentary quality. The JACK Quartet, regularly heard at the Pierre Boulez Saal over the last few seasons, performs individual movements from Boulez’s only string quartet, pairing them with recent works by Eva­-Maria Houben and Anthony Cheung, among others, and the String Quartet in Four Parts by Boulez’s contemporary John Cage.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This month
In Berlin

BOULEZ ENSEMBLE & MATTHIAS PINTSCHER

Sun, Mar 23, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Pintscher Matthias (Conductor), Boulez Ensemble (Ensemble)
A few days before Pierre Boulez’s 100th birthday, Matthias Pintscher and the Boulez Ensemble celebrate the composer, who passed away in 2016, with a perfor­ mance of sur Incises, his last major ensemble work. The program also includes Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp as well as Pintscher’s own beyond II (bridge over troubled water). Scored for the same combina­ tion of three instruments, it received its premiere as part of the digital Festival of New Music in the summer of 2020 and is now heard live at the Pierre Boulez Saal for the first time.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

CHRISTIANE KARG, MALCOLM MARTINEAU & HELMUT MOOSHAMMER

Thu, Apr 3, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Karg Christiane (Soprano), Martineau Malcolm (Piano), Mosshammer Helmut (Recitation)
Mignon, Ophelia, and Mary, Queen of Scots—these three towering figures of literature and history provide the inspiration for an evening of words and music created by Christiane Karg, Malcolm Martineau, and actor Helmut Mooshammer. In addition to Goethe settings by Beethoven, Schubert, Wolf, Duparc, and Josephine Lange and Ophelia songs by Brahms, Strauss, Chausson, and Wolfgang Rihm, the program also includes Robert Schumann’s Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart, the composer’s final vocal cycle written in 1852.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

FABIAN MÜLLER

Sun, Apr 6, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Müller Fabian (Piano)
When Fabian Müller made his Pierre Boulez Saal debut in January 2022, his memorable performance of Beethoven’s monumental “Hammerklavier” Sonata confirmed his reputation as one of the outstanding pianists of his generation. Now the ARD Competition winner, who was born in 1990 in Beethoven’s hometown of Bonn, takes on the challenge of presenting all the composer’s sonatas as a complete cycle. Dubbed the “New Testament” of piano music by Hans von Bülow— Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier was known as the “Old Testament”—the 32 works will be heard over the course of eight Sunday-afternoon concerts. Completing the individual programs are short pieces newly composed by Müller himself, in which he expresses his reflexions on Beethoven’s sonatas.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

KINAN AZMEH CITYBAND

Tue, Apr 8, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Kinan Azmeh CityBand (Band)
Syrian composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh brings his New York–based Kinan Azmeh CityBand back to the Pierre Boulez Saal. Crossing boundaries between styles and genres, between composition and improvisa­ tion, the quartet plays “music that is inspired by a multitude of traditions without being limited by any of them,” as Azmeh describes it. The concert is part of a German tour celebrating the release of the band’s new album Live in Berlin, recorded at the Pierre Boulez Saal in 2021.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

DANIEL SEPEC & IL ROSARIO

Tue, Apr 15, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Sepec Daniel (Violin), Perl Hille (Viol da Gamba), Santana Lee (Theorbo), Santana Lee (Archlute), Behringer Michael (Harpsichord), Behringer Michael (Organ)
Daniel Sepec has made a specialty of rarely heard Baroque violin repertoire—including Biber’s “Mystery” Sonatas, which he performed to great acclaim at the Pierre Boulez Saal last season. He now returns with another veritable discovery: joined by his longtime musical partners Hille Perl, Lee Santana, and Michael Behringer, Sepec presents violin sonatas by the almost entirely forgotten Italian composer Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli, written in 1660 while he served as court musician in Innsbruck. The program also includes works by his contemporaries Kapsberger, Bonnizzi, Schmelzer, and Biber.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

