Date
30.08. – 23.09.2025
Organiser
Berliner Festspiele
Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker
Tickets
Eight selected concert highlights will be available in advance from 6 December 2024. Further concerts will go on sale in spring.
The Berlin Music Festival is organized every year by the Berlin Festival in conjunction with the Foundation of the Berliner Philharmoniker. This year it is setting its sights on France, in part with the help of the Orchestre de Paris under Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. But the Big Band of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin will also be on hand to perform French jazz. The Berliner Philharmoniker themselves can be heard not only under their chief conductor Kirill Petrenko but also under François-Xavier Roth. Among their concerts will be a celebration of the centenary of the birth of Pierre Boulez.
A total of thirty events will be taking place between 30 August and 23 September 2025, their number divided between the Philharmonie and the Konzerthaus. Audiences will be able to hear more than eighty works by some fifty composers performed by twenty-six instrumental and vocal ensembles and forty-three soloists drawn from the world of international music as well as from Berlin itself. The focus of interest is France, which means that numerous visitors will be coming to Berlin from our neighbour to the West, while the repertory of works on offer ranges widely from French classics such as Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Debussy’s La Mer to milestones from the early modern period. Here the works of Pierre Boulez will have a prominent role to play in the form of a tribute to him on the centenary of his birth.
The Berliner Philharmoniker will be giving two concerts and they too will be celebrating Pierre Boulez, who made his conducting debut with the orchestra in 1961 and who by the 1990s was one of its most frequent guest conductors. The programme under François-Xavier Roth features Boulez’s Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna, a work in which the orchestra is divided into eight groups, taking full advantage of the spatial effects of which the Philharmonie is capable. The other work on this programme is the world premiere of Between Five Columns by Ondřej Adámek, a composer whose music draws on the most varied cultural influences to create a dialogue that spans the whole of the world.
The Berliner Philharmoniker’s second programme at the 2025 Berlin Music Festival will be conducted by Kirill Petrenko and includes Brahms’s First Symphony, a late Romantic work that is something of a fixture in the orchestra’s repertory. Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Oboe Concerto is the second piece on this programme and is an example of the rare combination of exuberant expression and modernism. Here, too, there is a French connection with Pascal Dusapin’s Exeo from 2002, a piece that is full of both contrasts and intricate details, at the heart of which is a force that slowly propels the work forwards, resulting in a truly remarkable experience for listeners.
As always, there is a good deal of contemporary music that audiences can discover at the 2025 Berlin Music Festival, with other anniversaries also being celebrated, including the centenaries of the birth of both Luciano Berio and Arvo Pärt and the ninetieth birthday of Helmut Lachenmann. Last but by no means least, the South Korean composer Younghi Pagh-Paan, who has been living in Germany for many years, is celebrating her eightieth birthday. Her music, which is marked by the spirituality of her Christian faith, will also feature on the programme.
