Author: Andrea Kerner

The TV documentary about the “Times of Day” symphonies at Esterházy Palace, performed by Il Giardino Armonico under the direction of Giovanni Antonini, will be broadcast this coming Sunday on arte and will be available online until the end of July 2026.

More than 250 years after their premiere, Giovanni Antonini and his ensemble bring Haydn’s three “Times of Day” symphonies back to their original venue, the magnificent Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace. The documentary features the concert and explores Haydn’s life – a musical journey in which place, work, and musicians form a magical connection.

In addition to providing context for the music, the film also tells quirky stories about Haydn’s lost skull and sheds light on the working conditions of a young Kapellmeister at a princely court.

Sundy, 26 April 2026 at 5:35 p.m., arte 
HAYDN AT SCHLOSS ESTERHÁZY FEATURING IL GIARDINO ARMONICO
Il Giardino Armonico / Giovanni Antonini, conductor
J. Haydn: Symphony no. 6 in D major “Le Matin” / Symphony no. 7 in C major “Le Midi” / Symphony no. 8 in G major “Le Soir”

The first encounter between Sir Simon Rattle and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe took place under decidedly unfavorable circumstances — right in the middle of the pandemic. And there was an immediate spark between the ensemble and the legendary conductor. Very quickly, masks, social distancing, and testing did not disappear, but at least faded from awareness for the duration of the concert. What developed was an intense and highly productive artistic partnership, with regular concert tours across Europe. At the end of April, they set off once again, to perform works by Bartók, Busoni, and Brahms!

22 April 2026, Philharmonie Berlin / 23 April 2026, Philharmonie Essen / 26 April 2026, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg / 28 April 2026, Alte Oper Frankfurt
BARTÓK, BUSONI, BRAHMS
Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
B. Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz 106 / F. Busoni: Sarabande from: Two Studies for »Doctor Faust«, Op.  51 / J. Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, op. 98

The joint programs of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and René Jacobs are also renowned for offering truly exceptional concert experiences, especially when it comes to concertante performances of opera. Following internationally successful productions ranging like Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro or Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz, they now turn to Vivaldi’s Il Giustino. Premiered in Rome in 1724, the opera offers a musical adventure with its colorful orchestration and numerous references to other works and motifs by Vivaldi, while also addressing urgent questions of justice, power, and virtue that remain highly relevant today.

21 April 2026, DeSingel, Antwerpen
IL GIUSTINO
Christophe Dumaux, Giustino / Olivia Vermeulen, Anastasio / Kateryna Kasper, Arianna & La Fortuna / Robin Johannsen, Leocasta / Siyabonga Maqungo, Vitaliano / Kristina Hammarström, Andronico / Mark Milhofer, Amanzio / Francesc Ortega Martí, Polidarte / Freiburg Baroque Orchestra / René Jacobs, conductor
A. Vivaldi: Il Giustino, Dramma per musica in tre atti RV 717

Immediately following Classical:NEXT, part of the ARCC team will travel on to Tallin for this year’s IAMA Conference, the annual meeting point for international presenters, agencies, and music managers. The conference sessions will focus on topics such as touring, talent development and lifelong learning, new concert formats and opportunities for venues, changes in commissioning practices, and much more. Andreas Richter, Ina Holthaus and Michael Sauter look forward to connecting with colleagues from the international music community!

14 – 16 April 2026, Estonia National Concert Hall and Opera, Tallin
35th IAMA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND AUDIO CLASSIQUE
The 35th IAMA International Conference encorporating the 4th edition of Audio Classique

Lars Ulrik Mortensen, still one of the most inspiring musicians in early music, has found ideal partners in the musicians of Concerto Copenhagen for his spirit of experimentation in exploring the repertoire. In their program New Brandenburg Concertos, the orchestra and its musical director will present Johann Sebastian Bach’s six trio sonatas for organ at the Thüringer Bachwochen in a completely new, richly colored orchestration inspired by the Brandenburg Concertos. On the evening before, there will be a chamber music concert featuring works by Bach and some of his favorite students, including Johann Ludwig Krebs, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, as well as his sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.

9 & 10 April 2026, Thüringer Bachwochen
BACH’S BESTIES / NEW BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
Concerto Copenhagen / Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord & leader
Works by J. S. Bach, J. L. Krebs, J. G. Goldberg, C. F. Abel, P. Kirnberger, C. P. Emanuel & W. F. Bach // J. S. Bach: Triosonaten 1 – 6, BWV 525 – 2530, arr. by Antoine Torunczyk

After two successful editions in Berlin, the world’s largest international classical music conference is moving eastward: in mid-April, Classical:NEXT will take place in Budapest for the first time. Once again, the conference program offers a wide range of inspiring topics: new concert formats and audience development, digitalization and AI, change management and sustainability, and much more. Showcases will present a broad spectrum of outstanding artists and productions from genres – from early to contemporary, traditional to experimental – from around the world.

Since 2024, Andreas Richter has joined the organising GmbH as a partner and, together with the ARCC team, is responsible for the conference part of the event.

08 – 11 April 2026, Millenáris, Budapest Music Center, Liszt Academy
Classical:NEXT – THE GLOBAL GATHERING FOR ALL ART MUSIC PROFESSIONALS
Conference Sessions, Showcases, Meet Ups, Exhibition, Mentorings and more

We have a lot planned for the coming months! First and foremost, a series of wonderful concerts featuring: Lars Ulrik Mortensen & Concerto Copenhagen ✭ Chamber Orchestra of Europe & Simon Rattle ✭ Sarah Willis & The Sarahbanda ✭ Scharoun Ensemble ✭ Freiburger Barockorchester & René Jacobs ✭ Europa Galante & Fabio Biondi ✭ Finnish Baroque Orchestra ✭ Itamar Carmeli ✭ Phantasm Viol Consort

In addition, we will be traveling to Classical:NEXT in Budapest, the IAMA Conference in Tallin, and later in the year to the Festival Crete Senesi in Tuscany!

Concerto Copenhagen presents J. S. Bach’s six organ trio sonatas in a completely new, abundantly colourful orchestration, inspired by the Brandenburg Concertos. In close collaboration with the orchestra’s musicians and artistic director Lars Ulrik Mortensen, oboist Antoine Torunczyk has reimagined these works—with instruments such as the traverso, recorder, oboe d’amore, oboe da caccia, viola d’amore, natural horn, violoncello da spalla, and bassoon. The result is a sonic universe that renders Bach’s music both familiar and strikingly new.

26 March 2026, Internationales Bachfest Stuttgart
NEW BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
Concerto Copenhagen / Lars Ulrik Mortensen, conductor
J. S. Bach: Trio sonatas 1 – 6, BWV 525 – 2530, arr. Antoine Torunczyk

In March, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe is invited to Athens, where it will perform Beethoven’s piano concertos over two days with Kirill Gerstein. What makes this two-day residency particularly special is that Gerstein is including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 0 in the cycle. Before there was a “No. 1,” there was effectively a “No. 0,” written by the young Beethoven around 1785, at the age of 13 or 14. This work predates his officially numbered piano concertos and clearly shows the influence of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was never published during Beethoven’s lifetime, and he himself did not assign it a number. It was only published posthumously in the catalogue as WoO 4 (“Werk ohne Opuszahl” — work without opus number).

For the COE, the performance of this partially surviving work marks a premiere.

18 & 19 March 2026, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall
BEETHOVEN PIANO CYCLE
Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Kirill Gerstein, piano & leader
L. v. Beethoven: Piano concertos 1 – 5, WoO 4.