ELTERNZEIT CONCERT

Wed, Apr 16, 2025, 10:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Sepec Daniel (Violin), Perl Hille (Viol da Gamba), Santana Lee (Theorbo), Santana Lee (Archlute), Behringer Michael (Harpsichord), Behringer Michael (Organ)
“Parental Leave” concerts are aimed at all new mothers and fathers (as well as uncles, aunts, grand­ parents…) who would like to experience music together with their babies in a relaxed setting. The number of seats is limited, and all amenities to make your visit as pleasant as possible are provided in the lobby. These concerts, featuring Pierre Boulez Saal artists performing excerpts from their programs, are approximately 45 minutes long and intended exclusively for visitors with babies aged 12 months and younger.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

YULIANNA AVDEEVA

Tue, Apr 22, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Avdeeva Yulianna (Piano)
Again and again, the music of Johann Sebastian Bach served as a place of refuge for Dmitri Shostakovich— especially during those times when the threat of the repressive Soviet cultural bureaucracy was at its most immediate. With his 24 Preludes and Fugues, he left a towering document of this artistic relationship: written in the early 1950s, these pieces reflect the composer’s deepest personal experiences underneath their seemingly abstract surface. Yulianna Avdeeva, most recently heard at the Pierre Boulez Saal with works by Liszt and Beethoven, performs the monumental two­hour cycle in a single evening.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

ACADEMY CONCERT

Wed, Apr 23, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie (Ensemble)
In the popular series of Academy Concerts, students of the Barenboim­-Said Akademie introduce themselves to their audiences as part of their curriculum, performing repertoire they have been working on during their studies, in preparation for entering the international music scene. These one-hour chamber-music programs, which are particularly suitable for visits with school classes, will be announced at short notice.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

RAFAEL FINGERLOS & JOSEPH MIDDLETON

Thu, Apr 24, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Fingerlos Rafael (Bariton), Middleton Joseph (Piano)
In 2016, the composer Robert Fürstenthal died in San Diego, California, at the age of almost 100. After fleeing the Nazis and settling in the United States in 1939, he had a successful career as an accountant before returning to composition in the 1970s, writing music that evokes his hometown of Vienna. Rafael Fingerlos, who collaborated with the composer on the premiere recording of his songs shortly before Fürstenthal’s death, is joined by Joseph Middleton to present a selection of these works, juxtaposed with compositions by Max Bruch, Johannes Brahms, and Franz Schubert.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

QUATUOR DIOTIMA

Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Quatuor Diotima (String Quartet)
In honor of Kaija Saariaho, the leading Finnish composer of the 20th and 21st centuries who died in June 2023, Quatuor Diotima has chosen her Second String Quartet Terra Memoria as the centerpiece of its program. Written in 2006, the work is dedicated “to those departed” and their memory. The four musicians also perform music by Benjamin Britten and Arnold Schoenberg.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
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Next month
In Berlin

BERLIN STAATSKAPELLE STRING QUARTET

Sun, Apr 27, 2025, 18:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Berlin Staatskapelle String Quartet (String Quartet)
British composer Thomas Adès’s Arcadiana combines musical and non­musical influences—from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte to the paintings of Poussin and Watteau, to Greek mythology—to evoke paradisiacal scenes. In its second concert of the season, the Berlin Staatskapelle String Quartet performs the piece, written in 1994 and already considered a contemporary classic, alongside 19th­century quartets by Schubert and Beethoven.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
Next month
In Berlin

LEONIDAS KAVAKOS & ENRICO PACE

Tue, Apr 29, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Kavakos Leonidas (Violin), Pace Enrico (Piano)
Toward the end of his life, Franz Schubert composed one of his few great violin works, for a famous virtuoso of his time: the C-major Fantasy was intended for Josef Slavík, known as the “Bohemian Paganini.” Beethoven’s celebrated “Kreutzer” Sonata—named after its dedicatee, Rodolphe Kreutzer, even though he disliked the piece—had initially been written for George Bridgetower, a British violinist who was also the first to perform it—only to fall out with Beethoven shortly afterward. These two works are at the center of Leonidas Kavakos and Enrico Pace’s duo program, which also includes music by contemporary Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon. Please note there has been a slight change to the program as published in our printed season brochure.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI

