It’s the most wonderful time of the year—not only for parents whose kids are heading back to school but also for “klassical junkies” like myself. It’s that time of year when you can stuff your back pockets with hefty orchestra programs and tack season posters on your walls—all before curtains go up in concert halls around the country. You’ll find jam-packed performance schedules pretty much anywhere you go in Germany but here are some highlights from a few fall programs you should check out:

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Most Germans know the year 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the German constitution…but it’s also the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s 60th birthday!
 
-- The violinist with one name, Midori, performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major in the first of a series of joint concerts with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Mariss Jansons (Midori returns again on October 10 to play Beethoven’s beloved violin concerto), October 8

-- The Bavarian Radio Choir joins the orchestra to perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D minor, or the “Ode to Joy” symphony, October 28, 29, 30
-- Normally trying to get tickets to see Yo-Yo Ma play Dvorak’s glorious cello concerto would be pretty tough but he’ll take the stage for three concerts. Plus, the orchestra will perform Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture and music from The Valkyrie, November 11, 12, 13
-- Latvian cellist Mischa Maisky and the chamber orchestra from the Bavarian Radio Symphony will present both Hadyn cello concertos No. 1 and No. 2, not to mention Haydn’s 6th Symphony, or “Le matin,” December 20

Dresden Staatskapelle

Voted the 10th best orchestra in the world in Gramophone’s classical ranking last fall, the renowned Saxon state orchestra boasts nothing short of an all-star lineup this fall.

-- The program features Strauss’ Alpine Symphony and master pianist Lang Lang, who will play Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto in F minor under the lead of conductor Fabio Luisi, September 1, 2
-- Conductor Herbert Blomstedt leads a night of spectacular music, including Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano in C major and Tchaikovsky’s 4th Symphony in F minor, October 23, 24, 25
-- Violists don’t get the spotlight all that often (they’ve even been called the string family’s “ugly stepchild”), so definitely check out this rare opportunity to see violist David Aaron Carpenter play Alfred Schnittke’s viola concerto, November 29, 30
-- The highlight here is Tchaikovsky’s 1st Symphony in G minor conducted by Vladimir Jurowsky, although Brahms’ 2nd Piano Concerto in B flat Major, performed by Russian pianist Arcadi Volodos, will be a close second, December 20, 21, 22

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

This orchestra has been around for more than 200 years but the famous Leipzig ensemble isn’t old-fashioned: You can actually follow them on twitter…Mozart would have been proud.

-- The 229th season-opener on August 21st marked the start of the Mendelssohn Festival Days, kicking off nearly a month of Mendelssohn concerts from the orchestra and several visiting ensembles and performers
-- The Gewandhaus Orchestra and conductor Riccardo Chailly continue the Mendelssohn theme with the German composer’s Symphony No. 5 in D minor before performing Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony No. 4 in E flat Major, October 1, 2
-- German violinist Arabella Steinbacher takes the stage to perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G major and the Gewandhaus orchestra plays Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major, October 15, 16

-- Conductor Christopher Hogwood leads one of my favorites, the overture from Mozart’s Don Giovanni opera November 12, 13
-- Another day, another star violinist: This time, it’s Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D alongside the orchestra and conductor Lawrence Foster, November 19, 20
-- Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen takes the stage for a night of great music: Olivier Messiaen’s “A Smile” or “Un Sourire,” Mozart’s 29th symphony in A major and Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony in F minor, December 17, 18

Berlin Philharmonic

I couldn’t leave out the world’s 2nd best orchestra (according to Gramophone), could I? The fall has a distinctively Russian theme to it with Shostakovich’s popping up in a series of concerts…
-- The orchestra plays Shostakovich’s 4th Symphony and the Adagio from Alban Berg’s Lulu Suite, September 12, 13
-- Conductor Gustav Dudamel will lead the Berlin Philharmonic’s first ever performance of Shostakovich’s 12th Symphony September 17, 18, 19
-- Not to be missed, the peerless Daniel Barenboim will perform both Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor and the French composer’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor October 2, 3, 4

-- Semyon Bychkov takes the reins as violinist Guy Braunstein and the orchestra perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1, October 8, 9, 10
-- Zubin Mehta comes to Berlin to lead the orchestra in Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 in D major and virtuoso Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos takes the stage to perform, what else, Beethoven’s violin concerto, December 4, 5, 6
-- Make sure to catch this holiday concert! The Berlin Philharmonic and Simon Rattle perform Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’ and pianist-in-residence Lang Lang will undoubtedly wow the audience with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, December 29, 30, 31

Sumi Somaskanda/Expatica