2025/26 season: Berlin Philharmonic presents spectacular new discovery

The secret of the Philharmonic's programs lies in the combination of old and new. Andrea Zietzschmann, the artistic director of the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, told the Berliner Zeitung about the upcoming program: "We have chosen the theme 'Controversial!' for this season. It's about discussions and debates in music history. Looking back today, you think everything was homogenous and friendly. But there have always been huge battles, for example between Brahms and Liszt or Debussy and Schoenberg. There have been many debates in music history, and we want to take our audience along on that journey." Zietzschmann: "We try to create a good mix of our repertoire – Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Strauss, Bruckner – with certain small challenges for our audience."

Zietzschmann has achieved a real coup in this regard. In February, the Philharmonic Orchestra under Paavo Järvi will perform Hans Rott's Symphony in E major. This far too rarely performed work is one of the most important works of Viennese late Romanticism. Gustav Mahler allegedly drew on Rott's work for his first symphony, a claim Mahler always denied. Rott was Anton Bruckner's favorite pupil and was considered the most talented of all young composers on the Viennese scene at the time. Unfortunately, a mental illness prevented the full development of his artistic genius.

His only symphony testifies to the incredible sounds possible within the confines of tonality. Rott died tragically at the age of 26. The E major Symphony should really be part of the standard program. It is a great credit to Artistic Director Zietzschmann that she succeeded in convincing the Berlin Philharmonic to rehearse this work. Zietzschmann and Järvi had already discovered the symphony for Frankfurt am Main.

The upcoming season will once again bring major conductors to Berlin, including Herbert Blomstedt, Gustavo Dudamel, and Andris Nelsons. Emmanuelle Haim will perform Lully and Rameau with the Philharmonic. A tribute will be dedicated to Jordi Savall, who will make his debut as conductor of the Philharmonic. Zietzschmann says: "Of course, we have a who's who of conductors on board." This applies especially to the Philharmonic's conductor. Zietzschmann: "Kirill Petrenko shapes our repertoire and thus the season. We always sit down with him first at the planning table; he has certain lines he wants to continue, such as Brahms's First Symphony, in his intensive exploration of Zimmermann's Oboe Concerto. Continuing his work with Mahler, there's the Eighth Symphony, which will be played again after 15 years. A certain rarity is Scriabin's Third, paired with Brahms' Violin Concerto, played by Janine Jansen, our highly esteemed Artist in Residence."

Opera will also play an important role again, says Andrea Zietzschmann: "Our return to Salzburg, where we're performing the Ring, is exciting. There will be a concert performance of each of these in Berlin, starting with 'Rheingold'." The artistic director continues: "We're currently experiencing with Kirill Petrenko, with whom we do more opera than with other conductors, how magnificent opera is as an experience for the orchestra. In terms of interplay, listening together, and flexibility, staged opera performances are absolutely formative. It was always something special for our orchestra to perform an opera in the pit, and at its own festival."

One big name is missing from the upcoming season: The new General Music Director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden will not be performing with the Philharmonic due to a busy schedule, as the artistic director explains: "We are always delighted to have Christian Thielemann, but it wasn't possible this season. He is extremely booked, and now he has commitments at the Staatsoper on top of that."