Join us throughout the concert season and discover the stories behind the music. Each podcast episode is dedicated to a concert and provides fascinating insights into works, composers and interpretations. Selected music excerpts and brief commentary bring the music to life and open up new perspectives – the ideal way to get in the mood for your concert visit.

#17 Nacht

Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle tells a story of love, control and the depths of a destructive relationship. Conductor Susanna Mälkki and criminal psychologist Lydia Benecke discuss the work’s startling relevance to the present day and how Bartók brings the dynamics of abusive relationships to life through music.

Author and narrator: Maria Gnann

#16 Titan

Cosmos, chaos, and the primal forces of nature are explored and transformed into sound in »Metacosmos« by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, »Titan«. The Icelandic composer and the conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada explain exactly how.

Author and narrator: Maria Gnann

#15 Sagenhaft 

It shimmers with a metallic, dazzling brilliance; it rumbles like thunder, soaring to the highest heights and plunging to the deepest depths: Thomas Adès’s violin concerto “Concentric Path” has a lot to offer, according to violinist Tami Pohjola. Not least the elemental power and primal vitality that also characterize Jean Sibelius’s “Lemminkäinen” Suite.

Author and narrator: Marie König

#14 St. John Passion

St. John Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach: A musical narrative that captivates us with its stark drama and touches us deeply. It tells of Jesus’ suffering and death, but also of human life with its joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, loyalty and betrayal. Our podcast explores how Bach tells this story through music and why it still moves us so deeply today.

Author and narrator: Marie König

# 13 Light in Suffering

»A German Requiem«. You unfortunate soul! Johannes Brahms thought to himself and composed a requiem mass for the living, for those left behind, »those who suffer«. Here you can find out what musical means he used to offer comfort in his »German Requiem« – and which deceased he was apparently thinking of.

Author and narrator: Maria Gnann

#12 Galaktisch

Planets of destiny. Among his friends, British composer Gustav Holst treated astrology more as a source of amusement, but on the concert stage he took it seriously. He poured his heart and soul and technical skill into the seven musical portraits of his suite ‘The Planets’, from Mars as the ‘bringer of war’ to Venus as the ‘bringer of peace’ to Neptune as the ‘mystic’.

Author and narrator: Thilo Braun

#11 Am Puls

Against all odds. György Ligeti came under political pressure when he wanted to publish his Concert Românesc, while Antonín Dvořák struggled with the soloist's constant requests for changes to his violin concerto. And Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his Second Symphony while his increasing hearing loss plunged him into crisis. A podcast episode about the power of resistance, about which violinist Veronika Eberle also has a lot to say.

Unfortunately, Veronika Eberle has had to cancel the symphony concert “Am Puls” for health reasons. Simone Lamsma will take over the concert with a different violin concerto. She will play Max Bruch's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1, Op. 26.

Narrator and author: Thilo Braun

#10 Lebensrätsel

Light and love. Can music save us – or does it merely numb the pain of the world?
The new episode of Let's GO deals with nothing less than love, power, intoxication and responsibility. From the intoxicating love death in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde to Nietzsche's superhuman in Strauss' Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada and soprano Christiane Karg explain why art remains necessary even in the darkest of times. Plus: a surprising detour to Kubrick and Barbie, grand orchestral fanfares, philosophical border crossings and a look behind the scenes of a concert programme that could hardly be more existential.

Narrator and author: Thilo Braun

#9 1001 Nacht

Under the spell of stories. She tells stories to survive. Scheherazade defies death with nothing but imagination, courage and the power of storytelling. In Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic suite ‘Scheherazade’, she becomes the voice of the solo violin: seductive, clever, fearless. This podcast episode takes you into the world of One Thousand and One Nights – to dangerous kings, roaring seas and magical orchestration. Why this music still captivates us today, how stories can save lives and what all this has to do with longing, war and beauty – you can hear it all in Let's GO – 1001 Nights.

Narrator and author: Marie König

#8 Jauchzet, frohlocket!

In this festive podcast episode, we delve into Bach's most luminous work: the Christmas Oratorio. Mezzo-soprano Anna Lucia Richter explains why Christmas begins for her as soon as the timpani kick in – and why the oratorio still evokes pure festive spirit, community and comfort for many people today.

Narrator and author: Thilo Braun

#7 Schwanengesang

On dying and shining. An episode about music on the edge of life: Richard Strauss's ‘Death and Transfiguration’ and the ‘Four Last Songs’ tell of the path from darkness to light. Conductor Sakari Oramo explains why these works are so comforting – and how Jonathan Harvey's ‘Tranquil Abiding’ continues the theme as a musical meditation.

Narrator and author: Thilo Braun

#6 Kronberg Academy

Strings like ice. Icy wind, vast landscapes, a lonely violin. Sibelius' violin concerto runs like a shining thread through every movement – sometimes cool and controlled, sometimes imbued with inner fervour, full of longing and drama. Dmytro Udovychenko, a student at the Kronberg Academy and one of the soloists of the evening, lets us hear how the notes overwhelm him, how the second movement, in its sublimity, touches on humanity and longing until they become almost tangible.

Narrator and author: Maria Gnann

#5 Zu Dir

In the Shadow of Fate. A horn call, a shadow that never disappears. Fatum runs like a dark thread through every movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. Sometimes stormy, threatening, full of violence and rebellion, sometimes quiet, almost desperate and melancholic – personal fate is always palpable, suffering inescapable. A work that makes fate tangible and leaves behind questions that resonate far beyond the final notes.

Narrator and author: Marie König

#4 Amazônia

A journey to the Amazon. Between overwhelming beauty and vulnerable nature. The Gürzenich Orchestra, conducted by Simone Menezes, presents a suite from Heitor Villa-Lobos' ‘Floresta do Amazonas’, accompanied by impressive black-and-white photographs by Brazilian artist Sebastião Salgado. The result is an immersive concert project that combines sound and images in a poetic appeal for the protection of our planet. We invite you to immerse yourself in the rainforest with open ears and eyes.

Narrator and author: Thilo Braun

#3 Höhenflug

A kaleidoscope of sounds. Thomas Adès is a conductor, pianist and composer with an unmistakable signature style. Together with Kirill Gerstein, he will bring his own piano concerto and his orchestral work Aquifer to the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne in October 2025. This episode provides insights into the multifaceted musical world of a unique artist.

Narrator and author: Maria Gnann

#2 – Glücksgriff

The detached Second. After decades of struggle, Johannes Brahms succeeded in creating a symphonic masterpiece. His Second Symphony is like a summer evening on Lake Wörthersee: light-filled, cheerful – and yet tinged with a subtle melancholy. In this episode, you will learn how the work came about after a long period of maturation, what doubts Brahms had to overcome, and why it is still considered one of the great strokes of luck in music history.

Narrator and author: Maria Gnann

#1  - Carmina Burana

The Wheel of Fortune. Hardly any other work from the 20th century is as well known as Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’. Even the first few bars of ‘O Fortuna’ transform every scene into an epic experience – telling the story of the wheel of fortune that whirls people into happiness and misfortune. With archaic sounds, gripping rhythms and sensual melodies, Carl Orff created music in 1937 that has an immediate effect and continues to fascinate to this day. 

Narrator and author: Marie König