Thu, May 1, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Makhathini Nduduzo (Piano), Makhathini Nduduzo (Vocals), Sørensen Jakob (Trumpet), Sørensen Jakob (Flugelhorn), Omagugu (Vocals), Ribstein Sophie (Harp), Pooe Tsepo (Cello), Ndlazi Dalisu (Double Bass), Perez Lukmil (Drums)
South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini presents the world premiere of A Return to Essence: Tuning into the Modalities of Humanness. A suite for jazz trio, trumpet, string quartet, and vocals, the piece explores aspects of “returning” to the essence and seeking that which humanity has forgotten. Taking a musical look at manifestations of violence, Makhathini’s work is an invitation to consider forgiveness as a path­ way to change and healing.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

FLEUR BARRON & KUNAL LAHIRY

Sat, May 3, 2025, 19:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Barron Fleur (Mezzo-Soprano), Lahiry Kunal (Piano)
In an extraordinary and highly personal program, mezzo­soprano Fleur Barron and pianist Kunal Lahiry explore the echoes of global colonial history in music and poetry. Artists who share dual Asian and Western heritages, they examine diverse perspectives of identity and belonging, repression and freedom, in both familiar and lesser­known works from the past 150 years.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

ELTERNZEIT CONCERT

Mon, May 5, 2025, 10:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Lahiry Kunal (Piano), Barron Fleur (Mezzo-Soprano)
“Parental Leave” concerts are aimed at all new mothers and fathers (as well as uncles, aunts, grand­ parents…) who would like to experience music together with their babies in a relaxed setting. The number of seats is limited, and all amenities to make your visit as pleasant as possible are provided in the lobby. These concerts, featuring Pierre Boulez Saal artists performing excerpts from their programs, are approximately 45 minutes long and intended exclusively for visitors with babies aged 12 months and younger.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

BAKR KHLEIFI

Wed, May 7, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Khleifi Bakr (Oud)
Last season, Palestinian oud virtuoso Bakr Khleifi thrilled Pierre Boulez Saal audiences in a duo with kamancheh player Misagh Joolaee. The Berlin­based artist now presents a new solo program of original com­ positions and improvisation that explores connections between the Arabic maqam tradition and musical forms of the European Baroque.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

ACADEMY CONCERT

Fri, May 9, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie (Ensemble)
In the popular series of Academy Concerts, students of the Barenboim­-Said Akademie introduce themselves to their audiences as part of their curriculum, performing repertoire they have been working on during their studies, in preparation for entering the international music scene. These one-hour chamber-music programs, which are particularly suitable for visits with school classes, will be announced at short notice.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

HEATH QUARTET

Sat, May 10, 2025, 19:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Heath Quartet (String Quartet)
Josef Suk’s close bond with his composition teacher Antonín Dvořák was not merely artistic—he was also his older colleague’s son­-in-­law. The Heath Quartet juxtaposes Dvořák’s String Quartet Op. 51, known as the “Slavonic” due to its many allusions to Czech folk music, with Suk’s meditation on an ancient chorale for Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. Written on the eve of World War I, the composition is a plea for peace and protection as well as an expression of new­ found Czech patriotism. Works by Benjamin Britten and Joseph Haydn complete the program.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

KIRILL GERSTEIN

Tue, May 13, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Gerstein Kirill (Piano)
Many composers in history have found inspiration in the fragile and mysterious world of plants and flowers. For his solo recital, Kirill Gerstein presents a diverse selection of piano works from three centuries by com­ posers ranging from Robert Schumann to Thomas Adès. Percy Grainger’s paraphrase of Tchaikovsky’s famous “Waltz of the Flowers” provides the link to Maurice Ravel’s La Valse and the Waltzes Toward Civilization by the young Spanish composer Francisco Coll.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

