In the organizer's words:

Ethel Smyth (1858-1944):
Prologue from "The Forest"
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826):
Overtures and hunter's choruses from "Der Freischütz", "Euryanthe" and "Turandot" as well as Symphony No. 1
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963):
Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes by Carl Maria von Weber

MDR Radio Choir
MDR Symphony Orchestra
Dennis Russell Davies | Conductor

In June 2026, the music world will commemorate the 200th anniversary of Carl Maria von Weber's death. His work is inextricably linked to a new musical aesthetic in which nature, and the forest in particular, occupies a central position. Der Freischütz is considered a key work in this regard - with the forest as a stage for the uncanny and supernatural. Here and in numerous other works of the 19th century, the subject of the forest develops into a cipher that makes the invisible audible and transforms listening itself into an act of amazement. In this program, chief conductor Dennis Russell Davies combines Weber's immortal music with expansions and reflections on his work - and guarantees surprising discoveries in the process.