3 orchestras and stars

Visitors to the "3 Orchestras and Stars" can look forward to a very attractive programme of music: On 6 June 2006, three days before the first whistle is blown for the opening match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, Munich's three top orchestras, together with their conductors and other stars of the world of music, will give a dazzling open-air concert in the Olympic Stadium in Munich. The programme will include world-famous classical and pop hits, ranging from "Also sprach Zarathustra" to "We are the Champions". The Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta, the Munich Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons will form the basis for the evening, together with star tenor Placido Domingo. For the first time, the three top orchestras will be brought together into a unique symphonic experience. The Bavarian Radio Choir and Munich Philharmonic Choir will complete the high-quality line-up of the concert. Other star guests will include pianist and Echo Prize-winner Lang Lang and soprano Diana Damrau. An announcement will be made about a guest from the world of pop in the next few weeks. More than 400 performers will captivate the audience under the canopy of Munich's Olympic Stadium. Accompanied by video sequences and illuminations, they will send viewers on a symphonic journey through sound, space and light, turning the evening into a unique total artwork. The event will begin with the opening bars, played by all the orchestras and their conductors, of Richard Strauss' symphonic poem "Also sprach Zarathustra". After this, the Munich Philharmonic, under the baton of Christian Thielemann, will welcome visitors from Germany and the rest of the world with Wagner's "Entry of the Guests" from the opera "Tannhäuser". Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will follow this with the "Rosenkavalier" suite by Richard Strauss. The Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta will then play the overture to Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Forza del Destino". Throughout the concert, star tenor Placido Domingo will be singing world-famous arias, accompanied by one of the three orchestras each time, including "Winterstürme" from Wagner's "Valyrie" and "Tonight" from Bernstein's "West Side Story" in a duet with soprano Diana Damrau. The pianist Lang Lang will perform Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons. The Bavarian Radio Choir and the Philharmonic Choir will be performing in the works by Wagner, in opera choruses and in Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". In the grand finale, all the orchestras, choirs and stars will perform a "Football Medley" including famous works such as Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance". Queen's "We are the Champions" will mark the start of a fantastic firework display against the Munich night sky. The concert will be presented on a giant stage inside the Olympic Stadium. A sophisticated sound and light concept combined with giant video walls will guarantee a thrilling concert experience. Because 60% of the seats are under cover, the weather risk is minimised compared with similar open-air events. "3 Orchestras and Stars" is an event organised by the Free State of Bavaria in cooperation with the State Capital of Munich and Bavarian Radio with the support of FIFA and the 2006 World Cup Organising Committee. The concert is an official contribution to the Federal Government's arts and cultural programme for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in collaboration with the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee. The production and running of the event are the responsibility of the Munich agency PRO EVENTS Veranstaltungs GmbH. Advance booking for "3 Orchestras and Stars" has already opened. Tickets costing from 25 € to 124 € are available from München Ticket, tel.: 01805 / 66 06 30 (www.muenchenticket.de), Eventim, tel. 01805 / 570 000 (www.eventim.de), and from other booking offices and travel agents. For more information see: www.3orchester.de