François-Xavier Roth - a concentrated season opening in Cologne

With two celebratory concerts and two productions of three operas, it has been a busy month in Cologne for François-Xavier Roth.

The annual Festkonzert (Bartok Violin Concerto no.2 and Mahler's 5th Symphony) opened the season, followed by a Jubilee concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Cologne Philharmonie with the City's two orchestras playing together in I-formation, a specially commissioned work by Vito Žuraj.

At the Opera, a revival of Berlioz' Benvenuto Cellini was followed by a new production of a Ravel double bill of L'heure espagnole and L'enfant et les sortilèges.