Clayton Stephenson and the Philharmonic Orchestra Ulm celebrate Gershwin and Wagner in Ulm
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Gershwin meets Wagner: A Philharmonic Finale full of brilliance, tempo, and emotion
At the end of the season Underway, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Ulm invites you to an evening that uniquely combines orchestral colors, American jazz spirit, and Wagnerian power. On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the audience will experience in the Congress Centrum Ulm a concert that does not place contrasts side by side but creates tension.
An opening with swing, longing, and virtuoso brilliance
George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F opens the evening with that mix of sparkling humor, bluesy melancholy, and rhythmic energy that has made the work one of the most popular crossover pieces between concert hall and jazz club to this day. At the piano sits Clayton Stephenson, who has already performed the piece in renowned venues and is praised for his colorful, narrative musicality.
Wagner's world in 70 minutes
Afterward, the sound space opens for Richard Wagner's The Ring Without Words in the orchestration by Lorin Maazel. In a tight form, the work condenses motifs and highlights from the Ring of the Nibelungen into a symphonic panorama that does without words and thereby unfolds its full dramatic power. Forest murmurs, ride of the valkyries, and Siegfried's funeral march appear like under a magnifying glass of orchestration.
A soloist with character
Clayton Stephenson is considered a pianist with strong stage presence, clear access, and a sense for great arcs. His education at Harvard and the New England Conservatory, first place at the Nina Simone Piano Competition 2024, an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and being awarded the Sphinx Medal of Excellence 2025 underline his artistic authority. For Ulm, his performance is a special moment: it is his first appearance in Germany with Gershwin's Concerto in F in this constellation.
The concert as a journey through sound colors
This Philharmonic Concert focuses on contrasts that ignite each other: jazz and symphony, elegance and pathos, lightness and monumentality. The live atmosphere in the hall promises intense acoustics, finely tuned dynamics, and that audience mood that arises when an orchestra effortlessly alternates between transparency and orchestral weight. Exactly therein lies the charm of this concert experience.
Conclusion
Those seeking great symphonic tension, a virtuosic soloist, and a program between Broadway glamour and operatic myth should not miss this evening. The 5th Philharmonic Concert 2026 promises a high-profile season finale full of sound power, expression, and musical discoveries. It is worth experiencing live.
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