The programme
The programme
Bavaria Klassik's Residenz-Solisten play works that return again and again to this room, from the composer who first heard his own opera on this stage.
- MOZART
The room that heard Idomeneo first
Mozart's opera Idomeneo had its world premiere on this stage on 29 January 1781, making the Cuvilliés Theatre one of the composer's own concert rooms two and a half centuries before tonight's gala.
- VIVALDI
Baroque concertos under gilded boxes
The Residenz-Solisten's repertoire runs back to Vivaldi, whose concertos suit a room built only a few decades after his death.
- MENDELSSOHN
A Romantic violin line in a rococo room
Mendelssohn's violin concertos are a standing part of the gala's repertoire, Romantic-era lyricism carried by a soloist standing where 18th-century court singers once did.
- JOHANN STRAUSS
A touch of Vienna in Munich
Waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss round out evenings built mostly from chamber and concerto repertoire, a lighter close before the night ends.
- ROSSINI
An overture to open the night
Rossini's overtures are part of the programme's regular rotation, often the piece that opens the evening before the soloist takes the stage.
- DVOŘÁK
A full orchestra in a court theatre
Dvořák's orchestral writing — including a complete reading of his Ninth Symphony on at least one past evening — fills a room built for an 18th-century court orchestra a fraction of the size.
The running order changes by date rather than staying fixed for the season; these are the composers the gala returns to most.
From a court fire to tonight's gala
From a court fire to tonight's gala
A theatre ordered after a fire
A fire destroyed the Residenz's court theatre in the St. George's Hall. Elector Maximilian III Joseph had François de Cuvilliés design a replacement, built from 1751 to 1753 and opened on 12 October that year with Giovanni Ferrandini's opera Catone in Utica.
Rococo in gold and crimson
Cuvilliés filled the hall with carved and gilded decoration across four tiers of boxes, fourteen to a tier, arranged in a horseshoe around the floor, the carving done under the supervision of sculptor Johann Baptist Straub, with an Electoral box facing the stage.
Idomeneo, twice
Mozart's Idomeneo had its world premiere here on 29 January 1781, commissioned by Elector Karl Theodor for the court's carnival season. The opera returned to the same stage on 14 June 2008, when the restored theatre reopened with a new production directed by Dieter Dorn and conducted by Kent Nagano.
Destroyed in the Second World War, rebuilt by 1958
The theatre's carved and gilded fittings were removed to safety in 1943, before the building itself was destroyed in the bombing of 18 March 1944. The theatre was recreated in a wing of the Residence and reopened in 1958 with Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
Seating in the tiers
Seating in the tiers
Four tiers of carved and gilded boxes circle the hall in a horseshoe, the same shape built for an 18th-century court.
Four tiers of boxes
The hall holds its boxes across four tiers, fourteen to a tier, all facing a stage barely changed since 1753.
The centre box
The theatre's centre box can only be booked by telephone, not through this online ticket.
Wheelchair-accessible seating
A limited number of wheelchair-accessible spaces exist in the theatre and are arranged by phone rather than booked online.
A room built for sound, not size
The theatre's small scale and carved wooden surfaces favour a chamber-size ensemble over a full symphonic stage, part of why the Residenz-Solisten's format suits the room.
Your options for tonight
Your options for tonight's gala
| Seating | What to know | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The gala ticket | A seat in the theatre's tiers for the full gala concert, booked online through this listing | Anyone booking this evening |
| Wheelchair-accessible seating | A limited number of accessible spaces are arranged directly with the box office before the night | Guests who need seating confirmed in advance |
Want to see which dates and seat blocks are open? Check dates and seats ↗
Finding the theatre, and when to arrive
Finding the theatre, and when to arrive
Finding the theatre
The Cuvilliés Theatre is inside the Munich Residenz at Residenzstraße 1, in the heart of the old town.
What to wear
Most guests dress for an evening concert — smart rather than casual — given the room's gilded rococo setting.
Getting there after dark
The Residenz sits a few minutes from Odeonsplatz, served by U-Bahn lines U3, U4, U5 and U6, with Marienplatz and the old town a short walk further on.
FAQ
Before the gala
What time does the gala concert start?
Start times vary by date — check the specific date and time shown on the GetYourGuide listing when you book.
How do I get into the theatre?
The Cuvilliés Theatre is inside the Munich Residenz at Residenzstraße 1, in Munich's old town.
What's on the programme?
Bavaria Klassik's Residenz-Solisten draw mainly on Mozart, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Johann Strauss, Rossini and Dvořák; the exact running order changes by date.
Is there a dress code?
Most guests dress for an evening concert — smart rather than casual — given the room's gilded rococo setting.
Can I book wheelchair-accessible seating through this ticket?
No — wheelchair-accessible seating is arranged by phone directly with Bavaria Klassik, not sold through this listing.
How long does the concert run?
About two hours.
Is this the same room where Mozart's opera premiered?
Yes — Idomeneo had its world premiere here on 29 January 1781. The theatre's carved decoration survived the building's destruction in the Second World War and was reinstalled when it reopened in 1958; the opera itself returned to the same stage in a new production on 14 June 2008.
How do I get to the Residenz in the evening?
Odeonsplatz station, served by the U3, U4, U5 and U6 lines, is the closest U-Bahn stop, a short walk from the theatre's entrance.
Planning your evening at the gala
Planning your evening at the gala
A Cuvilliés Theatre gala evening, step by step
From arrival at Residenzstraße 1 to the final bow, roughly in order.
Read this concert guide →the building's historyThe Cuvilliés Theatre: from 1753 to today
A court theatre built after a fire, the stage of Mozart's Idomeneo, destroyed in 1944, and rebuilt piece by piece.
Read this concert guide →what you'll hearThe programme and the composers
What the Residenz-Solisten play most often, and why a room built for an 18th-century court still suits it.
Read this concert guide →picking your seatChoosing your seat category
What's sold through this ticket, and what's reserved separately by phone.
Read this concert guide →practicalitiesWhat to wear and when to arrive
Practical notes for an evening in a gilded 18th-century room.
Read this concert guide →around the concertAn evening in the Altstadt around the concert
What sits around the Residenz if you're building a full evening in Munich's old town.
Read this concert guide →More of Munich after dark
See dates and reserve
A short spread of other Munich nights, pulled from GetYourGuide's own Munich page.
More Munich evenings on GetYourGuide