Musikfest Berlin opens this Saturday with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä, launching a three-week celebration that brings together more than 30 concerts, over 120 works, and ensembles from across Europe and beyond. Organised by the Berliner Festspiele in cooperation with the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation, the festival has long been a defining international stage for orchestras and ensembles at the beginning of the season.
Opening weekend
The Concertgebouw inaugurates the festival at the Philharmonie with Berio’s Rendering and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a programme that captures the festival’s balance between reimagined tradition and modern intensity. The following evening, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir under Karina Canellakis make their festival debut with music by Berio, Boulez, Bartók, Messiaen, Robin de Raaff, and Rachmaninoff.
Paris in Berlin
French ensembles take a central role this year, reflecting Paris as a “city of music.” Esa-Pekka Salonen leads the Orchestre de Paris in the German premiere of his horn concerto for Stefan Dohr, alongside works by Boulez. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France perform music by Čiurlionis and Berio with violist Antoine Tamestit. Les Siècles, conducted by Ustina Dubitzky and Franck Ollu, appear with Isabelle Faust and Sarah Aristidou, while Philippe Herreweghe brings the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées with Collegium Vocale Gent. The vocal ensemble Les Cris de Paris, led by Geoffroy Jourdain, makes its Musikfest debut.
Anniversaries and portraits
The festival places special emphasis on composers marking milestone years:
- Pierre Boulez, born 100 years ago, is celebrated with Rituel (Berliner Philharmoniker), Pli selon pli (Les Siècles with Sarah Aristidou), and Le soleil des eaux (Netherlands Radio ensembles with Liv Redpath). New tributes include world and German premieres by Ondřej Adámek and Robin de Raaff.
- Luciano Berio, who also turns 100, is honoured in eight concerts, including Sinfonia and Folk Songs with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under Daniel Harding, joined by Magdalena Kožená and the London Voices.
- Helmut Lachenmann, 90 this year, is present with major orchestral works performed by the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, with the composer in attendance.
- Younghi Pagh-Paan, 80, is celebrated with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra under Seokwon Hong.
- Arvo Pärt, approaching 90, is honoured on 11 September with a portrait concert by the RIAS Kammerchor, juxtaposing his a cappella works with Palestrina’s Missa Papae Marcelli.
Premieres and rediscoveries
Beyond anniversaries, Musikfest Berlin offers premieres and rediscoveries that anchor its reputation as a laboratory of orchestral music. Highlights include a world premiere by Ondřej Adámek for the Berliner Philharmoniker, new works by Rebecca Saunders, Lisa Streich, Francesca Verunelli, and Ukrainian composers with the Ensemble Senza Sforzando from Odessa. One of the most anticipated events is the concert world premiere of Marc Blitzstein’s Bauhaus opera Parabola and Circula, performed by the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra under Karl-Heinz Steffens in collaboration with the Bauhaus Archiv.
Berlin’s orchestras
The city’s own orchestras remain the festival’s foundation. The Berliner Philharmoniker perform Boulez’s Rituel, Brahms, Stravinsky, Dusapin, Zimmermann, and the Adámek premiere across five concerts. The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin plays Zimmermann’s satirical King Ubu ballet music alongside Shostakovich’s 9th Symphony under Anja Bihlmaier. Vladimir Jurowski leads the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin in Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony. The Staatskapelle Berlin appears with Elim Chan and Patricia Kopatchinskaja, while the Konzerthausorchester and the Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin perform music by Berio, Hosokawa, and Mahler. Adding another dimension, the BigBand der Deutschen Oper Berlin celebrates its 20th anniversary with Jazz de Paris, dedicated to the post-war encounters of Juliette Gréco and Miles Davis.
Significance
With its sweeping panorama — from Renaissance to contemporary voices, from Boulez and Berio to Blitzstein and new commissions — Musikfest Berlin 2025 reaffirms its status as one of the world’s most important orchestral festivals. It is a forum where tradition and experiment meet, where Berlin’s own ensembles share the stage with international guests, and where orchestral culture is not only celebrated but continuously redefined.
Musikfest Berlin, Illustration: @alexandra_klobouk
Subscribe to our newsletter