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Controversial!Season focus 2025/26

A bold purple paint splatter with drips spreads out on a bright yellow background, creating a striking contrast with ample empty space on the left side of the image.

Scandalous pieces
Le Sacre du printemps
The Miraculous Mandarin
Tannhäuser

Opponents
Brahms vs. Bruckner
Mendelssohn vs. Berlioz
Mozart vs. Salieri

Concert formats
Berliner Philharmoniker
Chamber Music
Piano recitals
Baroque weekend

Musicians
Kirill Petrenko · Emmanuelle Haïm
Simon Rattle · Tugan Sokhiev
Kirill Gerstein · Philippe Jaroussky

Do we live in the most controversial of all worlds? With our seasonal focus Controversial!, we reflect on the current culture of debate from a musical perspective. Because here, too, there have been centuries of debate over the best course. For example, Felix Mendelssohn said that you should wash your hands after reading a score by Hector Berlioz. Brahms thought that Bruckner’s works were “a hoax”. And what about Mozart and Salieri? Concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker and their ensembles provide exciting juxtapositions of musical concepts and styles.

Find out more

Events with season focus

Gustavo Dudamel with curly hair in a suit leans against a dark table and holds a baton in front of a dark background. He has dimples and looks directly into the camera.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin
Justus Barleben chorus master

Works by
Gabriela Ortiz and Ludwig van Beethoven

Gabriela Ortiz
Revolución diamantina, ballet for eight voices and orchestra (Concert Version)

Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, Justus Barleben chorus master

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55 “Eroica”

Read more
Gustavo Dudamel with curly hair in a suit leans against a dark table and holds a baton in front of a dark background. He has dimples and looks directly into the camera.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin
Justus Barleben chorus master

Works by
Gabriela Ortiz and Ludwig van Beethoven

Gabriela Ortiz
Revolución diamantina, ballet for eight voices and orchestra (Concert Version)

Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, Justus Barleben chorus master

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55 “Eroica”

Read more
Gustavo Dudamel with curly hair in a suit leans against a dark table and holds a baton in front of a dark background. He has dimples and looks directly into the camera.

Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Gustavo Dudamel conductor
Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin
Justus Barleben chorus master

Works by
Gabriela Ortiz and Ludwig van Beethoven

Gabriela Ortiz
Revolución diamantina, ballet for eight voices and orchestra (Concert Version)

Members of the Rundfunkchor Berlin, Justus Barleben chorus master

Interval

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, op. 55 “Eroica”

Stream
Read more