Repertoire Archive

Mozart: Requiem 
Mozart: Ouvertüre aus “Don Giovanni”
Mozart: Symphonie Nr. 38 “Prager”

Residenz-Solisten

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem in D Minor (K. 626) – Between Genius, Madness, and a Mysterious Commission

Mozart’s Requiem is his final work—and one of music history’s greatest mysteries. Few compositions are so entwined with legend as this Mass for the Dead, on which Mozart worked until his final hours in December 1791.

The “Gray Messenger” and a Dark Premonition
The story of its creation reads like a detective tale. One day, a mysterious, darkly dressed messenger arrives at Mozart’s door and anonymously commissions a Requiem. At the time, Mozart is already in frail health, and the secretive request begins to preoccupy him. He becomes obsessed with the idea that the messenger is a harbinger from the beyond, bringing news of his own death. “I am writing my own funeral song,” he is said to have remarked.
In reality, the enigmatic commissioner was Count Walsegg-Stuppach’s steward. The eccentric count often had works composed to pass off later as his own. He intended to acquire the Requiem under the same pretense.

An Unfinished Legacy
Mozart dies before completing the score. The Lacrimosa breaks off mid-composition. What he leaves behind is a fragment: the opening sections are fully orchestrated, but many later movements exist only as sketches or vocal lines.
Mozart’s widow, Constanze, now faced a dilemma: to secure the promised fee, the work had to be completed. She commissioned Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who worked closely with Mozart’s sketches and even copied portions of his handwriting. The additions were so convincing that the commissioner accepted them as part of the final work.

A Sound World of Eternity
Musically, the Requiem unfolds a dark, solemn soundscape. In the dramatic key of D minor, it becomes a work of extraordinary beauty and intensity—a musical threshold between human fear, judgment, and hope for redemption.

Overture to Don Giovanni

Mozart’s overture to Don Giovanni also begins in the ominous key of D minor. With massive, almost Dantean chords, the music immediately fills the space—an ominous prelude to the later appearance of the “Stone Guest.” This is followed by a restless, feverish Allegro, brimming with the opera’s demonic energy.The overture condenses all the elements that define the work: tragedy and comedy, menace and vitality. Mozart composed it under immense time pressure; tradition has it that he completed the score the night before the Prague premiere in 1787. During the night, Constanze kept him awake with stories and punch, and by morning the copyists had the freshly written parts. That evening, the orchestra had to play the complex piece almost sight-read.

A typical Mozart moment: genius racing against time.

Variable program

Every Saturday you can expect a special cultural hallmark in the Munich Residence troughout the year. The Residence Soloists are performing in the Court Chapel (Hofkapelle) The historical atmosphere of the court chapel in which also Mozart was performing concerts lets you get in touch with the music of old times. You will find weekly changing performances with masterpieces ranging from Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart.

Please notice: In summertimes the old court chapel is cool and in wintertimes it can be cold! Please wear warm clothes. 

Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B-flat Major, K. 191
Haydn: Symphony No. 73 in D Major “La Chasse”
Strauss II: Die Fledermaus – Overture
Strauss II: Voices of Spring – Waltz (Frühlingsstimmen)
Strauss II: The Blue Danube – Waltz (An der schönen blauen Donau)
Strauss II: “Tritsch-Tratsch” Polka, “Pizzicato” Polka & other Polkas

Kaspar Reh - Fagott & Residenz-Solisten

Vienna and Johann Strauss – An Evening of Viennese Waltz Magic
 

Step into the elegant world of old Vienna: in the magnificent Max-Joseph-Saal of the Munich Residenz, experience an evening of charm, joie de vivre and musical splendour.

As the royal chandeliers glow in the warm candlelight, the magnificent stucco of the historic hall shimmers and the first notes begin to sound, an atmosphere of truly enchanting elegance unfolds. For one evening, time seems to stand still – and Vienna, with all its unmistakable charm, comes vividly to life.

Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto opens the evening with classical elegance and sparkling virtuosity. It is followed by Haydn’s spirited Symphony “La chasse”, filled with hunting calls, rhythmic energy and delightful musical wit.

Then the stage belongs to the “Waltz King”, Johann Strauss: the sparkling “Die Fledermaus” Overture transports you straight into the glamorous world of Viennese operetta. With “Voices of Spring”, spring itself seems to arrive in a swirl of graceful melodies and lilting Viennese waltz rhythms.

And with “The Blue Danube”, Vienna is suddenly closer than ever: the world’s most famous waltz unfolds its incomparable elegance, conjuring images of imperial Vienna and the glittering social life of the Danube metropolis.

The evening concludes in exuberant Viennese style with “Tritsch-Tratsch” Polka, “Pizzicato Polka” and further spirited quick polkas – sparkling, virtuosic and infused with the playful wit that makes Johann Strauss’s music so irresistible.

An Evening in the Spirit of Vienna
 

Beneath glittering royal chandeliers and in the glow of candlelight, this concert becomes a truly special social occasion: festive classical music, Viennese joie de vivre and the magnificent atmosphere of the Munich Residenz come together in an evening of elegance, charm and esprit.

Let yourself be enchanted by Mozart, Haydn and the Waltz King Johann Strauss – and experience Vienna for an evening in the royal splendour of the Max-Joseph-Saal.

Variable program

Every Thursday and every Saturday you can expect a special cultural hallmark in the Munich Residence troughout the year. The Residence Soloists are performing in the Court Chapel (Hofkapelle) The historical atmosphere of the court chapel in which also Mozart was performing concerts lets you get in touch with the music of old times. You will find weekly changing performances with masterpieces ranging from Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart.

Please notice: In summertimes the old court chapel is cool and in wintertimes it can be cold! Please wear warm clothes. 

Variable program

Every Saturday you can expect a special cultural hallmark in the Munich Residence troughout the year. The Residence Soloists are performing in the Court Chapel (Hofkapelle) The historical atmosphere of the court chapel in which also Mozart was performing concerts lets you get in touch with the music of old times. You will find weekly changing performances with masterpieces ranging from Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart.

Please notice: In summertimes the old court chapel is cool and in wintertimes it can be cold! Please wear warm clothes. 

Bach: Präludium und Fuge E-dur 
Mozart: Sonate C-Dur K330 (2./3. Satz)
Haydn: Sonata As-Dur Hob.XVI:46 
Chopin: Ballade Nr.2 
Szymanowski: Variationen in B-Moll

Residenz-Solistin Uliana Pinaieva - Klavier

This concert series serves as a tribute to Mozart, who gave a concert with his sister Nannerl in Nymphenburg Palace with Elector Maximilian III when he was seven years old and this went down in history.

Variable program

Every Thursday and every Saturday you can expect a special cultural hallmark in the Munich Residence troughout the year. The Residence Soloists are performing in the Court Chapel (Hofkapelle) The historical atmosphere of the court chapel in which also Mozart was performing concerts lets you get in touch with the music of old times. You will find weekly changing performances with masterpieces ranging from Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart.

Please notice: In summertimes the old court chapel is cool and in wintertimes it can be cold! Please wear warm clothes. 

Mozart: Piano Concerto in B-flat Major, K. 595
Chopin: Polonaise
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Major
Grieg: Peer Gynt – Suite

Misora Ozaki - Piano & Residenz-Solisten
 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his final piano concerto—the Piano Concerto in B-flat Major, K. 595—in Vienna in January 1791. The music radiates lightness, serenity, and quiet elegance. At the premiere, Mozart himself sat at the fortepiano; it would be his last public appearance as a pianist. In the finale, a simple, almost song-like melody appears that Mozart later used in his song “Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling” (“Longing for Spring”), with the well-known opening words: “Komm, lieber Mai …” (“Come, dear May…”). There is a special magic in this music—a gentle farewell and at the same time a hopeful anticipation of renewal.

