Festival tour 2026
At the start of the 2026/27 season, the Berliner Philharmoniker and chief conductor Kirill Petrenko set off once again for some of Europe’s great festivals. While the orchestra is almost at home in Salzburg and Lucerne, most of the musicians will be visiting the Edinburgh International for the first time. The tour concludes at the BBC Proms in London, where the vast Royal Albert Hall – seating an audience of almost 6,000 – never fails to thrill. The programme features works by Tchaikovsky, Elgar and Scriabin, as well as Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich, a soloist held in high regard by the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Festival tour 2026: the musicians’ favourite moments
From Scriabin’s Third Symphony in Edinburgh to a swim in Lake Lucerne: backstage at the Royal Albert Hall, members of the Berliner Philharmoniker share their favourite moments from their tour of Europe’s major festivals.
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Behind the music: At the Royal Albert Hall
Violinist Marlene Ito feels “like a gladiator” when she steps onto the stage of London’s 5,000-seat Royal Albert Hall. Together with her colleague Christophe Horák, we explored this imposing venue.
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The Tour in Pictures
From Salzburg via Lucerne and Edinburgh to London – the best concert photos from on the road.
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Edinburgh to London with a bike
Cellist Knut Weber explores the landscapes of northern Britain between two stops on the festival tour.
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A passion for music at Buckingham Palace
The Royal Albert Hall is one of the most famous concert halls in the world. But who was Albert, the man after whom the hall was named? He was a prince and the husband of Queen Victoria, but what else? Less well-known is his role as a passionate musician and influential patron of the arts.
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Behind the music: Berthold Stecher
Trumpeter Bertold Stecher takes us on a stroll through Edinburgh’s wonderful Old Town — buzzing with life during the festival season — while telling us about himself and his instrument. In what ways does the trumpet reflect his personality? And what part did Pippi Longstocking play in his decision to take up the instrument? Find out all this and more here.
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The Berliner Philharmoniker in Edinburgh
In summer, otherwise grey Edinburgh bursts into colour. That’s when the Edinburgh International Festival brings the stars of music, dance and theatre to the city. But anyone with a taste for the quirky and alternative will find plenty to enjoy too. 20 years on, the Festival welcomes the Berliner Philharmoniker back.
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Behind the music: Augustin Hadelich
Augustin Hadelich joins the Berliner Philharmoniker on tour as soloist in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. During rehearsals, he spoke to us about performing Beethoven’s concerto – and about his unexpected first encounter with the orchestra..
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Video: Alexander Scriabin’s Symphony No 3
Perhaps no other composer combines power, sensuality and transcendence as masterfully as Alexander Scriabin. Audiences on the festival tour can now discover his Third Symphony – an orchestral drama, a mystical incantation. In our video introduction, violist Matthew Hunter presents the work, accompanied by excerpts from rehearsals with Kirill Petrenko.
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the Berliner Philharmoniker
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, whose fate-laden Fourth Symphony is featured on this tour, conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker himself – and was thrilled by the orchestra. We look back on a remarkable collaboration.
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