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Musikfest Berlin: Opening Concert
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Klaus Mäkelä conductor
Works by
Luciano Berio, Franz Schubert and Béla Bartók
Luciano Berio
Franz Schubert
Rendering for orchestra
Béla Bartók
Concerto for Orchestra, Sz 116
Sale by Festspiele Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall Upper Foyer / window front
Critics’ Quartet:
Susanne Benda conversation (Stuttgarter Nachrichten)
Elisabeth Richter conversation (freelance publicist)
Michael Stegemann conversation (musicologist)
Albrecht Thiemann conversation (freelance publicist)
Olaf Wilhelmer presentation (Deutschlandfunk Kultur)
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis conductor
Liv Redpath soprano
Netherlands Radio Choir choir
Benjamin Goodson chorus master
Works by
Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Robin de Raaff and Sergei Rachmaninoff
Olivier Messiaen
Les Offrandes oubliées
Liv Redpath soprano, Netherlands Radio Choir choir, Benjamin Goodson chorus master
Pierre Boulez
Le Soleil des eaux for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra after two poems by René Char
Liv Redpath soprano, Netherlands Radio Choir choir, Benjamin Goodson chorus master
Robin de Raaff
L’Azur, Cantata for choir and orchestra on the poem by Stéphane Mallarmé
Liv Redpath soprano, Netherlands Radio Choir choir, Benjamin Goodson chorus master
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Symphonic Dances, op. 45
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Orchestre de Paris
Esa-Pekka Salonen conductor
Stefan Dohr french horn
Works by
Luciano Berio, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jean Sibelius
Luciano Berio
Requies
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Hornkonzert
Stefan Dohr french horn
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, op. 82
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla conductor
Antoine Tamestit viola
Works by
Luciano Berio, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and Maurice Ravel
Luciano Berio
Voci (Folk Songs II) for viola and two instrumental groups
Antoine Tamestit viola
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
Jūra (The Sea), Symphonic Poem
Maurice Ravel
Boléro
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Main Auditorium
Ensemble Modern
IEMA-Ensemble 2024/25
Sylvain Cambreling conductor (Chin, Lachenmann)
Yannick Mayaud conductor (Streich)
Works by
Lisa Streich, Unsuk Chin and Helmut Lachenmann
Lisa Streich
HIMMEL for ensemble
Yannick Mayaud conductor (Streich)
Lisa Streich
VOGUE for large ensemble, also singing
Yannick Mayaud conductor (Streich)
Unsuk Chin
Graffiti for large ensemble
Sylvain Cambreling conductor (Chin, Lachenmann)
Helmut Lachenmann
Concertini
Sylvain Cambreling conductor (Chin, Lachenmann)
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Anja Bihlmair conductor
Kian Soltani cello
Works by
Piotr Tchaikovsky, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Olly Wilson and Dmitri Shostakovich
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra in A major, op. 33
Kian Soltani cello
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Musique pour les soupers du Roi Ubu
Olly Wilson
Shango Memory
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, op. 70
Sold by Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Orchestre des Champs-Élysées
Philippe Herreweghe conductor
Collegium Vocale Gent
Maria van Nieukerken chorus master
Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Luigi Cherubini
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55 “Eroica”
Luigi Cherubini
Requiem in C minor
Collegium Vocale Gent, Maria van Nieukerken chorus master
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Les Siècles
Ustina Dubitsky conductor
Isabelle Faust violin
Works by
Ludwig van Beethoven and Hector Berlioz
Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61
Isabelle Faust violin
Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, op. 14
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Les Siècles
Franck Ollu conductor
Sarah Aristidou soprano
Pierre Boulez
Pli selon pli, portrait de Mallarmé for soprano and orchestra
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Ensemblekollektiv
Enno Poppe conductor
Christian Kesten speaker
João Svidzinski electronics (IRCAM Paris)
Works by
