Review: Baroque Festival 2025/26

Strong response to Baroque music culture: Winter in Schwetzingen 2025/26 draws a positive balance and surpasses last year's edition

The 19th edition of the Baroque festival Winter in Schwetzingen ended on 25 January 2026 with a pleasing result: with an attendance rate of 92 per cent, the festival confirmed its position as a fixture in the regional cultural landscape and achieved an increase compared to the encouraging figures of the previous year.

The 2025/26 season was dedicated to Agostino Steffani's rarely performed Baroque opera »Alcibiades«. Under the direction of Ulrike Schumann and Thomas Böckstiegel for the last time, Winter in Schwetzingen has focused on rediscovering the works of German Baroque composers since 2019. Under the musical direction of Clemens Flick and staged by Tom Ryser, Steffani's Baroque opera transported the audience into the world of political intrigue and amorous entanglements in ancient Greece. The Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg and an international ensemble of soloists provided musical highlights.

The accompanying concert programme once again offered a wide range of perspectives on Baroque music at this year's festival: Clemens Flick and his ensemble e.g.baroque presented the far-reaching influence of Vivaldi. The Bachchor Concert »Gloria in excelsis« was performed in Heidelberg's Peterskirche. The traditional Christmas concert by the Philharmonisches Barock Orchester Heidelberg once again delighted audiences this year. Dorothee Oberlinger and her ensemble 1700 performed Italian Christmas music. The lautten compagney BERLIN under Wolfgang Katschner combined historical soundscapes with contemporary issues in their concert »In search of the best world« with Georg Philipp Telemann's cantata »Die Landlust«. Young listeners aged six and above were able to discover the music of forgotten female composers at the children's concert »Mystery of Mrs Philharmonica« by the Ensemble Interchange.

For artistic director Holger Schultze, this edition marks a special moment: the Baroque Festival 2025/26 was the last one under his artistic direction. »With its national appeal and extraordinary audience response, the Winter in Schwetzingen has established itself as a fixture. This mixture of historically informed performance practice, courageous rediscoveries and a venue with a unique atmosphere such as the Rococo Theatre results in evenings that go far beyond the usual concert and opera events. The continued popularity and loyalty of our visitors clearly demonstrate the significance this festival has achieved.«