A European Symphony

It is often claimed that attending a concert is like a journey: as soon as the listeners have taken their seats in the auditorium, all they need to do is let their imagination drift to other realms. We tend to forget, however, that the artists of the evening have undertaken a real journey from their place of residence, or, in the case of an orchestra, from its home base. That might be London or Munich, Switzerland or the Italian opera metropolis – to mention the homes of only some of the most renowned orchestras appearing at the Philharmonie in 2025/26. The English capital is particularly well- represented this season, by no less than four orchestras: the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will give a total of five concerts, many of them featuring the violin repertoire.

We then cross the English Channel and the Rhine, alighting in Munich. The presence of the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester highlights the vibrant symphonic scene of the Bavarian capital. Another German orchestra travels from Saxony: the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and its Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä swap the canals of Amsterdam for the Red Bridge. Italy is represented by the chorus and orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala under the baton of their chief conductor Riccardo Chailly in two concerts, one of which is dedicated to opera choruses. Another Italian protagonist, Gianandrea Noseda, conducts the Orchester der Oper Zürich in Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem. The final leg of our armchair (or auditorium seat) journey takes us eastwards: the Czech Philharmonic opens its concert with a work by Antonín Dvořák which it premiered in 1896 under the composer’s own baton.