THEREALSOUNDOFROCK
Pink Floyd·Queen·Deep PurpleLed Zeppelin·U2·AC/DCAs you’ve never heard them
Rock band·Symphony orchestra·Iconic venues
On tour
Upcoming shows
With the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and other excellent orchestras across Europe.
- 2026
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Tickets
Rotterdam
De DoelenNetherlands
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Tickets
Hamburg
LaeiszhalleGermany
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Tickets
Berlin
Berliner PhilharmonieGermany
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Duisburg
MercatorhalleGermany
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Tickets
Wiesbaden
Kurhaus WiesbadenGermany
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Tickets
Hanover
HCC KuppelsaalGermany
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Tickets
Prague
Obecní důmCzech Republic
- 2027
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Tickets
Zürich
Tonhalle ZürichSwitzerland
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Tickets
Düsseldorf
Tonhalle DüsseldorfGermany
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Tickets
Mannheim
Rosengarten (Musensaal)Germany
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Cologne
Kölner PhilharmonieGermany
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Dortmund
Konzerthaus DortmundGermany
Tickets are sold by the venues or by our ticketing partners. The links open their websites.
About
Rock with a full orchestra
Where rock legends meet the opera house. The power of a rock band and the sweep of a symphony orchestra, in one immersive evening under the chandeliers of Europe’s grandest historic venues.
Rock the Opera® was founded in Prague in 2015 by the German conductor Friedemann Riehle. Before that, the show toured as Symphony in Rock and Rockestra. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra plays the songs with the atmosphere and power of the originals, together with a rock band and outstanding singers who link the two worlds.
The show has returned regularly to the Wiener Staatsoper since its premiere there in 2015, and has played concert halls from the Berliner Philharmonie to the Salle Pleyel in Paris and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens.
I simply brought the orchestra back to its historical role, performing songs loved by the audience.
Friedemann Riehle, conductor
On stage
Soloists
What the press says
Reviews
For the first time, world-famous hits by Queen, Pink Floyd, AC/DC and others in the sold-out Wiener Staatsoper… The audience reacted enthusiastically.
…a perfectly classical interpretation of legendary rock songs… More than a simple reproduction, it sweeps you away, pure and unpretentious.
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor Friedemann Riehle succeeded in the impossible: a perfect combination of rock music and wide symphonic sound. The orchestra is not just decoration, but the central point for authentically translated rock music.
Huge ovations yesterday afternoon at the Teatro Massimo. The theatre, packed with young people, seemed to explode at the end of the concert with warm, enthusiastic applause for the orchestra and the singers.
…a concert that, for once, truly broadened horizons.
‘Brain Damage/Eclipse’ was the first climax, in a radiant, massive and, quite honestly, grandiose version. It is fantastic how Riehle uses every possibility of the orchestra to keep the original music’s arc of suspense.
Grandiose voices and a superb atmosphere. Hammond organ and synthesizer become strings, aggressive guitar becomes fast and powerful brass, all over dazzling percussion.
History
Past shows
Selected venues from past tours, including the years as Symphony in Rock and Rockestra.
2026
Göteborgs Konserthus · Konserthuset, Stockholm · Stavanger Konserthus · Grieghallen, Bergen · Wiener Staatsoper
2025
Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome · Wiener Staatsoper · Berliner Philharmonie · Musiikkitalo, Helsinki · Konserthuset, Stockholm · Alte Oper, Frankfurt · Salle Pleyel, Paris · Isarphilharmonie, Munich · Rudolfinum, Prague · Auditorium Giovanni Agnelli, Turin
2024
Berliner Philharmonie · Wiener Staatsoper · Salle Pleyel, Paris · Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona · Kölner Philharmonie · Tonhalle Düsseldorf · Philharmonie Essen · Isarphilharmonie, Munich · Gewandhaus, Leipzig · Musiikkitalo, Helsinki
Show earlier years
2023
Berliner Philharmonie · Wiener Staatsoper · Salle Pleyel, Paris · Konserthuset, Stockholm · Kölner Philharmonie · Tonhalle Düsseldorf · Grieghallen, Bergen · Stavanger Konserthus · Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg · Sala Palatului, Bucharest
2022
Zagreb, Split & Zadar with the Zagreb Philharmonic · Milan with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano · Usher Hall, Edinburgh · Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow · Wiener Staatsoper · Florence with the Orchestra della Toscana · Ulster Hall, Belfast, with the Ulster Orchestra · Kölner Philharmonie · Tonhalle Düsseldorf · Sopot · Magdeburg · Northeim · Kamenz · Altusried · Dinslaken · Netherlands open-air tour · Liège · Wiesbaden
2021
Zagreb, Ljubljana, Šibenik, Trogir & Opatija with the Zagreb Philharmonic · Stadtcasino Basel · Tonhalle Zürich · Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona · Symphony Hall, Birmingham · Konserthuset, Stockholm · Grieghallen, Bergen
2019
Florence with the Orchestra della Toscana · Wiener Staatsoper · Ancient Theatre, Plovdiv · Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, with the Athens State Orchestra · Bucharest with the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra · Tel Aviv · Haifa · Liège · Wiesbaden · Wunsiedel · Netherlands summer tour · Palermo · Skopje · Oslo · Munich
2018
Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, with the Athens State Orchestra · Zagreb with the Zagreb Philharmonic · Luisenburg Festival, Wunsiedel · Wuppertal · Basel · Augsburg · Nijmegen · Antwerp · Ghent · Liège · Sofia · Netherlands summer tour
2017
Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, with the Athens State Orchestra · Concertgebouw, Amsterdam · Kulturpalast, Dresden
2016
Wiener Staatsoper · Auditorium di Milano, Milan · Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt · Gasteig, Munich · Tempodrom, Berlin · Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg
2015
Wiener Staatsoper · Gasteig, Munich · Tempodrom, Berlin · Liederhalle, Stuttgart · Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg
Before 2015 · as Symphony in Rock and Rockestra
Obecní dům, Prague · TipsArena, Linz · Reykjavík Concert Hall · Arboretum Park, Ljubljana · Atatürk Cultural Center, Istanbul · Konzerthaus Berlin · Theaterplatz, Dresden · Moscow International House of Music · Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens · Domplatz, Magdeburg · Palermo · Gdańsk · Leipzig · Luxembourg · Thessaloniki