Tours to Asia, across Europe, to Turkey, and the residency in Trieste – all a matter for the chief conductor

When the Wiener Symphoniker head out into the world, they do so as ambassadors of Vienna, the city of music. And in this season, it’s a matter for the chief conductor. Petr Popelka will travel with his orchestra on five guest performances. On the European tour, which stretches from Amsterdam to Budapest, the Wiener Symphoniker will be joined by four different pianists: Jan Lisiecki, Lukas Sternath, Anna Vinnitskaya, and Alexander Malofeev who will perform Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand or Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, alongside works by Edvard Grieg and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Popelka will also conduct part of the Austria tour, where Lucas and Arthur Jussen will perform Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat major. The first part of the tour will be led by conductor Alexander Soddy, featuring a sensuous program including Wagner’s Liebestod and Elgar’s Enigma Variations. He’ll be joined by violinist Augustin Hadelich, performing Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2.

Under Popelka’s direction, the Wiener Symphoniker will also return to Asia (June 2026) and appear as cultural ambassadors in two concerts in Turkey – in Izmir and Istanbul – together with pianist Beatrice Rana.

Following their great success in 2025, the orchestra and their chief conductor will return to their spring residency at the Politeama Rossetti in Trieste in 2026 – this time with Rudolf Buchbinder and a program ranging from Mozart to Beethoven.