BRSO live from Munich: Zimmermann plays Martin, Altinoglu conducts Honegger and Rimsky-Korsakov

Works: Arthur Honegger – Pacific 231; Frank Martin – Violin Concerto; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade
Orchestra: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (BRSO)
Conductor: Alain Altinoglu
Soloist: Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin)
Venue: Herkulessaal, Münchner Residenz, Munich
Streaming platform: YouTube (ARD Klassik)
Live: 6 March 2026, 20:00 (Munich local time, CET) / 19:00 GMT
Duration: Approx. 2 hours

The Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks performs live from Munich’s Herkulessaal under the direction of Alain Altinoglu, in a programme that combines early 20th-century modernism, Swiss lyricism and Russian orchestral colour.

The evening opens with Arthur Honegger’s Pacific 231, the composer’s six-minute orchestral tribute to the power and rhythmic propulsion of a steam locomotive — a work that translates mechanical movement into symphonic momentum.

At the centre of the programme stands Frank Martin’s Violin Concerto, a rarely performed yet deeply expressive work that blends contrapuntal clarity with lyrical intensity. The solo part is taken by Frank Peter Zimmermann, a long-standing guest of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and one of today’s most distinguished violinists.

After the interval, the orchestra turns to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, the composer’s shimmering orchestral suite inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. Under Altinoglu’s direction, the score’s shifting colours and narrative contrasts promise a vivid close to the evening.

The concert will be broadcast live on YouTube via ARD Klassik.