Jacquot, Tamestit, Apkalna & WDR Sinfonieorchester

The WDR Symphony Orchestra will have a new chief conductor from the 2026/27 season: the young French conductor Marie Jacquot is no stranger to Austria and has been principal guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra since the 2023/24 season. For her debut in Linz, Jacquot has teamed up with two international soloists for an exceptionally varied program: in the first half, the Pilgrims' Chorus, which opens Richard Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' overture, meets the concerto for viola and orchestra La Nuit des Chants by French composer Thierry Escaich, written in 2018. Inspired by the songs of the American Navajo, archaic sounds of a mysterious shadow world unfold here. The solo part is played by Antoine Tamestit, a world star on the viola and also the dedicatee of the work. Camille Saint-Saëns' opulent 'Organ Symphony' is on the program in the second half of the concert. "Here I gave everything I could give ... I will never write anything like this work again", said the composer himself about the work. The exceptional Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna will be playing the organ.