SOPHIE RENNERT & JOSEPH MIDDLETON

Thu, May 15, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Rennert Sophie (Mezzo-Soprano), Middleton Joseph (Piano)
On the operatic stage, Austrian mezzo­soprano Sophie Rennert is acclaimed for her portrayals of Baroque heroines—including her celebrated debut as Galatea in the staged production of Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo in November 2023 at the Pierre Boulez Saal. Together with pianist Joseph Middleton, she now gives voice to her other great passion: the lied repertoire. In addition to a selection of works by Franz Schubert, the duo performs Mahler’s moving Rückert Songs.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

FABIAN MÜLLER

Sun, May 18, 2025, 18:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Müller Fabian (Piano)
When Fabian Müller made his Pierre Boulez Saal debut in January 2022, his memorable performance of Beethoven’s monumental “Hammerklavier” Sonata confirmed his reputation as one of the outstanding pianists of his generation. Now the ARD Competition winner, who was born in 1990 in Beethoven’s hometown of Bonn, takes on the challenge of presenting all the composer’s sonatas as a complete cycle. Dubbed the “New Testament” of piano music by Hans von Bülow— Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier was known as the “Old Testament”—the 32 works will be heard over the course of eight Sunday-afternoon concerts. Completing the individual programs are short pieces newly composed by Müller himself, in which he expresses his reflexions on Beethoven’s sonatas.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

ESPERANZA SPALDING

Wed, May 21, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
spalding esperanza (Double Bass), spalding esperanza (Vocals), Antonio Brown Dance (Dance), Antonio Brown Dance (Choreography)
Bassist, singer, and composer esperanza spalding and her band join forces with the New York–based Antonio Brown Dance company to create the interdisciplinary collective Off Brand gOdds. Inspired by the idea to integrate dancing bodies with live jazz music, the pro­ gram features selections from spalding’s two most recent albums, 12 Little Spells and Songwrights Apothecary Lab, and improvisation­based choreography—transforming the Pierre Boulez Saal into a space for an immersive musical and physical performance.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

ACADEMY CONCERT

Thu, May 22, 2025, 16:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Students of the Barenboim-Said Akademie (Ensemble)
In the popular series of Academy Concerts, students of the Barenboim­-Said Akademie introduce themselves to their audiences as part of their curriculum, performing repertoire they have been working on during their studies, in preparation for entering the international music scene. These one-hour chamber-music programs, which are particularly suitable for visits with school classes, will be announced at short notice.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

ALINA IBRAGIMOVA, BEN GOLDSCHEIDER & MATTHEW HUNT

Fri, May 23, 2025, 19:30
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Ibragimova Alina (Violin), Mohamed Sindy (Viola), Castelló Álvaro (Viola), van der Heijden Laura (Cello), Hunt Matthew (Clarinet), Goldscheider Ben (French Horn), Várjon Dénes (Piano)
Joined by a group of acclaimed colleagues, violinist Alina Ibragimova, hornist Ben Goldscheider, and clarinetist Matthew Hunt perform a selection of color­ ful chamber music works featuring different combina­ tions of instruments. In addition to Mozart’s Horn Quintet and Bartók’s Contrasts, the program includes rarely heard sextets by Krzysztof Penderecki and Hungarian composer and pianist Ernst von Dohnányi.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)
Artistic depiction of the event
This season
In Berlin

LA FONTE MUSICA, MICHELE PASOTTI & ENRICO ONOFRI

Sat, May 24, 2025, 19:00
Pierre Boulez Saal (Berlin)
Pasotti Michele (Conductor), Pasotti Michele (Lute), La fonte musica (Ensemble), Onofri Enrico (Violin)
Though in partingI feel myself die,I will part happily again and again:For such is the joy of renewed lifeThat I feel upon returning. These lines from Cipriano de Rore’s most famous madrigal set the stage for the concert of Michele Pasotti and his ensemble La fonte musica. Having explored music of the 13th and 14th centuries in their previous Pierre Boulez Saal appearances, they now dedicate their program to the art of the 16th­century madrigal. Joined by violinist Enrico Onofri, who has contributed new compositions as a contemporary counterpoint, the musicians perform works by both famed and lesser­known composers of the High Renaissance that examine themes of parting, love, and death.
Info & Ticket (www.boulezsaal.de)