Festtage 2026

With Un ballo in maschera, Giuseppe Verdi, born in 1813, succeeded in creating a striking, impressive work combining intimate theater and “grand opéra,” with elements of bel canto and a strong dramatic pull. Broad overarching cantilenas and heightened expressivity also mark Richard Strauss’s Rosenkavalier, an inspired “comedy for music” that emerged around a half-century after Verdi’s tragic opera: both operas live from vividly rendered characters and scenarios. In terms of life history, between Verdi and Strauss is Johannes Brahms, who did not find his calling in opera, but in the realm of choral music in particular. His German Requiem from the 1860s is rightly considered a key work of the period and beyond. General music director Christian Thielemann will conduct this touching work, filled with solace of hope.