Lisa Streich and Helmut Lachenmann
Lisa Streich
ORCHESTRA OF BLACK BUTTERFLIES for two pianos and two percussionists
Lisa Streich
OFELIA for large ensemble, motorised piano and four loudspeakers
João Svidzinski electronics (IRCAM Paris)
Helmut Lachenmann
»Zwei Gefühle« – Musik mit Leonardo for speaker and ensemble ‒ Text by Leonardo da Vinci
Christian Kesten speaker
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Orchestra dell’ Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Rom
Daniel Harding conductor
Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
London Voices choir
Ben Parry chorus master
Works by
Luciano Berio and Claude Debussy
Luciano Berio
Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra
London Voices choir, Ben Parry chorus master
Luciano Berio
Folk Songs (Version for mezzosoprano and orchestra), German Premiere
Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
Claude Debussy
La Mer
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Staatskapelle Berlin
Elim Chan conductor
Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin
Works by
Béla Bartók and Antonín Dvořák
Béla Bartók
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1, Sz 36
Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin
Antonín Dvořák
Symphony No. 8 in G major, op. 88
Sold by Staatskapelle Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Les Cris de Paris
Geoffroy Jourdain conductor
Works by
Giovanni Maria Trabaci, Sigismondo d' India, Hettore Della Marra, Michelangelo Rossi, Scipione Lacorcia, Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa, Cipriano Rore, Francesca Verunelli, Nicola Vicentino, Pomponio Nenna and Luzzasco Luzzaschi
Giovanni Maria Trabaci
Toccata di durezze e ligature
Sigismondo d' India
Strana armonia d’amore (Two Parts)
Hettore Della Marra
Misero che farò
Hettore Della Marra
Misero che farò
Michelangelo Rossi
Per non mi dir ch’io moia
Michelangelo Rossi
O miseria dʼamante
Scipione Lacorcia
“Ahi, tu piangi, mia vita!” ‒ Mirami il volto pur”
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
“Io pur respiro”
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
“S’io non miro, non moro”
Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa
“Moro, lasso, al mio duolo”
Cipriano Rore
“Calami sonum ferentes”
Francesca Verunelli
VicentinoOo I, II, III, IV, V
Nicola Vicentino
“Musica prisca caput”
Nicola Vicentino
“Madonna, il poco dolce”
Pomponio Nenna
“La mia doglia s’avanza”
Pomponio Nenna
“Ecco ò mia dolce pena”
Luzzasco Luzzaschi
“Quivi sospiri pianti et altri guai”
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
Works by
Helmut Lachenmann and Dmitri Shostakovich
Helmut Lachenmann
Ausklang, Music for Piano with Orchestra
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphoy No. 11 in G minor, op. 103, “The Year 1905”
Sold by Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Konzerthaus Berlin
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
Omar Ebrahim speaker
Works by
Bohuslav Martinů, Josef Suk, Arnold Schoenberg and Dmitri Shostakovich
Bohuslav Martinů
Memorial to Lidice
Josef Suk
Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale “St. Wenceslas“, op. 35a
Arnold Schoenberg
Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte for speaker, piano ans string quartet, op. 41
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano, Omar Ebrahim speaker
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphoy No. 11 in G minor, op. 103, “The Year 1905”
Sold by Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
RIAS Kammerchor choir
Kaspar Putniņš conductor
Works by
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Arvo Pärt
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Missa Papae Marcelli for six-piece choir a cappella
Arvo Pärt
Solfeggio formixed choir a cappella
Arvo Pärt
“Nunc dimittis” for mixed choir a cappella
Arvo Pärt
Magnificat for mixed choir a cappella
Arvo Pärt
Dopo la vittoria for mixed choir a cappella
Arvo Pärt
The Woman with the Alabaster Box for mixed choir a cappella
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
François-Xavier Roth conductor
Works by
Pierre Boulez, Ondřej Adámek and Igor Stravinsky
Pierre Boulez
Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna for orchestra in eight groups
Interval
Ondřej Adámek
Between Five Columns (Premiere), commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Igor Stravinsky
