In May 2022 the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra completed its first major European tour since the pandemic with ten concerts across Germany, conducted by RPO Music Director Vasily Petrenko. Star soloists Anne-Sophie Mutter and Khatia Buniatishvili performed alongside the Orchestra to welcoming audiences and rave reviews in two whilwind weeks of travelling and music-making.

Read on to see more photos and reactions from our spring tour to Germany.

Baden-Baden, Dusseldorf and Cologne

The first stop along the way on Saturday 14 May was Baden-Baden's Festspielhaus, where our presence was made no secret...

Baden Baden giant poster

Alongside Bernstein's Candide Overture and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances, soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter performed Previn's Violin Concerto, 'Anne-Sophie', which was composed in 2001 for tin dedication to the violinist.

Baden Baden Josh Cirtina

^{(c) Josh Cirtina}

Baden Baden c Richard Ion

^{Enjoying a break in Lichtentaler Allee park (c) Richard Ion}

The next day we took the programme to Dusseldorf's Tonhalle, having last performed there in September 2016.

RPO Dusseldorf Tonhalle 1

RPO Dusseldorf Tonhalle 2

^{(c) Richard Ion}

In Cologne some of us took the opportunity to go sight-seeing...

Inside the Cologne Philharmonie!

Cologne Philharmonie Richard Ion

^{(c) Richard Ion}

Read the five-star Bachtrack review.

Hamburg to Munich

On Tuesday 17 May we arrived in Hamburg's beautiful Elbphilharmonie.

Violins Sali-Wyn Ryan and Tamás András were caught being very candid...

Sali (c) Richard Ion

Tamas (c) Richard Ion

^{(c) Richard Ion}

After a stop in Stuttgart we arrived for a two-day residency in Munich's Isarphilharmonie with Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

RPO and Vasily Petrenko with Anne-Sophie Mutter

^{Taking a short break between busy rehearsals}

Essen to Freiburg

On Saturday 21 May in Essen we performed Walton's Johannesburg Festival Overture alongside Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 with Khatia Buniatishvili.

Did you know that this was the concert hall where Mahler premiered his Symphony No.6?

Essen Philharmonie Sali Wyn Ryan