How closely are an artist’s life and work intertwined? Is an artistic work conceivable without the inspiration of a lived life? Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz would likely both have answered this question with «no»; the Wesendonck-Lieder, as well as the Symphonie fantastique, bear witness to how inextricably linked life and work were for these composers. Wagner composed his songs to texts by Mathilde Wesendonck, who followed his writing and composing with rapturous enthusiasm; he presented one of these songs, Träume, to Mathilde as a birthday gift in December 1857. Much of it already foreshadows Tristan und Isolde. Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique even bears explicitly autobiographical traits. The composition is based on a programme revolving around an «idée fixe» – the love for a woman for whom there was a very specific model in Berlioz’s life. Alongside this programme, it was also the completely new realm of sound that initially provoked quite controversial reactions; today, Berlioz’s art of orchestration is undisputed. Michele Spotti, Principal Guest Conductor at Deutsche Oper Berlin, presents himself as a concert conductor outside the Italian repertoire. Kristina Stanek, a new member of our ensemble who recently enjoyed success as Brangäne (Geneva) and Kundry (Glyndebourne), can demonstrate her affinity for Wagner at her new home.