Augustin Hadelich, renowned as one of the foremost violinists of his generation, takes the stage of the Salzburg Festival with conductor Christian Thielemann, as part of the Wiener Philharmoniker’s Brahms Cycle. The concert begins with Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, a masterpiece that combines lyrical warmth with a symphonic scale, requiring a delicate balance of poetic intimacy and heroic command. These are qualities that Hadelich possesses in rare abundance, allowing him to interpret the piece with exceptional depth and sensitivity. Brahms’s monumental First Symphony in C minor represents Brahms’s hard-won triumph over the daunting legacy of Beethoven, skillfully transitioning from a mood of brooding darkness to a radiant, hymn-like finale that is celebrated for its unforgettable expressive depth and emotional resonance. PROGRAM: Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major; Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor
Salzburg Festival 2026: Lang Lang, Sokhiev and the Wiener Philharmoniker
ang Lang, one of the most celebrated pianists of our time, joins forces with the Wiener Philharmoniker under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev for an evening of extraordinary orchestral colour and virtuosity. The programme opens with Ravel’s effervescent Piano Concerto in G major — a work whose jazz-inflected brilliance and lyrical slow movement offer the ideal canvas for Lang Lang’s dazzling technique and poetic sensitivity. After the interval, Sokhiev leads the Wiener Philharmoniker through two masterpieces of orchestral imagination: Debussy’s shimmering triptych La Mer, with its luminous evocations of the sea in all its moods, followed by Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet suite — assembled by Sokhiev himself — whose dramatic sweep and heartbreaking tenderness bring Shakespeare’s tragedy vividly to life in sound. PROGRAM: Ravel: Piano Concerto in G majo; Debussy: La Mer; Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet
Hayato Sumino at Rheingau Musik Festival
He is currently revolutioning the classical music world with his brilliant playing and progressive, cross-genre approach to music: as a phenomenon at the piano, Hayato Sumino has been appointed as 2026 Artist in Residence Rheingau Musik Festival. He kicks off his residency as a soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, performing in the impressive Friedrich von Thiersch Hall of the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. Joining him on stage will be the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and its principal conductor Alain Altinoglu. In addition to Rachmaninoff, the programme also includes Borodin’s spirited Polovtsian Dances and Elgar’s mysterious Enigma Variations, which transport the audience to a late Romantic era full of sumptuous melodies and orchestral passion. PROGRAM Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No 2; Elgar: Enigma Variations; Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
Eric Lu and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Eric Lu, winner of the First Prize and Gold Medal at the 2025 Chopin International Competition in Warsaw, joins the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra for a riveting performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, led by the acclaimed conductor Ryan Bancroft. In contrast with Beethoven’s daring harmonies, the program is completed by the shimmering colors of Stravinsky’s The Nightingale, a dazzling, fairytaleinspired work that blends lyricism with orchestral brilliance. With such a powerful pairing of classic and modern genius, this concert is set to be a thrilling journey through contrasting sound worlds – one not to be missed.
Le Concert de Paris 2026
It is now a well-established tradition: every year, on the French National Day, France welcomes the summer with a large musical gathering at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with stunning fireworks! Conducted by Daniel Harding, and accompanied by the Chorus of Radio France, the orchestra invites the audience around the world and thousands of people on the spot, to experience great arias and famous concert pieces. For this year‘s edition of the Concert de Paris, we welcome Hayato Sumino, Daniel Lozakovich, Corinne Winters, Marina Viotti, Jakub Jozef Orlinski, Farrah El Dibany, Gautier Capucon, Lawrence Brownlee, Adélaïde Ferrière and Masaya Kamei.
Andris Nelsons conducts Mahler 3
Among the most powerful works by Gustav Mahler and one of the longest symphonies of the Romantic period, the Symphony No. 3 is performed by Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmoniker as part of their Mahler cycle. The composer’s intention to create a musical reflection of the world is perfectly caught by Nelsons, who shapes the work’s immense forces into a compelling narrative, from primordial darkness to transcendent affirmation. With Violeta Urmana as soloist, the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor, the performance unfolds with luminous transparency and emotional depth. “A melancholic giant, unleashed” (Der Standard)
Program: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3
Rachlin conducts Tchaikovsky
Young, Russian, world class: the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra (RNYSO), under the direction of Julian Rachlin and with Denis Matsuev as soloist, made the first guest appearance in the Wiener Musikverein. On the programme are masterpieces by Tchaikovsky: his First Piano Concerto and his Fifth Symphony. Emerging from an all-Russian competition for young talents in 2018, the RNYSO unites 100 outstanding Russian musical talents from 28 cities. In its first season, the RNYSO gave over 40 concerts in Russia. PROGRAM Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphony No. 5, Méditation, Op. 72/5, The Nutcracker: Trepak / Danse Russe
Thielemann conducts Bruckner No. 2
For the very first time in its history, the Wiener Philharmoniker are performing a complete Bruckner cycle with worlwide renowned Bruckner expert Christian Thielemann at the podium. The second symphony is part of this large-scale Bruckner Cycle, which extends to the composer‘s 200th birthday in 2024, performed at Vienna’s beautiful Musikverein. The orchestra, which premiered four of the nine Bruckner symphonies, is more familiar with this music than any other ensemble. Bruckner’s powerful and sonically grandiose symphonies never cease to amaze. For the performance of the second symphony the press was full of praise: With the Wiener Philharmoniker, Thielemann creates a “combination of formal perfection, stringency and nuances, complemented by wonderful wind solos” (Wiener Zeitung).
Blomstedt conducts Beethoven and Nielsen
Since his time as chief conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester between 1998 and 2005, Herbert Blomstedt – now its honorary conductor – has returned to Leipzig every year to conduct one or more always celebrated concerts. In 2015, he conducted Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 in three sold-out concerts at the Gewandhaus. The combination of these two symphonies was also one of the first concerts Blomstedt conducted during his time in Leipzig, even then bringing the people in the audience to their feet and making them discover the music of Danish composer Carl Nielsen, whose works – until then – had only been rarely played in German concert halls. In 2015, 150 years after Nielsen’s birth, the combination and juxtaposition of his Third with Beethoven’s Seventh was again a big success.
The Prokofiev Marathon
This suite of five concerts at Munich’s Philharmonic Hall performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra and several soloists, forms part of the MPhil 360° Festival. The MPhil 360° Festival is a new festival which marks the beginning of Valery Gergiev’s collaboration with the Munich Philharmonics. Core of the program of the festival’s first edition are the five piano concertos of Prokofiev which enter into a dialogue with history and modern age. All of Prokofiev’s piano concertos are complemented by works of the German musical literature. Such a compilation appeals to the audience – the press raved: “The interpretations [of the five piano concertos] were so different, that an extremely enlightening portrait of Prokofiev came off“, not least “the new maestro was shining with the Munich Philharmonics” (SZ).