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At a time when art and culture sometimes seem to be losing public attention, Ludwig van Beethoven remains an exceptional figure: the opening of the “Fate Symphony” and the Ninth Symphony are familiar even to many people who otherwise have little connection with classical music.

When, at the fall of the Berlin Wall, “Freude, schöner Götterfunken” (“Ode to Joy”) was spontaneously transformed into “Freiheit, schöner Götterfunken” (“Ode to Freedom”), and when Beethoven’s vision of brotherhood continues to resound today as the European anthem on countless occasions, it becomes clear just how alive his utopian hope for universal love of humanity remains.

But how do we honour, on the 200th anniversary of his death, a humanist and visionary, a revolutionary spirit – the deaf titan Beethoven, who was admired by many of his contemporaries, yet at the same time could be unbearable to them in everyday life?

As the Beethoven Philharmonie, we feel a special commitment to his artistic legacy. We devote ourselves to his music with dedication, freshness and enthusiasm. Two of his earliest and rarely performed orchestral works – the “Piano Concerto No. 0” and the Music for a Ballet of Knights – mark the beginning of our Beethoven Year 2027.

We will present his epoch-making Fifth Symphony, his celebrated works for solo violin and his Second Piano Concerto alongside composers who had significant connections with Beethoven – as influences, contemporaries or even rivals.

We hope you will enjoy our varied musical journey through the Viennese Classical and Romantic repertoire – combining new discoveries with renewed encounters with world-famous masterpieces – and we look forward to sharing many more musical experiences with you.

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1st Symphony Concert
Wednesday, 7 October 2026, 7:30 pm

IM ABENDROT (AT SUNSET)

R. Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
R. Strauss: Four Last Songs (world premiere of the orchestral version by R. Dünser)
J. Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

Marysol Schalit, soprano
Benjamin Schmid, violin
Thomas Rösner, conductor

2nd Symphony Concert
Sunday, 15 November 2026, 6:00 pm

ECHOES OF THE MASTERS

M. Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
L. v. Beethoven: “Piano Concerto No. 0” in E-flat major, WoO 4
F. Schubert: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D 485

Zhen Chen, piano
Thomas Rösner, conductor

3rd Symphony Concert
Wednesday, 6 January 2027, 6:00 pm

DANCE INTO THE NEW YEAR

L. v. Beethoven: Overture “The Consecration of the House” in C major, Op. 124
Romances for Violin in F major and G major
Music for a Ballet of Knights, WoO 1
F. Schubert: Ballet Music Nos. 1 & 2 from Rosamunde
Johann Strauss: Overture to A Night in Venice
Where the Lemons Blossom, Waltz
Josef Strauss: Jockey Polka
Johann Strauss: The Doves of San Marco, Polka française
Lagoon Waltz
Furioso Polka

Yuki Serino, violin
Thomas Rösner, conductor

4th Symphony Concert
Thursday, 18 March 2027, 7:30 pm

MOZART’S SPIRIT

L. v. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19
W. A. Mozart: Piano Concerto in B-flat major, K. 595
Symphony in C major, K. 425, “Linz”

Martin Nöbauer, piano
Thomas Rösner, conductor

5th Symphony Concert
Tuesday, 22 June 2027, 7:30 pm

FATE

L. v. Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
L. Cherubini: Overture to Lodoïska
L. v. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Benjamin Herzl, violin
Thomas Rösner, conductor

Programme subject to change.