Pfingstfestspiele Baden-Baden 2026

Festspielhaus Baden-Baden

With around 2,500 seats, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden is the second-largest opera house in Europe and the largest privately financed concert hall in Germany. Opened in 1998 in the style of a historic train station ("Beim Alten Bahnhof"), it is now one of the most important classical stages in Central Europe. The Pfingstfestspiele and the Easter Festival are part of the house's regular program rhythm.

Pfingstfestspiele 2026 — May 17 to 24

The Pfingstfestspiele 2026 program runs from Pentecost Saturday, May 17, to the following Sunday, May 24. Eight days of festival programming with concerts by the international classical elite, combined with a central concert opera performance and a thematic program focus.

Der Rosenkavalier with SWR Symphony Orchestra

The musical highlight is Richard Strauss' comic opera "Der Rosenkavalier" in a concert performance. The SWR Symphony Orchestra, conducted by its chief conductor François-Xavier Roth, performs the work — one of the most ambitious opera scores of the 20th century with a gigantic orchestral setup, many voices, and a playing time of over four hours. World-class tenor Jonathan Tetelman is announced as Octavian, and the entire ensemble of soloists consists of international top artists.

Pierre Boulez — 100th Birthday

2025 marked the 100th anniversary of the birthday of French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez (1925–2016) — and the Pfingstfestspiele 2026 pays extensive tribute to this personality. Several concerts are dedicated to Boulez's work, including "Le Marteau sans maître," "Pli selon pli," or "sur Incises." In addition, works by composers with whom Boulez worked closely (Stockhausen, Berio, Carter). François-Xavier Roth, who studied with Boulez, is an ideal ambassador for this program line.

Three Stylistic Lines

The 2026 festival program moves along three stylistic lines:

• Baroque and Viennese Classicism: Concerts with historical performance practice ensembles and Baroque specialists
• Strauss and Late Romanticism: centered around "Der Rosenkavalier" with songs, tone poems, and Strauss pupils
• Boulez and the 20th/21st Century: Works from the expressionist and post-war repertoire

In addition, jazz arrangements serve as a connecting element between minuets, waltzes, and modern improvisation — a program line that picks up on Strauss's own love for the swinging dance forms of his time.

Baden-Baden as a Festival City

Baden-Baden is a city in Baden-Württemberg, on the edge of the Black Forest, directly next to the Rhine and the French border. The spa town with its spa culture, casino, Festspielhaus, theater, and numerous galleries is one of the most important cultural cities in southern Germany. Accessible directly by ICE from Frankfurt (1h 30m), Stuttgart (1h), and Strasbourg (1h) — a prime festival city for an international audience.