Lortzing 26 — Classical Music Festival Leipzig

A Festival for Albert Lortzing

Lortzing 26 is the ambitious music festival that the Oper Leipzig is hosting in the 2025/2026 season in honor of the composer Albert Lortzing (1801–1851). The occasion is two commemorative dates: the 225th birthday on October 23, 1801, and the 175th death anniversary on January 21, 1851. Both anniversaries are celebrated together in a 10-day festival from April 24 to May 3, 2026 — with the aim of rediscovering Lortzing's work in its full breadth: "this free spirit and jack-of-all-trades among composers," as Artistic Director Tobias Wolff calls him.

Ten Performances — Two World Premieres

The core of the festival consists of ten opera and concert performances at the Opernhaus Leipzig and the Musikalische Komödie. Highlights include two eagerly awaited world premieres: "Der Waffenschmied" and "Regina" — both largely unknown stage works that are being brought back into the repertoire with these new productions. In addition, the two Lortzing classics "Zar und Zimmermann" (premiered in 1837 at the Leipziger Stadttheater) and "Undine" are on the program, as well as chamber concerts and choral concerts featuring works by Lortzing and his contemporaries.

Science, Family, and City

The festival extends beyond the stage: In cooperation with the University of Leipzig, a scientific symposium on Lortzing's work and activities will take place. Family tours, workshops for children, an exhibition, and guided city walks to Lortzing's sites in Leipzig complement the program. The culinary dimension is also cultivated — with a Biedermeier breakfast in a historic setting and the Open Stage in front of the opera house on Augustusplatz: free concerts and musical events that carry the festival out into the city.

Leipzig — Lortzing's Place of Activity

Albert Lortzing came to Leipzig in 1833 and spent his most productive years here. Eight of his thirteen operas were created in the trade fair and music city — including "Zar und Zimmermann," whose premiere in 1837 at the Leipziger Stadttheater marked one of his greatest stage successes. Lortzing was also a socially and culturally active figure in Leipzig's bourgeoisie. That the city — an independent city in the Free State of Saxony, the largest city in Saxony with around 600,000 inhabitants, and, alongside Dresden, the most important music center in Central Germany — dedicates its own festival to this composer is a fitting tribute. Saxony thus adds another strong pillar to the festival summers (Chursächsischer Sommer, Sächsische Mozart-Gesellschaft, Bachfest Leipzig).