Flex package

A large, vibrant yellow paint splatter with dripping streaks appears on a solid bright blue background, positioned towards the right side of the image.

Today, global political issues are debated with as much passion as the smallest of matters. But has it always been this way? Certainly the evolution of music has always been accompanied by vehement disputes over the “right” path forward. With our seasonal focus Controversial!, we take a closer look at this fascinating history. Inspiring musical experiences are guaranteed – after all, controversial works are often the most exciting, and when different artistic visions collide, it can be hard to decide which path is more compelling.

This flex package brings together selected performances from our season’s theme. Audiences can look forward to works which caused legendary scandals when they were first performed, like Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps and Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin. Johannes Brahms meets his artistic adversaries Franz Liszt and Anton Bruckner, and the infamous rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is also part of the programme.

Flex package: How it works

With the curated flex package, you can put together a themed concert package of either three, five or nine concerts (see the list of suggested dates below). You save up to 15% compared to buying individual tickets.

3 concerts – 5 % discount 5 concerts – 10 % discount 9 concerts – 15 % discount

Lucas and Arthur Jussen, with blond hair and black turtlenecks, sit at a table with their mirror images on the tabletop. They are chatting, smiling and gesticulating against a plain background.

Thu 19 February 2026, 20:00 Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Michael Sanderling conductor
Lucas & Arthur Jussen piano duo

Works by
Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johannes Brahms

Franz Liszt
2 Episodes from Lenau's Faust: No. 2 Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke (1st Mephisto Waltz)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for two Pianos and Orchestra in E flat major, K. 365

Lucas & Arthur Jussen piano duo

Interval

Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, op. 25 (orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg)

Wed 25 February 2026, 20:00 Chamber Music Hall

Piano recital

Kirill Gerstein piano

Works by
Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms

Franz Liszt
Tre Sonetti del Petrarca

Franz Liszt
Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata

Interval

Johannes Brahms
Scherzo es-Moll op. 4

Johannes Brahms
Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, op. 5

Portrait of Tugan Sokhiev in a suit and white shirt. He stands in front of a wood-panelled wall and looks out of a high window on the left.

Fri 27 February 2026, 20:00 Main Auditorium

Berliner Philharmoniker
Tugan Sokhiev conductor
Noah Bendix-Balgley violin
Bruno Delepelaire cello

Works by
Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms and Hector Berlioz

Felix Mendelssohn
The Hebrides Overture, op. 26

Johannes Brahms
Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, op. 102

Noah Bendix-Balgley violin, Bruno Delepelaire cello

Interval

Hector Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, op. 14

Wed 04 March 2026, 20:00 Chamber Music Hall

Berliner Philharmoniker Ensembles

Johanna Pichlmair violin
Rachel Schmidt violin
Tobias Reifland viola
Kyoungmin Park viola
Moritz Huemer cello
László Gál french horn

Works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546

Antonio Salieri
Four Scherzi strumentali di stile fugato for string quartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Horn Quintet in E flat major, K. 407

Antonio Salieri
Fugue for String Quartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
String Quintet No. 3 in C major, K. 515

Stream

Four male musicians stand in tails, some in white shirts on white pillars. They are holding their instruments, two violins, a viola and a cello.

Wed 15 April 2026, 20:00 Chamber Music Hall

Varian Fry Quartett:
Philipp Bohnen violin
Christoph von der Nahmer violin
Martin von der Nahmer viola
Knut Weber cello

Anna Prohaska soprano

Works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Dmitri Shostakovich and Arnold Schoenberg

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Fugues for four voices from Bach’s Well-tempered clavier, Part 2, K. 405

Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, op. 110

Interval

Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No. 2 in F sharp minor with solo soprano, op. 10

Anna Prohaska soprano

Stream