It's Christmas time and Berlin's concert halls are bringing one Christmas classic after another to the city's stages. The Unter den Linden Chamber Orchestra will spoil you with The Nutcracker, Bach's Christmas Oratorio will ring in the festive season in the cathedral and the State Opera will enchant the hearts of the city with a performance of Swan Lake. It's going to be a musical December!
Tip 1: Experience The Nutcracker at the Philharmonie Berlin
The family concert series Animals, Tango and Trumpets has been the main activity of the Unter den Linden Chamber Orchestra for over 20 years. Conductor and presenter Andreas Peer Kähler leads his orchestra and the audience through a humorous evening full of fairytale musical stories. The programme includes classics such as Peter and the Wolf, The Carnival of the Animals and - fittingly for the Christmas season - The Nutcracker in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin.
Children and their accompanying adults are playfully guided through the afternoon and actively involved in the action on stage. You can expect a skilful mix of musical brilliance and Christmas family fun!
When: Saturday, 6 December, at 3 pm
Where: Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
Tip 2: Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Baroque Soloists
It is exactly 30 years since the Berlin Baroque Solo ists came together with the idea of reinterpreting baroque music on modern instruments. You can experience the special anniversary concert - 30 years of the Berliner Barock Solisten, founded in 1995, on 7 December in the Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie. To celebrate the occasion, the star musicians will perform various baroque masterpieces, including Georg Philipp Telemann's Overture in C minor and Bach's famous Brandenburg Concerto in G major.
When: Sunday, 7 December at 15:30
Where: Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
Tip 3: Enjoy the Advent concert in the Melanchthon Church
The red brick façade of Spandau's Melanchthon Church alone evokes Christmas feelings. When Christmas decorations light up the forecourt and the voices of Cappella Vocale Berlin ring out from the church building, the picture of devotion is complete. Together with the brass players from Hauptstadtblech , the vocal ensemble has put together an Advent concert that combines various Christmas melodies from several centuries. From Handel to Humperdinck, you can expect a Christmassy arrangement of vocals and brass music.
When: Friday, 12 December, at 19:30
Where: Melanchthon Church, Melanchthonplatz, Spandau
advent concert in the Melanchthon Church
Tip 4: The Christmas concert of the Apollo Choir of the State Opera
The successful recipe of church meets choral singing also makes our next tip a Christmas highlight. This time, the event will take place at St Matthew's Church in Mitte, and the star of the evening is the Apollo Choir of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. On 13 December, the vocal ensemble will perform its annual Christmas concert under the direction of Artur Just. The singers will perform Mendelssohn's hymn Hör mein Bitten and the first three cantatas from Bach's Christmas Oratorio. There is hardly a better way to get into the mood for the third Advent.
When: Saturday, 13 December, at 7 pm
Where: St Matthew's Church, Matthäikirchplatz, Mitte
Christmas concert Apollo Choir of the State Opera
Tip 5: Rejoice, rejoice and enjoy the Christmas Oratorio in the cathedral
Lovers of classical music often consider Johann Sebastian Bach 's Christmas Oratorio to be the main part of Christmas. If you share this opinion, a visit to Berlin Cathedral during the Advent season is a must. From 19 to 21 December, the oratorio choir of the Berliner Domkantorei and the baroque orchestra Aris & Aulis, conducted by cathedral cantor Adrian Büttemeier, will perform the first three cantatas here. Look forward to a timpani roll, the sound of trumpets and a vocal power worthy of Christmas!
When: Friday, 19 December, and Saturday, 20 December, at different times
Where: Berlin Cathedral, Am Lustgarten, Mitte
Tip 6: Classical music for children at the family concert with the Konzerthausorchester
The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is one of the largest and most renowned orchestras in the city. The musicians who make up the orchestra are busy with rehearsals and concerts all year round - so it's no wonder that they also long for a bit of fun during the Advent season. This gave rise to the idea of organising a very special day for young classical music fans. At the family concert with the Konzerthausorchester on 20 December, you can celebrate Christmas with the musicians at the Konzerthaus. Symphonic works from several eras will be performed, embedded in a fun supporting programme of moderation and hands-on activities .
When: Saturday, 20 December, at 11 am
Where: Konzerthaus Berlin - Great Hall, Gendarmenmarkt, Mitte
Family concert with the Konzerthausorchester
Tip 7: The Christmas Oratorio at the Philharmonie Berlin
Bach's Christmas Oratorio is undoubtedly one of the most important choral works in Western music history and has become an integral part of the Christmas programme. This is also the view of the Philharmonie Berlin. On Monday 22 December, Berlin's leading oratorio choir Camerata Vocale will take to the stage in the orchestra's chamber music hall . Under the direction of their conductor Daniel Kirchmann, the singers will perform the entire Christmas Oratorio and, with outstanding soloists, are guaranteed to give you goosebumps again this year.
When: Monday, 22 December, at 8 pm
Where: Chamber Music Hall of the Philharmonie Berlin, Herbert-von-Karajan-Straße 1, Tiergarten
Tip 8: Musical diversity at the Christmas concert in the Bode Museum
For over twenty years, the Berlin Palace Concerts concert series has been transforming the city's palaces and historic buildings into concert halls. You can also enjoy this combination of classical music and architecture at Christmas - at the Christmas concert in the Bode Museum. The walk to the wintry Museum Island alone makes the concert the ideal event for Christmas Day. And there's plenty on offer musically too: The Mozartensemble Berlin will spoil you with Christmas pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Boccherini and co.
When: Thursday, 25 December, at 4 pm
Where: Bode-Museum, Am Kupfergraben 3, Mitte
Tip 9: Listen to O Holy Night in St Mary's Church
There is also a festive atmosphere around Alexanderplatz during the Christmas holidays. In the nearby St Mary's Church, you can experience a Christmas concert for organ, trumpet and soprano at O Holy Night . The internationally acclaimed soprano Anna Gütter will perform a contemplative programme together with wind player Daniel Schmahl. In addition to the vocal pieces, Tchaikovsky 's Nutcracker Suite is a special highlight of the evening. Close your eyes and enjoy while Ivan-Bogdan Reincke makes the church's impressive organ resound.
When: Friday, 26 December, at 4 pm
Where: St. Marienkirche, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 8, Mitte
Tip 10: Go inside yourself at the NoonSong in the church on Hohenzollernplatz
NoonSong, a mixture of meditation and musical experience at lunchtime, takes place every Saturday at the church on Hohenzollernplatz. The programme includes psalm settings, motets, chorales and liturgical songs. During the performance, visitors are encouraged by conductor Stefan Schuck to close their eyes and spend half an hour inwardly. During Advent , you can experience a Christmassy version of the weekly meditation ritual here. The 741st NoonSong will feature music by Faulkner, Gesualdo and Essl alongside weekly psalms and a scripture reading from the Gospel of Luke.
When: Saturday 13 December at 12 noon
Where: Church at Hohenzollernplatz, Nassauische Straße 66-67, Wilmersdorf
Tip 11: Christmas ballet with Swan Lake
Tchaikovsky's immortal music, the opulent costumes, the impressive physical artistry and the heartbreaking story behind Swan Lake make the ballet world-famous to this day. During the Christmas season, you can experience the longing love drama between Prince Siegfried and the enchanted Princess Odette on several dates on the stage of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden. Patrices Bart's production draws on the era of the Romanovs in the Russian Tsarist Empire and tells a balancing act between decadence and doom and gloom.
When: Various dates in December
Where: Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Unter den Linden 7, Mitte
