Hayato Sumino at at K-Arena, Yokohama

Hayato Sumino‘s historic sold-out performance at the K-Arena Yokohama on November 29, 2025, which earned a Guinness World Record for the most tickets sold for an indoor piano recital (18,564 tickets), featured a diverse, curated program bridging classical, original compositions, and experimental arrangements by Bach, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Cage and Kapustin.

Christmas Concert from Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Experience a musical highlight of the pre-christmas season in the heart of Vienna: the advent concert of the Wiener Symphoniker with chief conductor Petr Popelka in the beautiful St. Stephen’s Cathedral. In 2025, the focus will be on a “Bohemian Christmas” – with touching works by Antonín Dvorák, Bedrich Smetana, Josef Suk and others. You can look forward to special moments such as the enchanting “lullaby” from the opera Hubicka (“the kiss”), masterfully interpreted by Katerina Knežíková. Other top-class soloists of the evening: Stepánka Pucálková, Pavel Cernoch and Adam Plachetka. The crowning finale: the joint “O du fröhliche” – the unforgettable end to an evening full of magic and anticipation of christmas.

Bayreuth Festival 2025: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

The Bayreuth Festival’s annual new production is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the operatic calendar, and in 2025 Matthias Davids brings his experience as a multi-award-winning director of musical theatre to Wagner’s only mature comedy, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. This highly anticipated staging is matched by a superb musical line-up, with Daniele Gatti conducting an international cast including Georg Zeppenfeld as Hans Sachs, Michael Spyres as Walther von Stolzing and the young Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson as Eva. All in all, it promises to be a fresh and revitalizing take on this most inspiring of Wagner’s works, which asks fundamental questions about art, inspiration and what it means to be truly creative.

Die Zauberflöte

Mozart meets Hitchcock in this spooky interpretation of The Magic Flute in Vienna. With the aid of projections and stage elements by Falko Herold, director Barbora Horáková dreams up a cinematic, eerie setting full of references to famous horror flicks, creating “great suspense” (Kronenzeitung). At the podium, conductor Bertrand de Billy coaxes the most wonderful Mozart sounds from his musicians: “The orchestra manages something with Mozart that actually seems contradictory: the sound is both lush and wonderfully airy, however that works (…). The transparency and compelling tonal beauty alone make the visit worthwhile” (Kurier). The ensemble of singers leaves little to be desired, with Georg Zeppenfeld “reliably great” (Salzburger Nachrichten) as Sarastro, Ludwig Mittelhammer lending Papageno his “lovely baritone voice” (Kronenzeitung), Ilia Staple “witty” and “perfectly cast” as Papagena and Serena Saénz mastering her coloraturas as the Queen of the Night “with bravura” (News). Nevertheless, Slávka Zámecníková manages to excel above all: “The evening’s crowning glory was Slávka Zámecníková, who sang with her heart as she sang her Pamina: her soprano voice is full and refined, her phrasing beautiful and her expression undisguised” (Die Presse).

Don Giovanni

The beautiful, historic Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza is the ideal backdrop for this nostalgic production of Don Giovanni, conducted and directed by Iván Fischer. The settings for the opera emerge seamlessly from the beautiful architecture of the theatre as well as the young dancers of the Iván Fischer Opera Company who transform their bodies into buildings and furnishings. Andrè Schuen plays a sensual and charming Don Giovanni with a bold voice. Luca Pisaroni is an “outstanding” (FAZ) Leporello at his side: “The master-servant dynamic between the two has rarely been interpreted so beautifully” (Oper!). The sound from the pit is “clear, mellow and rich in dramatic accents (…) Thunderous applause!” (GDV). “Now that’s opera” (FAZ)

Parov Stelar plays Baloise Session

Parov Stelar is the pseudonym of the Austrian music producer, DJ and artist Marcus Füreder, who is considered one of the founders of electro swing. With his unique style, which combines elements of swing, jazz, house and electronic music, he has made a name for himself worldwide – both in clubs and on major festival stages. Since the early 2000s, Parov Stelar has been producing danceable tracks with a vintage flair and modern beats. His music is particularly known for its catchy brass riffs, driving rhythms and cinematic atmosphere . His biggest and best-known hits include: Booty Swing – a worldwide club hit that perfectly represents his signature electro-swing style. Catgroove – one of his most streamed songs, which achieved cult status through viral dance videos on the internet. All Night – a danceable hit with a soul influence, which was also used in commercials and TV shows. The Sun (feat. Graham Candy) – a melodic track with catchy tunes. Clap Your Hands – another energetic club favorite.

Pegasus play Baloise Session

Pegasus is a Swiss band from Biel/Bienne. Pegasus are one of the most successful pop bands in Switzerland. The band has already won several platinum and gold awards as well as three Swiss Music Awards and achieved numerous single hits and a one-and-a-half-year chart placement with the album Love & Gunfire. Pegasus has played live at major festivals and tours in Switzerland and as the support act for Hurts on their European tour as well as at festivals and club shows in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Dabu Fantastic play Baloise Session

“Ciao Baby, Ciao” is the name of Dabu Fantastic’s latest album, a powerful manifesto of personal transformations and an honest appeal for self-reflection. The band, known for their intelligent pop with a pinch of homeland, sparkles with joie de vivre and opens a fresh artistic chapter. But where does the story of Dabu Fantastic begin? Probably much earlier, but with the release of the album “Hallo Hund” in 2014, the lives of the two band founders Dabu Bucher and DJ Arts changed abruptly. They achieved their big breakthrough virtually overnight. Two years later, Dabu Fantastic reached the top of the Swiss charts with the hit “Angelina” and the accompanying album “Drinks” and finally made it to the front row of dialect bands. Despite anthems such as “Frisch Usem Ei” and “Jagge”, they were unable to maintain this commercial level with their follow-up “Schlaf Us”.