Festive Concerts in the Cuvilliés-Theater

Bach: Adagio from the Easter Oratorio
Mozart: Symphony No. 31 in D major (“Paris”) 
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) — Allegro – “Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the countryside” — Andante – “Scene by the brook”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”)

Chanwon Park – Piano & Residenz-Solisten 

An exclusive evening at the Cuvilliés Theatre:
For the Easter season, connoisseurs and lovers of refined musical culture gather for a festive concert of exceptional calibre in one of Europe’s most beautiful Rococo theatres, the Cuvilliés Theatre.

The evening opens with the Adagio from the Easter Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach. Gentle and sustained, the music unfolds like the first breath of a spring morning coming to life. The sound of the solo oboe and the delicate lines of the strings seem to permeate the space itself – devotion cast into sound, austere yet deeply moving.

Next follows the Symphony No. 31 in D major, the “Paris” Symphony, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, radiating effortless elegance. Lightness and refinement intertwine: sparkling motifs and unexpected turns reveal Mozart as a cosmopolitan architect of sound, uniting French grandeur with Viennese finesse into a glittering whole.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 – Allegro and Andante – transports the listener into the idyllic world of nature. Joyful feelings, murmuring streams, birdsong and wandering footsteps: the music becomes an experience of space and colour. Every phrase breathes life, every turn reveals Beethoven’s incomparable ability to transform landscape and emotion into orchestral sound, opening a poetic realm of calm, stillness and contemplative beauty.

There are concerts that are not merely performed but truly experienced. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, the “Emperor”, interpreted by Chanwon Park, is one of them. From the very first chord a majestic panorama unfolds: the piano advances, the orchestra responds like a royal court, and every note seems to demand freedom.

In the Andante, the soul suddenly opens: tender melodies, reflective and intimate – a fleeting glimpse behind the myth of Beethoven. Then the finale bursts forth in triumphant brilliance, a firework of rhythm, virtuosity and joie de vivre that fills the hall with breathless excitement.

Whoever hears the “Emperor” senses it immediately: this is music greater than time and space – a personal triumph of humanity, expressed through notes.

Thus the Easter Festive Concert at the Cuvilliés Theatre unfolds with clear dramatic shape: from Bach’s contemplative devotion through Mozart’s cosmopolitan elegance and Beethoven’s experience of nature and humanity, culminating in the radiant triumph of the “Emperor”. ?

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C major

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture from The Magic Flute

Chaewon Kim – piano
& Residenz-Solisten

An evening full of highlights from the Viennese Classical era awaits the audience in the magnificent Cuvilliés Theatre. The programme brings together Beethoven’s subtle inner dialogue with Mozart’s majestic symphonic brilliance.

The festive opening is set by the overture from The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It begins with a blend of ceremonial energy and mysterious tension, preparing the listener for the colourful yet profound world of the opera.

In Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major by Ludwig van Beethoven, the piano does not appear as a brilliant soloist alone but as a sensitive partner to the accompanying ensemble. The first movement opens unusually: the piano begins quietly and reflectively, gradually inviting the orchestra into its dialogue. The second movement unfolds in a lyrical, almost song-like mood, before the lively third-movement rondo lifts the listener with brightness and energy, releasing them from the calm of the middle sections.

Next comes Symphony No. 41 in C major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart’s last and greatest symphony. With monumental clarity and a stunning balance of grandeur and delicate detail, it is at once majestic and playful. The final movement, in which five themes are intricately interwoven, showcases Mozart’s genius in contrapuntal mastery and allows the audience to experience the pure joy and lightness of Viennese Classicism.

An evening celebrating classical music in all its radiance, elegance, and vitality – a feast for both eyes and ears alike.

Verdi: Overture from La Traviata
Chopin: Piano Concerto in F minor
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Suite
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”

Efe Şen – piano
Residenz Soloists

An Evening of Romantic Masterpieces

The program brings together some of the most evocative works of the Romantic era, each filled with lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and vivid storytelling.

Frédéric Chopin – Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor

Frédéric Chopin composed his Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor in 1829 at the age of only nineteen in Warsaw, shortly before leaving his Polish homeland forever. The work stands as a milestone of the Romantic piano repertoire, celebrated for its emotional depth and dazzling pianistic brilliance.

