Viva Italia!End-of-season concert on 27 June 2026 at the Waldbühne
Italy: the land of opera, passion and impossible beauty. A place where, if cliché is to be believed, even the taxi driver on the way to the theatre might break into song. That music is what tonight’s traditional Waldbühne concert is all about.
Ominous trumpet calls open Verdi’s La forza del destino. The arias that follow are filled with love, jealousy, honour and revenge, propelled by improbable twists of fate and ending either in happiness or catastrophe. Together, they offer a panorama of Italian opera at its most emotionally direct, where recognisably human passions drive the action and everyday experience increasingly moved to the centre of the stage. In Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, for example, the boundary between theatre and reality proves fatal.
Each half of the concert concludes with Ottorino Respighi, whose special talent was transforming the world around him into orchestral sound. He achieved international fame with a trilogy of orchestral works that depict the fountains, pine groves and festivals of his native Rome in all the colours of a vast symphony orchestra. Ah, Italy.
Programme and broadcasts
Programme
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Pagliacci: “Si, può?”, Prologue of Tonio
Jonas Kaufmann tenor
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Pagliacci: Intermezzo
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Pagliacci: “Recitar ... Vesti la giubba”, Aria of Canio
Jonas Kaufmann tenor
Giuseppe Verdi
La forza del destino: Overture
Licinio Refice
Ombra di nube
Jonas Kaufmann tenor
Ottorino Respighi
Fontane di Roma
Interval
Pietro Mascagni
Cavalleria rusticana: Intermezzo
Francesco Cilea
L’Arlesiana: “È la solita storia”, Aria of Frederico
Jonas Kaufmann tenor
Umberto Giordano
Fedora: “Amor ti vieta”, Aria of Loris
Jonas Kaufmann tenor
Ottorino Respighi
Pini di Roma
Broadcasts
- 27.06.2026 The Digital Concert Hall will stream live from 20:00 (concert starts at 20:15)
Watch the stream - 27.06.2026 3sat will broadcast live from 20:15
- 27.06.2026 RBB Fernsehen will broadcast time-delayed from 20:30
- 27.06.2026 Radio3 (RBB) will broadcast live from 20:03
- 12.07.2026 Das Erste will show a recording from 23:40
Visitor information on site
Please note the organisational information provided by the concert organiser concert conxept.
High temperatures are expected on Saturday evening. We recommend that you stay well hydrated, use sun protection and wear light clothing. Please allow a little extra time for your journey and check the weather forecast before travelling. Free drinking water will be available at water stations throughout the venue, and additional first-aid personnel will be on duty. If you feel unwell at any time, please speak to a member of the security team or contact the first-aid service directly.
The regulations that normally apply to major events regarding items you may bring with you have been extended for this evening as follows:
You are welcome to bring:
- Your own food and drink for personal consumption
(per person: 2 drinks each in a 0.5-litre Tetra Pak or 0.5-litre PET bottle) - One picnic bag, rucksack or bag per person, up to a maximum size of 40 cm × 40 cm × 35 cm
- Plastic cutlery
- Small foldable umbrellas
- Blankets
(Please note: no chairs are permitted in the inner area; seating is on the ground. If you hold an inner-area ticket, we recommend bringing a blanket.)
Please do not bring:
- Walking-stick umbrellas
- Camping chairs
- Bulky or dangerous items, glass in any form, or drinks cans
- Picnic bags/rucksacks/bags larger than 40 cm × 40 cm × 35 cm
Important:
- Please pack any food you bring in transparent packaging (e.g. zip-lock bags or similar).
