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
FANTASIE & MUT
Participants
- Gabriela Montero piano
- François Leleux director
- hr-Sinfonieorchester
Programme
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Kurt Weill (1900–1950)
Symphony No. 2 “Symphonic Fantasy”
Subject to change
IRONIE & ILLUSION
Participants
- Edgar Moreau cello
- François Leleux director
- hr-Sinfonieorchester
Programme
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, L 86
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)
Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107
Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)
Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 “Classical Symphony”
Subject to change
C WIE COURAGE
Participants
- Marie-Elisabeth Hecker cello
- Frans Helmerson cello
- Jens Peter Maintz cello
- Martin Helmchen piano
Programme
Sarvenaz Safari (*1984)
“C wie …”
Johann S. Bach (1685–1750)
Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
György Ligeti (1923–2006)
Sonata for solo cello
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op.38
Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)
Sonata in C major, Op. 119
The concert is dedicated to Emanuel Feuermann, Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Subject to change
STRAHLKRAFT
Participants
- Johannes Moser cello
- Oksana Lyniv director
- Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Programme
Édouard Lalo (1823–1892)
Concerto in D minor
Wolfgang A. Mozart (1756–1791)
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”
Subject to change
WUNDER & WEGE
Participants
- Thomas Hampson Baritone
- Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
- Oksana Lyniv director
Programme
Yuri Laniuk (*1957)
Elegy for Large Orchestra (Message to A. G.) (world premiere)
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Songs from “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”
Edvard Grieg (1843–1907)
Peer Gynt Suites No. 1, Op. 46 and No. 2, Op. 55
Subject to change
VERSPIELT
Participants
- Ji Young Lim violin
- István Várdai cello
- Min Kim director
- Korean Chamber Orchestra
Programme
Jisoo Lee (*1969)
Jindo Arirang (Theme on Traditional Korean Folk Music)
Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805)
Concerto No. 9 in B-flat major, G 482
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Pezzo capriccioso in B minor, Op. 62
Christoph W. Gluck (1714–1787) & Fritz Kreisler (1875–1962)
Melody from “Orfeo ed Euridice”
Franz Waxman (1906–1967)
Carmen Fantasy
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904)
Serenade in E major, Op. 22
Concert introduction at 6:45 p.m. with Prof. Friedemann Eichhorn
Subject to change
"AUF DIE BÜHNE, FERTIG, COURAGE!"
Participants
- Andreas Burzik
Programme
Stage fright? It’s part of the experience — and no reason to panic. In this workshop, Andreas Burzik — psychologist and violinist — shows participants in the Cello Masterclasses how to deal with an unsettling “too much” of excitement on stage.
The workshop will be held in English and is intended for participants in the Cello Masterclasses as well as interested visitors.
Subject to change.
FÜR CASALS
Participants
- Anna Im violin
- Michael Shaham violin
- Samuel Rosenthal viola
- Noga Shaham viola
- Gary Hoffman cello
- Chloe Jiyeong Mun Piano
Programme
Ernest Bloch (1880–1959)
From Jewish Life, B 54
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847)
Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58
Pablo Casals (1876–1973)
Rêverie
Gaspar Cassadó (1897–1966)
Requiebros
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
String Quintet No. 2 in G major, Op. 111
Concert introduction at 6:45 p.m. with Prof. Dr. Tiago de Oliveira Pinto.
Subject to change
HERZBLUT
Participants
- Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
- Plínio Fernandes Guitar
Programme
Radamés Gnattali (1906–1988)
Sonata
Leo Brouwer (*1939)
Sonata “The Magic Space”
Rafael M. Arcaro
Élegie à une mémoire oubliée
Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Siete canciones populares españolas
Subject to change
WAS WÄRE ICH OHNE NOTEN?
Participants
- BartolomeyBittmann
Programme
Improvisation Workshop with BartolomeyBittmann
The Courage to be Spontaneous: As part of the Kronberg Festival's Cello Masterclasses, the duo BartolomeyBittmann invites participants to a workshop designed to take them out of their comfort zone. Titled "What would I be without sheet music?", the focus is entirely on improvisation—playing without a written score, relying instead on open ears, curiosity, and a joy for experimentation. Through playful formats and small challenges, the students discover new avenues of musical expression, react to one another, and dare to step into the unknown. A workshop that demands courage and rewards with musical freedom as well as fresh perspectives.
Matthias Bartolomey - violoncello
Klemens Bittmann - violin & mandola
Subject to change
