MARCUS
MERKEL

Conductor, Composer, Pianist

„... one of the most interesting young German conductors of the present day ...“

— MDR Klassik

Marcus Merkel was born in Berlin and has been the Chief Conductor at Theater Koblenz since the 2022/23 season. He also performs as a pianist and composer. Besides guest conducting in Antwerp, Dresden, Madrid, Munich, Kyoto (Japan), Berlin, and Amsterdam, he has worked with soloists such as Jonas Kaufmann, Elina Garanča, Erwin Schrott, and Kristine Opolais. Sir Bryn Terfel & Ludovic Tézier rely on him as a conductor for their concert evenings.

Since youth work and supporting young musicians are very important to him, he founded the "Junge Philharmonie Berlin" and the "Junge Konzerte Graz" and works with Jeunesse Austria.

In the 2024/25 season, he will make his debut at Teatro Real Madrid with a concert, at the Dresden Semperoper with a series of performances of Die Fledermaus, at the Berlin Philharmonie with a symphony concert of the Berlin Symphoniker, and with the RSO Wien for a CD production with the Austrian star baritone Rafael Fingerlos.

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Schedule

Marcus Merkel at Antwerp Symphony (c) Antwerp Symphony & Bjorn Comhaire
Fri
28
Nov

Freitagskonzert No. 2 | Jenaer Philharmonie

Opera
19:30 – 21:30
Volkshaus Jena Carl-Zeiß-Platz 15, 07743 Jena, DeutschlandMaps
Programme

Gabriel Fauré:
"Pelléas et Mélisande", suite from the music to the play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck op. 80

Béla Bartók:
"A kékszakállú herceg vára" ("Bluebeard's Castle"), opera op. 11
(Concert performance in German language)

Performers

Margarita Vilsone, soprano (Judith)
Derrick Ballard, baritone (Bluebeard)
Jena Philharmonic Orchestra
Marcus Merkel, conductor
Wed
03
Dec
Wagner

Das Rheingold | Theater Koblenz

Opera
10th performance
19:00 – 21:30
Production: Wagner: Das Rheingold | Theater Koblenz
Theater Koblenz | Theaterzelt Greiffenklaustraße 1–3, 56077 Koblenz, DeutschlandMaps
Richard Wagner conceived "Das Rheingold" as a prelude to his four-part stage festival "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The Rheingold lays the thematic foundations for Wagner's epochal drama of humanity: Longing and love are pitted against violence and destruction, political action against social necessity. The egomaniacal behaviour of the (super)powerful inevitably leads to the downfall of the whole world. With its cast of mermaids, dwarves, giants and gods, "Rheingold" is at times like a timeless fantasy epic.

In this new production of "Das Rheingold", the aesthetic forms of various virtual experiences and the digital adaptation of music and text developed at Koblenz Theatre in recent years will be used in combination. In addition, 20 audience members per performance will have the opportunity to experience the underwater world of the Rhine and the legendary Nibelheim in a special way using virtual reality in a specially created VR environment and become part of the production. In this way, these aesthetic worlds combine with the plot of the opera to create a Gesamtkunstwerk - perhaps entirely in the spirit of Richard Wagner.

Nico Wouterse, Wotan
Christoph Plessers, Donner
Piotr Gryniewicki, Froh
Tobias Haaks, Loge
Haruna Yamazaki, Fricka
Shinyoung Lee, Freia
Ezgi Kutlu, Erda
Lawson Anderson, Alberich
Nando Zickgraf, Mime
Tae-Oun Chung, Fasolt
Jongmin Lim, Fafner
Hannah Beutler, Woglinde
Michèle Silvestrini, Wellgunde
Danielle Rohr, Floßhilde

Marcus Merkel - Musical direction
Inga Schulte, Markus Dietze - Staging
Christof von Büren - Stage
Carolin Quirmbach - Costumes
Ulrich Stöcker - Creative Director (VR)
Britta Bischof - Dramaturgy (VR) and technical coordination
Andreas Wahlberg - Dramaturgy
Thu
04
Dec
Wagner

Das Rheingold | Theater Koblenz

Opera
11th performance
19:00 – 21:30
Production: Wagner: Das Rheingold | Theater Koblenz
Theater Koblenz | Theaterzelt Greiffenklaustraße 1–3, 56077 Koblenz, DeutschlandMaps
Richard Wagner conceived "Das Rheingold" as a prelude to his four-part stage festival "Der Ring des Nibelungen". The Rheingold lays the thematic foundations for Wagner's epochal drama of humanity: Longing and love are pitted against violence and destruction, political action against social necessity. The egomaniacal behaviour of the (super)powerful inevitably leads to the downfall of the whole world. With its cast of mermaids, dwarves, giants and gods, "Rheingold" is at times like a timeless fantasy epic.

In this new production of "Das Rheingold", the aesthetic forms of various virtual experiences and the digital adaptation of music and text developed at Koblenz Theatre in recent years will be used in combination. In addition, 20 audience members per performance will have the opportunity to experience the underwater world of the Rhine and the legendary Nibelheim in a special way using virtual reality in a specially created VR environment and become part of the production. In this way, these aesthetic worlds combine with the plot of the opera to create a Gesamtkunstwerk - perhaps entirely in the spirit of Richard Wagner.

