Choriner Musiksommer 2025

The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will once again perform at the Choriner Musiksommer – a summer classical music festival held annually at the historic Cistercian monastery in Chorin, Germany.

A solo piece, an organ concerto and a symphony for the organ are on the programme.

The opener is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata und Fuge with its distinctive toccata theme. Then we jump straight ahead into the 20th century. Francis Poulenc composed his Concerto for Organ, String Orchestra and Timpani in G minor in 1938. At a time when composers would rarely write solo concertos for the organ, it was a hommage to Johann Sebastian Bach. But in contrast to the master’s own compositions, Poulenc wanted his work to be played on a symphonic organ with all the impressive sound effects of the Romantic era.

The so-called Organ Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns is considered one of his most important works. It combines a large organ’s sonority with the musical fabric of a symphonic composition and is the last of his five symphonies. The composer himself wrote about it: “Here I gave everything I could give. I shall never write anything the like of this work again.”

The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by the acclaimed maestro Marcus Huber, with the organ part performed by the outstanding organist – Christian Schmitt.