With Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, near Vienna, the choice for 2026 fell on a venue of exceptional significance in the history of music. For decades, the Baroque palace in Eisenstadt was the workplace of Joseph Haydn, who served there as court conductor to the Princes of Esterházy. Many of his symphonies and chamber music works were composed here. The famous Haydn Hall is still regarded today as one of the concert halls with the best acoustics in Europe and provided an impressive setting for one of Europe’s most significant classical music events. Conducted by Kirill Petrenko and featuring the French cellist Gautier Capuçon as soloist, the concert was entirely dedicated to the European musical tradition.

The concert programme spanned a range from the Viennese Classical period to the modern era. Alongside an overture by Haydn, works by Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Ludwig van Beethoven were performed. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Variations on a Rococo Theme’, featuring Gautier Capuçon, was particularly well received by the audience. All in all, it was an extraordinary concert, which was broadcast to more than 80 countries.