Nico Wouterse, Wotan
Christoph Plessers, Donner
Piotr Gryniewicki, Froh
Tobias Haaks, Loge
Haruna Yamazaki, Fricka
Shinyoung Lee, Freia
Ezgi Kutlu, Erda
Lawson Anderson, Alberich
Nando Zickgraf, Mime
Tae-Oun Chung, Fasolt
Jongmin Lim, Fafner
Hannah Beutler, Woglinde
Michèle Silvestrini, Wellgunde
Danielle Rohr, Floßhilde

Marcus Merkel - Musical direction
Inga Schulte, Markus Dietze - Staging
Christof von Büren - Stage
Carolin Quirmbach - Costumes
Ulrich Stöcker - Creative Director (VR)
Britta Bischof - Dramaturgy (VR) and technical coordination
Andreas Wahlberg - Dramaturgy
Sat
27
Dec
Strauß

Die Fledermaus | Semperoper Dresden

Operetta
1st performance
19:00 – 22:00
Production: Strauß: Die Fledermaus | Semperoper Dresden
Semperoper Dresden Theaterplatz 2, 01067 Dresden, DeutschlandMaps
"Effervescent irony combined with a sparkling champagne mood to the sounds of the waltz."

Operetta in three acts
Text version after Carl Haffner and Richard Genée based on the vaudeville Le Réveillon by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy

In German with German and English surtitles

Gabriel von Eisenstein Christoph Pohl
Rosalinde Elissa Huber
Alfred Mario Lerchenberger
Prince Orlofsky Valerie Eickhoff
Adele Katrina Galka
Dr Falke Anton Beliaev
Frank Markus Marquardt
Dr Blind Gerald Hupach
Ida Cornelia Butz, Gundula Rosenkranz
Frog Wolfgang Stumph

Musical direction Marcus Merkel
Production Günter Krämer
Stage Gisbert Jäkel
Costumes Falk Bauer
Lighting Jan Seeger
Choreography Otto Pichler
Choir Jan Hoffmann
Saxon State Opera Choir Dresden
Saxon State Orchestra Dresden
semperoper.de
Thu
01
Jan

Neujahrskonzert "È tutto amore" | Theater Koblenz

Operetta
17:00 – 20:00
Rhein-Mosel-Halle - Großer Saal Julius-Wegeler-Straße 4, 56068 Koblenz, DeutschlandMaps
"Love is the heartbeat of the whole universe" - in Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata", this is the world-explaining recognition of that powerful feeling we call love. There has always been an exceptionally happy relationship between the partners of music and love. The former comforts the latter or cheers her on, expressing her emotions in words and sounds. Love, in turn, returns these gestures by providing inspiration and material for musical masterpieces - and has done so since the beginning of time.

As we enter the year 2026, Koblenz Theatre and the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie invite you to a festive New Year's concert in homage to love - in all its guises. Whether sombre or effervescent, reciprocated or unheard: there is a suitable soundtrack for all facets of this most diverse and most sung-about of all emotions. In a programme that ranges from opera and operetta to musicals, chief conductor Marcus Merkel and soloists from Koblenz Theatre perform an impressive array of the most beautiful love songs and arias.

As presenter, artistic director Markus Dietze accompanies the audience through this homage to love in a witty and warm manner into the new, undescribed year.
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Reviews

„Voces del Real: Ludovic Tézier“

„... The discovery of the evening, however, was the conductor, a young artist who is able to switch between the academicism of a David, the Offenbachian splendour, the biblical and oriental cancan of a Don Camille, the decadent exaltation of a Massenet and the monumentality of a Wagner.“ — Blas Matamoro, scherzo

„La clemenza di Tito“

„... The Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie, under the direction of Marcus Merkel, performs in the orchestra pit of the Rokokotheater with a wide-awake presence and delivers a lively and crisp sound that does Mozart credit. ...“ — Uwe Rauschelbach, Schwetzinger Zeitung

„Carmen“

„...Conductor Marcus Merkel challenges the orchestra made up of members of the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra to brilliant performances, builds up a broad dynamic spectrum and awakens the Andalusian flair in the audience's imagination with Bizet's sparkling rhythms....“ — Paul Stepanek, Oberösterreichische Nachrichten

„Così fan tutte“

„...The sparks also fly in the orchestra pit, Marcus Merkel draws a lively Mozart sound from the Rheinische Philharmonie....“ — Florian Oberhummer, Salzburger Nachrichten

„Die Zauberflöte“

„...Conductor Marcus Merkel [...] puts himself entirely at the service of the music and supports the singers. He ensures balance and vivid, natural phrasing. The orchestra plays wonderfully light-footed.“ — Jenny Camilleri, De Volkskrant

More reviews
Tosca Preview - Jonas Kaufmann & Marcus Merkel

Repertoire

Marcus Merkel's repertoire includes 54 works of stage literature - in 69 productions to date.

View entire repertoire
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