In this concerto we encounter a new and groundbreaking sound world: an individual harmonic language, extraordinary melodic inventiveness, and a deeply personal sense of beauty. Chopin weaves together a wide range of moods and emotions—from poetic introspection to radiant virtuosity—creating a work that reveals both the youthful passion and the refined sensitivity of the composer.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy – A Midsummer Night’s Dream Suite, Op. 61

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s suite from A Midsummer Night’s Dream leads the listener into a magical world of fluttering fairies, nocturnal confusions, and poetic enchantment. Inspired by Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, the music paints a shimmering sonic landscape with silvery lines and sparkling rhythms, capturing a sense of airy lightness and fantasy.

Yet beneath its delicate charm lies a touch of Romantic irony, as though one were listening to a dream that slowly dissolves with the first light of dawn.

Franz Schubert – Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”

Franz Schubert, still a young man, writes feverishly, filling page after page with music. He is working on a symphony that will push the boundaries of its time. But after two movements and only a few measures of a third, he suddenly lays down his pen—and never returns to complete the work.

Why? This silence remains one of the most fascinating mysteries in music history.

For more than forty years the world knew nothing of this extraordinary music. The manuscript lay forgotten in a drawer belonging to Schubert’s friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner in Graz. Only in 1865—long after Schubert’s death—was it rediscovered and finally performed. When the audience in Vienna first heard the opening bars, it became immediately clear that this was no mere fragment, but a masterpiece.

An evening that brings classical masterworks vividly to life—filled with small stories, profound emotions, and unforgettable musical moments. ?

Rossini: Overture from La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie)
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin: Summertime
Mozart: Piano Concerto KV 449
Dvořák: From the New World Suite

Charles Berofsky – piano
Residenz Soloists

From Baroque Mischief to Jazz Rhythms

The evening begins with a flourish in Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra. From the very first notes, a whirling drumroll signals that this is no ordinary drama, but a turbulent story about a magpie who steals silver spoons. Rossini was the embodiment of genius under pressure. Legend has it that the opera director locked him in a room the day before the premiere, guarded by four stagehands tasked with immediately throwing each finished page out the window to the copyist. Had Rossini not delivered, they might have thrown him after it!

We then return to the elegance of Viennese Classicism with Mozart’s Piano Concerto KV 449. This concerto marks a turning point in Mozart’s compositional career: it is the first work he entered into his own, now-famous catalog. Brimming with rhythmic energy, it demonstrates Mozart at the height of his artistic independence. He composed the concerto for his favorite student, Barbara Ployer, and famously noted in his diary that he even taught his pet starling the theme of the finale. The bird, however, added its own rhythmic twist—a detail that amused Mozart greatly.

In Dvořák’s From the New World Suite, Bohemian soul meets the bustling sounds of New York. Longing for home alternates with motifs inspired by Native American melodies, and the suite concludes with a virtuosic Bohemian dance, blending nostalgia with the energy of the New World.

The evening takes a final leap across the Atlantic with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Here, classical structure merges with the playful spirit of jazz to create a new American sound. The famous ascending glissando at the opening serves as a 20th-century wake-up call. Anecdotally, Gershwin learned of the commission only from a newspaper: his brother Ira had read the announcement. George had forgotten that he had agreed to write the piece and composed this masterpiece in just five weeks, inspired by the rhythmic clatter of a train ride to Boston.

Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni
Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor “Fate” – Allegro con brio
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major
Dvořák: From the New World – Suite

Residence Soloists
 

In the golden shimmer of the Rococo Cuvilliés Theatre, the evening begins with a musical thunderclap. The overture to Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart bursts into the hall with those Dantean, shattering chords that foreshadow the ominous appearance of the “Stone Guest,” before plunging into a restless, almost demonic Allegro. In just a few minutes, it captures the entire dramatic spectrum of the opera, balancing tragedy and comedy with remarkable intensity.

Mozart was also a master of working under pressure. Legend has it that he wrote the overture during the night before the premiere in Prague in 1787, while his wife Constanze kept him awake with punch and stories. The copyists received the score only the next morning, and the orchestra had to perform the demanding piece that very evening almost straight from the page.