Le Sacre du printemps, Ballet
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
François-Xavier Roth conductor
Works by
Pierre Boulez, Ondřej Adámek and Igor Stravinsky
Pierre Boulez
Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna for orchestra in eight groups
Interval
Ondřej Adámek
Between Five Columns (Premiere), commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation
Igor Stravinsky
Le Sacre du printemps, Ballet
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
hr-Sinfonieorchester
Matthias Hermann conductor
Tamara Stefanovich piano
Marc Gruber french horn
Kristian Katzenberger french horn
Maciej Baranowski french horn
Michael Armbruster french horn
Charles Petit french horn
Thomas Sonnen french horn
Gerda Sperlich french horn
Andreas Kreuzhuber french horn
Works by
Rebecca Saunders, Gustav Mahler and Helmut Lachenmann
Rebecca Saunders
to an utterance for piano and orchestra, Roche Commission for the Lucerne Festival
Tamara Stefanovich piano
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 10: 1st Movement Adagio
Helmut Lachenmann
My Melodies Music for 8 Horns and Orchestra
Marc Gruber french horn, Kristian Katzenberger french horn, Maciej Baranowski french horn, Michael Armbruster french horn, Charles Petit french horn, Thomas Sonnen french horn, Gerda Sperlich french horn, Andreas Kreuzhuber french horn
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Antonello Manacorda conductor
Okka von der Damerau mezzo-soprano
David Butt Philip tenor
Works by
Toshio Hosokawa and Gustav Mahler
Toshio Hosokawa
Blossoming II
Gustav Mahler
Das Lied von der Erde
Okka von der Damerau mezzo-soprano, David Butt Philip tenor
Sold by Deutsche Oper Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Works by
Pascal Dusapin, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Johannes Brahms
Pascal Dusapin
Exeo, Solo No. 5 for orchestra
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Interval
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op. 68
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Works by
Pascal Dusapin, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Johannes Brahms
Pascal Dusapin
Exeo, Solo No. 5 for orchestra
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Interval
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op. 68
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Mark Simpson clarinet and bass clarinet
Jean-Guihen Queyras cello
Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano
SWR-Experimentalstudio
Michael Acker sonud direction and music informatics
Markus Radke sound direction
Works by
Helmut Lachenmann and Mark Andre
Helmut Lachenmann
Allegro sostenuto for clarinet/bass clarinet in B flat, cello and piano
Mark Simpson clarinet and bass clarinet, Jean-Guihen Queyras cello
Mark Andre
...selig ist... for piano and live electronics
SWR-Experimentalstudio, Michael Acker sonud direction and music informatics, Markus Radke sound direction
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Main Auditorium
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Works by
Pascal Dusapin, Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Johannes Brahms
Pascal Dusapin
Exeo, Solo No. 5 for orchestra
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Albrecht Mayer oboe
Interval
Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, op. 68
Musikfest Berlin
Konzerthaus Berlin
Konzerthausorchester Berlin
Michael Sanderling conductor
Works by
Luciano Berio and Gustav Mahler
Luciano Berio
Eindrücke
Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 6
Sold by Konzerthaus Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Ensemble Senza Sforzando
Oleksandr Perepelytsia piano and direction
Works by
Ostap Manulyak, Kira Majdenberg-Todorova, Yurii Pikush, Alla Zahaykevich, Karmella Tsepkolenko, Volodymyr Runchak, Asmati Chibalashvili, Bohdan Sehin and Andrii Merkhel
Ostap Manulyak
Ramifications II for voice, flute, violin, cello and piano
Kira Majdenberg-Todorova
My beloved … for soprano, cello and piano (Lyrics by Valeriya Zhigalina)
Yurii Pikush
And a strawberry in the hand for soprano, flute, clarinet, piano, violin and cello (Lyrics by Yuriy Izdryk ‒ Premiere)
Alla Zahaykevich
Signs of Presence for soprano, cello and piano (Lyrics by Iya Kiva)
Karmella Tsepkolenko
Reading History, Cantata for soprano (with small drum), cello and piano (Lyrics by Oksana Zabuzhko)
Volodymyr Runchak
