"The Köln Concert" – Benjamin Schatz interprets Keith Jarrett's legendary concert evening

On 24 January 1975, Keith Jarrett played a concert at the Cologne Opera House under unusually difficult circumstances. After a long journey and plagued by back pain, he discovered that the grand piano provided did not correspond to the agreed instrument and had significant tonal and technical defects. Nevertheless, he decided to perform. What followed was a completely improvised musical journey of great intensity. From simple rhythmic and harmonic ideas, Jarrett developed music of lyrical calm, pulsating energy and great formal coherence. The recording of that evening was later released as "The Köln Concert" and became the best-selling solo jazz piano album in history. In his interpretation, Benjamin Schatz approaches this legendary concert as a living musical process – not as a reconstruction, but as a personal approach to the improvisational spirit of this unique evening.

Admission is free. If you enjoyed the concert, we would appreciate a donation. The donation box is located to the right of the entrance to the Kalkhof-Rose concert hall.

Admission tickets are required.
Admission tickets will be available here from 5 May 2026 at 08:00.

Important note: There is usually a long waiting list for events held by the Academy in the Kalkhof-Rose concert hall. We therefore urge you to cancel in good time if you are unable to attend after confirming your participation. This is the only way we can adequately manage the waiting list. At the same time, we ask for your understanding that if you do not attend without giving prior notice, we will not be able to issue tickets to you in future.