Richard Strauss' fantastically orchestrated symphonic poem “Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche” (“Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks”) drives his hero musically through a fool's life of ups and downs, in which drasticness is just as much present as poetry – the Konzerthausorchester under the baton of Iván Fischer plays this rousing piece for you as a prelude. Afterwards, our artist in residence, soprano Vera-Lotte Boecker, fills the Great Hall with some the composer’s orchestral songs, which create a completely different world.

Sergei Rachmaninoff was initially known primarily as a pianist and composer of piano music. However, he also wrote three symphonies, the famous Symphonic Dances and several Symphonic Poems. Having been deeply troubled by the failure of his First Symphony, he wrote his Second in 1906–07, which, after many revisions, was fortunately premiered to great acclaim in St Petersburg the following year.