Depeche Mode’s music has always found power in the space between electronic precision and human emotion. This December, 101 Voices – Depeche Mode Special Tribute will explore that connection on an expansive scale, bringing a symphony orchestra, a 45-member male choir, a live band, and vocalists to Berlin’s Uber Arena on December 16, 2026.
Following a sold-out debut attended by more than 10,000 fans, the production arrives in Berlin with more than two hours of music and newly arranged versions of 28 Depeche Mode classics. More than 80 performers will take the stage, with special guest Christian Eigner, the band’s longtime touring drummer, joining Christian Schottstädt, frontman of German tribute band Forced To Mode.
The production takes its inspiration from the atmosphere of Black Celebration, exploring the darker and more emotional dimensions of Depeche Mode’s catalog. Its arrangements also draw from Music for the Masses and Violator, bringing orchestral textures and choral voices into contact with the electronic sounds at the heart of the music.
Those albums provide a sense of the musical territory audiences can expect, but the individual songs will remain a surprise. The format invites fans to discover familiar material through the arrangements as the evening unfolds.
For conductor and musical director Richárd Riederauer, the purpose is to reveal something fresh within songs that already carry deep meaning for listeners. He describes the production as a distinct concert experience that preserves the atmosphere and emotional character of Depeche Mode while uncovering new musical layers.
Eigner’s involvement adds a direct connection to the band’s live history. Having performed with Depeche Mode since 1997, he brings decades of experience translating its electronic music into a physical, dynamic stage performance. His participation gives the project a particularly compelling link to the concerts that have helped shape the band’s relationship with its fans.
Schottstädt brings his own experience interpreting the catalog through Forced To Mode. Together, their contributions connect the large ensemble to the vocal presence and rhythmic energy central to Depeche Mode’s music.
The production’s musical team includes Riederauer, artistic director of the Hungarian National Male Choir since 2020, alongside arrangers Gergő Borlai and Lili Fehér. Borlai is a drummer, composer, and producer whose credits span more than 500 albums. Fehér, a pianist, vocalist, and recipient of the Cziffra Award, brings a background encompassing pop, rock, jazz, and blues.
The Hungarian National Male Choir supplies the production’s 45-member vocal ensemble. Founded in 1949, the choir performs a repertoire stretching from Gregorian chant and opera to jazz and rock. It will appear alongside the Budapest-based Hungarian Studio Orchestra, whose previous collaborations include work with Ennio Morricone and Michel Legrand.
A live band featuring bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, and DJs completes the musical lineup, while a large-scale visual production extends the atmosphere beyond the arrangements.
Behind 101 Voices are Balázs Petke, Dániel Szabó, and György Sallai, who have developed the project for more than a decade. Their ambition is to establish a Hungarian production with an international audience and a creative identity of its own.
For Depeche Mode fans, the Berlin performance offers a chance to hear the catalog through a different musical lens. The combination of orchestra, choir, electronics, and Eigner’s live presence promises an evening built around the tension, drama, and emotion that continue to make these songs resonate.