Time “Xˮ or “Farewellˮ (non-symphony) for flute, clarinet, piano, violin and cello
Asmati Chibalashvili
With Faith in Ukraine for soprano, cello and piano (Lyrics by Yulia Dmytrenko-Despotashvili)
Bohdan Sehin
New Work for Soprano, Flute, Clarinet, Piano, Violin and Cello (Premiere)
Karmella Tsepkolenko
Faust’s Holiday, Cantata for soprano, voice and ensemble (Lyrics by Yuriy Andruchowych)
Andrii Merkhel
Temporary protection: unsentimental nocturnes for Alika, Episode in nine moments for ensemble
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Musifest Berlin
Main Auditorium
BigBand of the Deutsche Oper Berlin
Manfred Honetschläger musical direction
Mathilde Vendramin recitation and vocals
Thomas Pigor recitation and vocals
Biréli Lagrène guitar
Music by Michel Legrand, Miles Davis, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and other composers as well as texts by Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre
Sold by Deutsche Oper Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Camilla Tilling soprano
Sharon Kam clarinet
Cornelia Gartemann violin
Irena Josifoska cello
Michal Friedlander piano
Works by
Kurt Weill, George Antheil, Paul Hindemith, Leonard Bernstein and Marc Blitzstein
Kurt Weill
Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny: Alabama Song
Camilla Tilling soprano
Kurt Weill
Lady in the Dark: My Ship
Camilla Tilling soprano
Kurt Weill
One Touch of Venus: I'm a Stranger Here Myself
Camilla Tilling soprano
George Antheil
Sonata No. 2 for violin with accompaniment of piano and drums
Cornelia Gartemann violin
Paul Hindemith
Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano
Sharon Kam clarinet, Cornelia Gartemann violin, Irena Josifoska cello
Leonard Bernstein
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B flat major
Sharon Kam clarinet
Marc Blitzstein
Nickel under the foot
Camilla Tilling soprano
Marc Blitzstein
Stay in my arms
Camilla Tilling soprano
Marc Blitzstein
Until and I heard
Camilla Tilling soprano
Marc Blitzstein
I wish it so
Camilla Tilling soprano
Sold by Festspiele Berlin
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
Karl-Heinz Steffens conductor
Aleksander Nohr baritone (Parabola)
Mari Eriksmoen soprano (Circula)
Joseph Dennis tenor (Rectangula)
Hanna Husáhr soprano (Intersecta)
Linard Vrielink tenor (Prism)
Henning von Schulman bass (Geodesa)
Hongni Wu mezzo-soprano (Linea)
Tzimon Barto piano
Works by
Leonard Bernstein and Marc Blitzstein
Leonard Bernstein
Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety” for Piano and Orchestra
Tzimon Barto piano
Marc Blitzstein
Parabola and Circula, Opera in one act (First Concert Performance)
Aleksander Nohr baritone, Mari Eriksmoen soprano, Joseph Dennis tenor, Hanna Husáhr soprano, Linard Vrielink tenor, Henning von Schulman bass, Hongni Wu mezzo-soprano
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Chamber Music Hall
Stegreif – The Improvising Symphony Orchestra
Lorenz Blaumer artistic management
Alistair Duncan recomposition and arrangement
Valerie Leopold musical direction
Franziska Ritter scenography
Lea Hladka choreographic collaboration
Vito Walter light design
freebruckner – Recomposition of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E major
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Musikfest Berlin
Main Auditorium
Busan Philharmonic Orchestra
Seokwon Hong conductor
Ben Kim piano
Works by
Younghi Pagh-Paan, Maurice Ravel, Olivier Messiaen and Jean Sibelius
Younghi Pagh-Paan
SORI
Younghi Pagh-Paan
Frau, warum weinst du? Wen suchst du?
Maurice Ravel
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in D major for the left hand
Ben Kim piano
Olivier Messiaen
L'Ascension (version for orchestra)
Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 7 in C major, op. 105
Sold by Berliner Festspiele
Chamber Music Hall
Quartet: Brooklyn Rider – In Praise of Democracy
Brooklyn Rider:
Johnny Gandelsman violin
Colin Jacobsen violin
Nicholas Cords viola
Michael Nicolas cello
Works by
Joseph Haydn, Matana Roberts, Gabriel Kahane, Bob Dylan, Philip Glass and Osvaldo Golijov
Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in F minor, op. 20 No. 5 Hob. III:35
Matana Roberts
borderlands...
Gabriel Kahane
American Studies
Interval
Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' (arr. Colin Jacobsen)
Philip Glass
String Quartet No. 4 ‟Buczakˮ
Osvaldo Golijov
Tenebrae