Anniversary concert: 40 years of Kölner Philharmonie

Four decades of musical excellence: Forty years ago, on September 14, 1986, the Cologne Philharmonic Hall opened its doors with a program featuring Romantic classics and contemporary music.

The anniversary concert builds on these early days, featuring Mendelssohn’s “Reformation Symphony” with its solemn chorale at the end and the monumental “Sunrise” at the beginning of Strauss’s famous tone poem “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” as well as the concert piece “ad absurdum” by contemporary composer Jörg Widmann. For this occasion, Cologne’s two major orchestras are joining forces: the WDR Symphony Orchestra and the Gürzenich Orchestra, which was already part of the festive opening concert 40 years ago. Cologne’s General Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada will conduct the Gürzenich Orchestra, and composer, conductor, and clarinetist Jörg Widmann will lead the WDR Symphony Orchestra in this concert, which celebrates this extraordinary concert hall.

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Gefördert vom Kuratorium KölnMusik e.V.