The Whitsun Festival Baden-Baden 2026 will be centering around the SWR Symphonieorchester. International soloists and splendidly curated chamber music programs define the Festival’s musical profile.

Der Rosenkavalier is a waltz opera! It doesn't matter that during the Rococo period the Viennese danced to minuets. Or that the Viennese element in Der Rosenkavalier is an artistic language invented by Hugo von Hofmannsthal – the poet's libretto is already a work of art in itself. And then the music! Contemporary audiences were so enthusiastic that special trains were arranged to take them to the first performances. The opera inaugurates the Whitsun Festival, sung by dream voices down to the smallest role. In this concert-version performance, the SWR Symphonieorchester shines under chief conductor François-Xavier Roth. And after Der Rosenkavalier? Music from the fin de siècle and Rococo eras. In addition, between minuets and waltzes we will be hearing swinging jazz arrangements. Strauss, we’re sure, would be delighted by this rose bouquet.