La Capitale d’Eté, Baden-Baden 2025
30th June - 7th July 2025

It is always a privilege for the Orchestra to be invited every summer to La Capitale d’Eté in Baden-Baden, a place which is very special for the COE, as the Festspielhaus has welcomed so many of our concerts and recording projects with Yannick over the years. In fact, following the pandemic, when restrictions had finally lifted significantly enough in the summer of 2021, the Festspielhaus was the first hall to welcome us back on stage for a Beethoven symphony cycle with Yannick, recorded by Deutsche Grammophon. Such was their commitment that Benedikt Stampa, the hall’s General Manager, had decided to go ahead with the project, with or without an audience.

This year, Yannick, the COE, the RIAS Kammerchor and soloists Ying Fang, Emily D’Angelo, Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Michael Volle will perform a programme of Mozart blockbusters: Symphonies Nos. 40 and 41, the Requiem and the Great Mass in C minor. The RIAS Kammerchor has been a constant in a number of COE recordings over the years, including the last two Mozart operas that we recorded in Baden-Baden: The Magic Flute in 2018 and La Clemenza di Tito in 2017; in February 2016, we recorded Mendelssohn’s Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3 in the Paris Philharmonie with Yannick; and in 1990 and 1991, it was with them again that we recorded Haydn’s Seasons and Creation with Sir Roger Norrington. Made of 34 singers, the RIAS Kammerchoir is based in Berlin and is one of the most renowned professional choirs in Europe. It has won many awards including: The German Record Critics’ Award, the ECHO Klassik, the Gramophone Award, the Choc de l’année, the Prix Caecilia and the “Nachtigall” honorary prize from the Jury of the German Record Critics’ Award. We are thrilled to work with them again.

In addition to the orchestral concerts on 4th and 6th July, Yannick and soloists from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will perform a chamber concert with Yannick on the piano on 5th July. Together they will perform Schumann’s quartet for piano, violin, viola and cello op.47. Singers will join them in a selection of Mozart arias.

Since their first project together in 2008, the COE and Yannick have developed a very special relationship, resulting in Yannick becoming one of the Orchestra’s Honorary Members. Aside from their many tours together, they have also been very prolific with their recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, releasing Schumann, Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Brahms Symphony Cycles, five Mozart operas (Cosi Fan Tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, La Clemenza di Tito, Die Entführung aus dem Serail and The Magic Flute), a fine disc that combined Clara Wieck-Schumann’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and her husband Robert’s Piano Concerto with Beatrice Rana, Prokofiev’s Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 with Lisa Batiashvili and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 with Seong-Jin Cho.

To find out more about this strong partnership, please watch this short video featuring interviews with Yannick and COE players: