Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner in Dresden
The sound of romance – discover 200 years of music history
Dresden is a city where Romantic music is still alive today. In 2026, it will celebrate two major anniversaries: the 200th anniversary of the death of Carl Maria von Weber, who made Dresden the opera capital of the Romantic era, and 150 years of the Bayreuth Festival, which also has its roots in Wagner's years in Dresden.
It was here that Weber and Wagner created their masterpieces, and it was here that impulses were born that continue to move the music world to this day. Even the Semperoper embodies the spirit of that era in its architecture, as Gottfried Semper incorporated his design for a festival theatre for Wagner into its construction. But it was not only Weber and Wagner who shaped Dresden as a city of music: Robert and Clara Schumann, Louis Spohr, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt – they all sought inspiration on the banks of the Elbe. Later, representatives of the post-Romantic era such as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Richard Strauss also found an artistic home here.
This tradition continues to this day: the Semperoper, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Dresdner Philharmonie, the Dresdner Musikfestspiele and many other institutions and artists cultivate the Romantic heritage with concerts, festivals and new interpretations. Embark on a journey through the city and discover the authentic places, sounds and stories that make Dresden the heart of Romanticism.