The first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in C minor follows with what is perhaps the most famous musical motif in history: the iconic four-note figure that dominates the entire movement. From this tiny musical cell grows a vast surge of sound, charged with extraordinary tension and energy. The nickname “Fate Symphony” is said to come from Beethoven’s secretary Anton Schindler, who claimed that Beethoven described the opening motif with the words: “Thus fate knocks at the door.” Ironically, the premiere in 1808 was something of a disaster: the audience shivered in the unheated Theater an der Wien, and the orchestra struggled through an exhausting program that lasted nearly four hours.

Quite different in character is Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto in G major, one of the most poetic and introspective works of his output. Instead of beginning with a powerful orchestral statement, the concerto opens quietly and unexpectedly: the piano alone introduces gentle, lyrical chords, as if the music were emerging from a private thought. Only afterwards does the orchestra respond, reversing the traditional relationship between soloist and ensemble. At the premiere Beethoven himself played the solo part, although his hearing was already severely deteriorating; it would be his final appearance as a soloist with orchestra. Contemporary accounts describe how he played with such physical intensity that he knocked the candleholders off the piano during an expansive gesture. Choirboys rushed in to hold the candles, only to be pushed aside again at the next entrance, provoking laughter in the audience. Beethoven, however, reacted angrily: after only a few bars he stopped the orchestra and began the movement again from the start.

The program concludes with music by Antonín Dvořák from his famous Symphony No. 9 “From the New World.” Composed during his time in the United States in the 1890s, the work reflects Dvořák’s fascination with the sounds and musical traditions he encountered there, from African American spirituals to Native American melodies. Yet the symphony also carries a deep sense of homesickness for his native Bohemia. The suite drawn from this symphony highlights some of its most memorable moments: expansive melodies, vibrant rhythms, and the famous Largo with its hauntingly beautiful English horn solo.

Together these works form a concert rich not only in musical brilliance but also in stories: of overnight inspiration, chaotic premieres, and the passionate temperament of some of history’s greatest composers.

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

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: Don Giovanni – Overture
Mozart: Symphony No. 38 “Prague”
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Dvořák: “From the New World” – Suite

Residenz-Solisten
 

Gala Concert at the Cuvilliés Theatre – A Musical VIP Experience

The very room tells a story: the golden Rococo of the Cuvilliés Theatre, once the stage for courtly celebrations and grand opera evenings. In this intimate jewel, the concert evening begins with one of the most famous overtures in music history.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Overture to Don Giovanni

Dark D minor, powerful chords – like the sudden lifting of a curtain. The music floods the hall with almost ominous force, announcing the “Stone Guest,” the mysterious figure who will pass judgment on the seducer at the opera’s end. But almost as soon as this shadow appears, a feverish Allegro erupts: restless, sparkling, full of dramatic energy. In just a few minutes, the entire world of Don Giovanni unfolds: tragedy and comedy, menace and zest for life.
The creation of this piece belongs to the legendary moments of music history. For the Prague premiere in 1787, Mozart composed the overture only the night before. While he worked, his wife Constanze kept him awake with stories and punch. By morning, the score was hastily copied – and that evening the orchestra performed this highly complex work almost entirely at sight. A risky undertaking, yet it became a triumphant opening to the opera.

Mozart – Symphony No. 38 “Prague”

The so-called Prague Symphony is closely linked to Mozart’s special relationship with the city. There, he was celebrated with an enthusiasm rarely experienced in reserved Vienna. “My Praguers understand me,” he is said to have remarked.
Composed in 1787, the symphony reflects this mutual admiration. It omits the customary minuet, consisting of only three movements – unusual for its time. Instead, Mozart unfolds a rich contrapuntal structure and challenges the wind players with exceptional virtuosity. The musicians in Prague were considered the best in Europe, and Mozart composed for them with palpable joy in the challenge. The result is a symphony of brilliant elegance, dramatic energy, and vibrant orchestral color.

Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor

Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto opens a new musical world. The key of C minor – the same in which his famous Fifth Symphony would later appear – lends the work a special dramatic intensity. Tension, passion, and almost heroic energy shape this concerto, which premiered in Vienna in 1803.
Here too, an anecdote gives a nearly cinematic image of the evening. Beethoven played the solo part himself but had scarcely found time to fully write down the score. His friend Ignaz von Seyfried, who was to turn the pages, looked at sheets mostly blank – only here and there cryptic marks served as reminders for the composer. While Seyfried nervously tried to keep up, Beethoven performed the concerto from memory with complete confidence.