With his Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Ludwig van Beethoven brings fresh energy and bold colors into the concert hall. Even in this early work, the unmistakable spirit of the young composer becomes evident: elegant melodic lines combine with rhythmic vitality and surprising harmonic turns. The symphony sparkles with vitality and already hints at the creative power that would soon make Beethoven one of the greatest symphonists in the history of music.

A few decades later, Frédéric Chopin sits at a piano in a Parisian salon. Under his hands, the polonaise—once a courtly Polish dance—is transformed into a virtuosic and heroic concert piece. The famous Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op. 53 in particular unfolds monumental energy: powerful bass lines, brilliant chords, and a proud, driving rhythm. Contemporary accounts even suggest that Chopin, while composing, imagined armored riders before his eyes—an image that vividly reflects the heroic aura of this music.

The colorful conclusion of the evening is music from Edvard Grieg’s score to Peer Gynt, written for Henrik Ibsen’s famous play. From this work come two of the most beloved soundscapes in the Romantic orchestral repertoire: the lyrical “Morning Mood,” in which the sunrise unfolds in delicate woodwind lines, and the mysterious “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” whose music grows from a quiet motif into a thrilling orchestral whirlwind.

Thus, in the magnificent Cuvilliés Theatre, a musical arc unfolds—from classical elegance through Romantic virtuosity to the colorful imagination of Nordic sound. The result is a festive concert evening full of brilliance, emotion, and musical discovery.

Due to limited places, wheelcair seats can only booked through +49 89 2897 5597 manually.

Mozart: The Magic Flute – Overture
Mozart: A Little Night Music (Eine kleine Nachtmusik)
Strauss (son): Die Fledermaus – Overture
Strauss (son): The Hunt – Polka (Jagd-Polka)
Strauss (son): The Blue Danube – Waltz (An der schönen blauen Donau)
Strauss (son): “Tritsch-Tratsch” Polka, “Pizzicato” Polka & other Fast Polka

Residenz-Solisten
 

Johann Strauss – A Homage to the Mozart He Admired

Although Johann Strauss’s father himself was a famous composer, he was determined that his son should not become a musician. Instead, he sent the young Johann to the Polytechnic Institute so that he could pursue a respectable career as a bank clerk.

The plan did not succeed. Secretly, “Schani,” as Johann was called in the family, practiced the violin with the support of his mother. When his father once caught him playing music against his wishes, he reportedly even punished him physically. Yet rather than discouraging the boy, the incident only strengthened Johann’s determination to follow his own path. And that path clearly led toward music: according to family stories, he improvised his first waltz at the age of six.

Strauss often referred to Mozart as the “God of music,” emphasizing that Mozart’s clarity and melodic richness were, in his view, unsurpassed.

The musical parallels between Johann Strauss and Mozart can be heard especially in the lightness of their melodic writing, the clarity of formal structure, and the ambition to elevate entertainment music to a true concert level.

Strauss collected Mozart’s scores—not merely as collector’s items but as objects of study. Among them were The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. His brother Eduard later recalled that Johann often spent long nights studying Mozart’s scores in order to uncover “the secret of Mozartian clarity.” He even left small handwritten notes and cross-references to Mozartian themes in his own manuscripts.

In his stage works in particular, such as Die Fledermaus, Strauss was inspired by the dramatic structure of Mozart’s Figaro. The way ensemble scenes are constructed and the manner in which characters are shaped through musical motifs reflect Mozart’s lasting influence.

The best things come in small packages: With wonderful stucco works and crystal, chandeliers equipped Max's Joseph hall is for many a small pearl in the residence and forms the perfect frame for classical concerts. Just chamber music friends estimate the intimate character of the space.

Variable program

Every Saturday you can expect a special cultural hallmark in the Munich Residence troughout the year. The Residence Soloists are performing in the Court Chapel (Hofkapelle) The historical atmosphere of the court chapel in which also Mozart was performing concerts lets you get in touch with the music of old times. You will find weekly changing performances with masterpieces ranging from Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn and Mozart.

Please notice: In summertimes the old court chapel is cool and in wintertimes it can be cold! Please wear warm clothes.