Kronberg Festival
“Courage!” – The Kronberg Festival 2026 invites audiences to the Casals Forum from 22 September to 4 October and poses a question that speaks to us all: Where do we find the courage to follow our inner voice?
Across some 30 concerts, music becomes a source of strength – telling stories of new beginnings and resistance, of hope, humanity and the boldness to forge new paths. Inspired by Pablo Casals, whose 150th birthday will be celebrated in 2026, the festival unfolds as an experience that touches, awakens and connects.
International artists, outstanding ensembles and young talents come together in this celebration of music to reveal just how much courage music can hold – and how deeply art can encourage us to act with conviction in our own lives.
Concert
ZEITSPRUNG
Participants
- Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt cello
- Avi Avital mandolin
- Kremerata Baltica
- Christian Jost director
Programme
Heinrich Biber (1644–1704)
Battalia
Johann S. Bach (1685–1750)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 (arrangement for mandolin and strings)
Christian Jost (b. 1963)
“Seasons” for cello and string orchestra (world premiere)
Concert introduction at 5:15 p.m. with Christian Jost, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and Prof. Friedemann Eichhorn.
Subject to change
SERENADE & SARKASMUS
Participants
- Sergei Nakariakov trumpet
- Pauline van der Rest violin
- Martin Helmchen piano
- Kremerata Baltica
- Gidon Kremer conducting & violin
Programme
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Serenade No. 6 in D major, K. 239 “Serenata notturna”
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35
Alisson Krussmaa (*1992)
New composition - Title to be announced
Subject to change
GLOBAL GROOVES
Participants
- Cello Fellos cello
- Bryan Cheng cello
- Leonard Disselhorst cello
Programme
Leonard Disselhorst (*1990)
Kingfisher, The Drift, Jasmine Ode
Tigran Hamasyan (*1987) & Howard Shore (*1946)
Toichis Mountains
Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
Such Sweet Thunder
Herbie Hancock (*1940) & Bobby McFerrin (*1950)
Turtle Shoes
Mariano Mores (1918–2016)
Taquito Militar
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992)
Nightclub
Traditional medley of Romanian themes
Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56 BB 68
Milena Dolinová (approx. 1859–1891) & Kryštof Mařatka (*1972)
Čsardáš III
Subject to change
GRENZGÄNGER
Participants
- Bruno Philippe cello
- hr-Bigband
- Ed Partyka director
Programme
Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
Selected Works
Friedrich Gulda (1930–2000)
Concerto for Violoncello and Wind Orchestra
Subject to change
Progressive strings
Participants
- BartolomeyBittmann
Programme
Following the huge success of their latest award-winning album *z e h n* (German Record Critics’ Award),
BartolomeyBittmann focus their new program
“Best of BB” on the essence of their compositional work to date.
In the four programs created since then, the original compositions of
this progressive duo are characterized by strong emotional contrasts:
Meridian (2013) — finding a connecting thread, a musical path.
Neubau (2015) — the idea of creation through collaborative composition.
Dynamo (2019) — the dramatic element in music and performance.
z e h n (2022) — continuity and the embodiment of a philosophy.
The musical range of “Best of BB” extends from powerful rock riffs
and virtuosic, racing unison passages to intimate grooves and sensitive
melodic lines. The focus is always on the search for the acoustic
foundation of their classical instruments.
Matthias Bartolomey - cello
Klemens Bittmann - violin & mandola
www.bartolomeybittmann.at
Subject to change
NEW WORLD
Participants
- Mihaela Martin violin
- László Fenyő cello
- Berlin Academy of American Music
- Garrett Keast director
Programme
Aaron Copland (1900–1990)
An Outdoor Overture
Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990)
Serenade after Plato’s “Symposium”
Anna Clyne (*1980)
Shorthand
George Gershwin (1898–1937)
An American in Paris
Subject to change
"BIATHLON-CHALLENGE - STEP BY STEP INTO COURAGE"
Participants
- Prof. Dr. Jana Leidenfrost
- Ehemalige DDR-Ski-Meisterin
Programme
On stage, courage matters just as much as it does in elite sport. Participants in the Cello Masterclasses will learn how courage, mental strength and perseverance can be trained — and how they can be applied purposefully in everyday artistic life. The connection between sport and music opens up new perspectives on inner strength and stage presence.
The lecture will be held in English and is intended for participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Subject to change.
ERZÄHLUNGEN
Participants
- Pierre Génisson clarinet
- Irène Duval violin
- Sào Soulez Larivière viola
- Steven Isserlis cello
- Anna Han piano
- Connie Shih piano
Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Piano Trio, Op. 11 “Gassenhauer Trio”, Cello Sonata in C major, Op. 102 No. 1
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Three Romances, Op. 94, Fairy Tales, Op. 132
Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924)
Trio in D minor, Op. 120
Concert introduction at 6:45 p.m. with Dr. Norbert Gertsch (G. Henle Verlag)
Subject to change
LÖWENHERZ - Erzähl mir von Courage
Programme
Actor Michael Rotschopf reads about the courage that comes from the heart: an inspiring encounter with fear, trust and the quiet strength to grow beyond oneself — with an open heart and a true lionheart.
Subject to change.
ILLUMINATION
Participants
- Anna Prohaska soprano
- Noah Bendix-Balgley violin
- Ensemble Resonanz
- Riccardo Minasi director
Programme
Benjamin Britten (1913–1976)
Les Illuminations, Op. 18
Edward Elgar (1857–1934)
Elegy
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218
Subject to change
