La Grande Gare — Autumn Festival Baden-Baden
Autumn Festival at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden — Currentzis, Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles, Beethoven, Bach, Fauré
About La Grande Gare
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Autumn Festival in Germany's Largest Concert Hall
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, with around 2,500 seats, is Germany's largest opera and concert house and one of Europe's most important classical music venues. In autumn 2026, the house will host four days of the highest calibre classical music from November 7 to 15 under the title 'La Grande Gare' — an allusion to the Festspielhaus's former life as Baden-Baden's train station. The patronage is provided by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
Opening with Currentzis and Utopia
The opening on Saturday, November 7, 2026, will be by Teodor Currentzis with his Utopia Orchestra, founded in 2022. The programme includes Igor Stravinsky's revolutionary 'The Rite of Spring' (1913) and Dmitri Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 77 — violin solo: Daniel Lozakovich, one of the most celebrated young violinists of his generation.
Three Concerts with the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles
The following three concerts feature the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensembles, one of the most renowned ensembles for historically informed performance practice: On Sunday, November 8, the Balthasar-Neumann Orchestra will perform Johann Sebastian Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos on historical instruments — a mammoth programme that challenges the ensemble's full virtuosity. On Saturday, November 14, the orchestra and choir will present Gabriel Fauré's Requiem and complementary works by Max Reger, conducted by Lionel Sow. The finale on Sunday, November 15, will be Beethoven's 9th Symphony, conducted by Pablo González, former chief conductor of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra Madrid.
Baden-Baden, District City and Cultural Centre on the Edge of the Black Forest
Baden-Baden is an independent city on the northwestern edge of the Black Forest with around 56,000 inhabitants — and at the same time one of the world's most famous spa towns and cultural centres. Since 2021, the spa town has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Great Spa Towns of Europe'. The Festspielhaus, founded in 1998 in the former main train station, is the anchor of a dense classical culture that ranges from the Baden-Baden Opera to the Autumn and Pentecost Festivals. 'La Grande Gare' exemplifies this tradition: four concerts of the highest international standard in a single festival week.
La Grande Gare — edition 2026
Four Concerts Between November 7 and 15, 2026
The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden presents its 'La Grande Gare' Autumn Festival in four carefully curated concert evenings between Saturday, November 7, and Sunday, November 15, 2026. Three of the four concerts feature the Balthasar-Neumann Ensembles, one of the most important ensembles for historically informed performance practice in the German-speaking world.
The opening will be by Teodor Currentzis with his Utopia Orchestra, founded in 2022. The festival concludes with Beethoven's timelessly great 9th Symphony under Pablo González — a tribute to one of the most significant concert evenings in classical music history. The Autumn Festival is sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
Programme La Grande Gare 2026
Saturday, November 7, 2026 — Opening Concert
- Teodor Currentzis & Utopia Orchestra
- Works: Igor Stravinsky — The Rite of Spring; Dmitri Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 77
- Violin Solo: Daniel Lozakovich
Sunday, November 8, 2026 — Brandenburg Concertos
- Johann Sebastian Bach — Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1–6
- Balthasar-Neumann Orchestra on historical instruments
Saturday, November 14, 2026 — Fauré Requiem
- Gabriel Fauré — Requiem, Op. 48
- Works by Max Reger
- Balthasar-Neumann Orchestra and Choir
- Conductor: Lionel Sow
Sunday, November 15, 2026 — Festival Finale
- Ludwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
- Balthasar-Neumann Ensembles
- Conductor: Pablo González (former Chief Conductor of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra)
Tickets and full programme at festspielhaus.de.
Highlights La Grande Gare 2026
- Teodor Currentzis & Utopia Orchestra to open
- Daniel Lozakovich as violin soloist
- All 6 of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos on historical instruments
- Fauré's Requiem + Reger under Lionel Sow
- Beethoven's 9th Symphony for the festival finale
Prices La Grande Gare 2026
Ticket prices vary depending on the concert and seating category. Booking via the ticket hotline +49 7221 30130-101 or online at festspielhaus.de. Sponsor: Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Discounts available for students and seniors.
Practical information — La Grande Gare
Getting There
Baden-Baden is located on the A 5 motorway (Baden-Baden exit) and on the ICE high-speed train line Karlsruhe–Basel — Baden-Baden Oos station. From the city train station, take a city bus to the Festspielhaus, or drive directly via the Lichtentaler Allee. The Festspielhaus is located at Beim Alten Bahnhof 2, in the former station building.
Festival Dates 2026
Sat, Nov 7: Currentzis / Utopia Orchestra — Stravinsky, Shostakovich (Lozakovich). Sun, Nov 8: Brandenburg Concertos (Balthasar-Neumann Orchestra). Sat, Nov 14: Fauré Requiem + Reger (Sow). Sun, Nov 15: Beethoven 9th Symphony (González).
Tickets
Ticket hotline: +49 (0) 7221 30130-101. Tickets available from the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden (festspielhaus.de) or directly at the box office. Sponsor: Baden-Württemberg Foundation.
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Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a La Grande Gare al mejor precio.
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Where it takes place La Grande Gare
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden — Beim Alten Bahnhof
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden · Beim Alten Bahnhof 2, 76530 Baden-Baden