20 and 21 October 2026: Diana Damrau at the Staatskapelle Berlin’s Symphoniekonzert II, conducted by Christian Thielemann, featuring works by Richard Strauss

Press release of 6 October 2026

With Symphoniekonzert II – on 20 October at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and on 21 October at the Philharmonie – the Staatskapelle Berlin and Principal Conductor Christian Thielemann continue their series of major orchestral concerts for the 2026/27 season. On 19 October, young people under the age of 30 will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the programme at a public dress rehearsal and gain a first-hand insight into Christian Thielemann’s rehearsal work with the Staatskapelle Berlin. The programme features works by Richard Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder with soprano Diana Damrau, and Eine Alpensinfonie, Op. 64. Both works exemplify the special affinity that Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin have with Richard Strauss’s expressive, sonically intense and technically demanding music, whilst also opening up two very different worlds of sound and expression – ranging from an intimate exploration of the themes of transience and farewell to an overwhelming musical depiction of a mountain hike featuring many striking episodes.

Vier letzte Lieder form part of the intensive and cyclical exploration by Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin of all of Richard Strauss’s orchestral songs, which began in 2024 and is set to continue. The concert on 20 October at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden will be broadcast live on radio3 by rbb.

From his early youth, Richard Strauss devoted himself intensively to the song as an artform, initially in the combination of voice and piano, and from the 1890s onwards also in the form of songs with orchestral accompaniment. Among his final compositions are the Vier letzte Lieder, completed in 1948, which revolve around the great themes of life and death. A powerful impact unfolds in the sensitively balanced interplay between words and music. Strauss’s finely nuanced instrumentation and the sweeping vocal line combine to create music of great personal and moving intensity. Diana Damrau, one of the world’s leading sopranos, performs this exceptional song cycle.

With Eine Alpensinfonie, which premiered in 1915, Strauss ended his unique series of tone poems, through which he continued the tradition of programme music and symphonic poems, taking it to new heights. The work depicts a musical journey through the high mountains – from early morning into the night, from sunrise through the ascent and the exhilaration of reaching the summit to moments of danger and the powerful onset of a thunderstorm. In doing so, Strauss unfolds an opulent, multi-layered soundscape in which the capabilities of the large orchestra are impressively showcased.

The Berlin concerts mark the start of a series of further Strauss performances with Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Berlin. On 1 November 2026, the orchestra will perform the same programme as a guest ensemble at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, with Camilla Nylund as soloist in the Vier letzte Lieder. The programme will subsequently be presented – alongside other concert programmes – in the same line-up during the Asian tour of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and the Staatskapelle Berlin with Christian Thielemann in November.

Symphoniekonzert II

Tuesday, 20 October 2026, 7.00 pm | Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Wednesday, 21 October 2026, 8.00 pm | Berlin Philharmonie – Great Hall

The pre-concert talk on 20 October will take place 45 minutes before the performance begins in the Apollosaal at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

The pre-concert talk on 21 October will take place 45 minutes before the performance begins in the South Foyer of the Great Hall at the Berlin Philharmonie.

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Public dress rehearsal for everyone under 30

Monday, 19 October 2026 at 6.00 pm | Staatsoper Unter den Linden

With a preview of the music, the composer and the performers at 5.15 pm in the Apollosaal.

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Enquiries regarding press tickets should be directed to pressoffice@staatsoper-berlin.de, stating the nature of the editorial assignment.

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden would like to thank the Friends and Patrons of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Board of Trustees of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partner, BMW, for their support.