A program that unites three facets of the Viennese Classical style: Mozart’s dramatic operatic world, his brilliant symphonic writing, and Beethoven’s passionate, forward-looking sound language. An evening that combines history, virtuosity, and emotion in a uniquely atmospheric setting

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

Mozart: Overture from Don Giovanni

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”

Fuyin Liu – Piano & Resident Soloists

The Prague night of 1787 trembled with expectation as the musicians of the National Theatre laid the still-damp, hastily copied sheets of the Don Giovanni overture on their stands. Mozart had only completed the score in the early hours, while his wife Constanze kept him awake with punch and ghost stories—a feat of genius dictated by time itself.

A far more thunderous historical backdrop surrounds Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto, the heroic work in E-flat major forged in 1809 amid the roar of Napoleon’s cannons during the siege of Vienna. It is pure historical paradox: as French artillery shook the city walls and the aristocracy fled in panic, Beethoven, already struggling with profound hearing loss, sought refuge in his brother’s cellar. The name “Emperor,” bestowed by posterity, is an ironic twist: Beethoven did not compose a hymn to the advancing conqueror, but rather erected an unshakable architecture of the human spirit against the destruction outside. In a city that smelled of gunpowder and where fear dictated daily life, he created sounds of imperial vastness, lifting the individual above the chaos of war.

This spirit of resistance to tyranny had already shaped his Third Symphony, the Eroica—a turning point where Viennese Classicism finally shattered its fragile porcelain. Vienna was then a crucible of political hope, eyes fixed on Paris, where a young general named Bonaparte toppled the old order. Beethoven initially saw him as the living embodiment of Enlightenment ideals—until the news of Napoleon’s self-coronation in May 1804 seeped like poison into his vision. The moment when Beethoven erased the dedication on the title page with such force that the paper tore is more than a biographical anecdote—it is the symbol of music discovering its political conscience. In the torn fibers of the manuscript, one can sense the shock of an entire generation, forced to confront that its dreams of freedom had been buried in the mud of the battlefield.

J.S. Bach: H-Moll Ouvertüre
J.S. Bach: 5. Brandenburgisches Konzert
Vivaldi: „Der Winter” aus „Die vier Jahreszeiten“
Corelli: Weihnachtskonzert
Händel: Concerto grosso
Vivaldi: Flötenkonzert “La notte”

Michael Kofler - Soloflöte MPhil, Tun-Han Hu - Cembalo & Residenz-Solisten
 

The Cuvilliés Theater is one only of the most beautiful and also one of the most important rococo theaters in Europe. In 1753, the hall, decorated entirely in royal purple and gold, with it‘s 14 boxes on 4 floors under Maximilian III. Joseph will be opened. Well-known operas such as Mozart's “Indomeneo” were premiered here. In 1806, Emperor Napoleon attended the opera “Don Giovanni” on the occasion of the inauguration of Bavaria. The Cuvilliés Theater with its “Style rocaille” is an art-historical work of art.

Experience the Residence Soloists in this unique, magnificent environment with a richness of sound that does credit to the masters of classical music and makes their performance a very special listening pleasure.

The Middle Logde is only available per phone-call under: +49 89 2897 5597.

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

Vivaldi: „Der Winter“ aus „Die vier Jahreszeiten“
J. S. Bach: Doppelkonzert für Oboe und Violine
Corelli: Weihnachtskonzert
Händel: Concerto grosso
Vivaldi: Concerto für Oboe
Tschaikowski: „Nußknacker“ und „Schwanensee“

Karsten Gebhardt - Violine, Giovanni De Angeli – Oboe, Tun-Han Hu - Cembalo & Residenz-Solisten

The Cuvilliés Theater is one only of the most beautiful and also one of the most important rococo theaters in Europe. In 1753, the hall, decorated entirely in royal purple and gold, with it‘s 14 boxes on 4 floors under Maximilian III. Joseph will be opened. Well-known operas such as Mozart's “Indomeneo” were premiered here. In 1806, Emperor Napoleon attended the opera “Don Giovanni” on the occasion of the inauguration of Bavaria. The Cuvilliés Theater with its “Style rocaille” is an art-historical work of art.

Experience the Residence Soloists in this unique, magnificent environment with a richness of sound that does credit to the masters of classical music and makes their performance a very special listening pleasure.

The Middle Logde is only available per phone-call under: +49 89 2897 5597.

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