6. Philharmonic concert »Request Concert«

In late 2025, our GMD Felix Mildenberger launched a Request Concert competition. We were looking for the works you’ve always wanted to hear performed by the BSOF. The most popular composition was to be performed during the 2026/27 season at a »Request Concert«. The response was so overwhelming and the results so close that we decided to perform not just one favourite work, but selections from seven.

At this »Request Concert«, you will hear excerpts from Edvard Grieg’s masterfully orchestrated Peer Gynt Suite. In ‘Morning Mood’ he uses the orchestra to paint a sunrise in an unrivalled manner. This stands in stark contrast to ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’, which builds tension and drama to a rousing climax. With The Moldau we are performing one of Bedřich Smetana’s most brilliant works. He describes the majestic flow of the river and – with musical brilliance – allows scenes on the riverbank to unfold before the listeners’ eyes, just as in a film. The Adagietto from Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is regarded as one of the most touching movements in the orchestral repertoire. Written for strings and harp alone, the movement was made unforgettably famous by Luchino Visconti’s film Death in Venice. The suite from George Bizet’s opera Carmen is seductive, exotic and spirited. Here, French elegance meets flamenco rhythms. Also frequently requested were Antonín Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 6 and 9 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. We will perform the most captivating movements from these three fantastic symphonies. The concert will be conducted by GMD Felix Mildenberger, the initiator of this request concert.