Concerts with works by

Philip Glass

Quatuor Agate

At the Rising Stars Festival, the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall again becomes the stage for the most exciting musicians of the young generation in January 2025. Amongst these stars of tomorrow is the Quatuor Agate, as the only ensemble. The string quartet formed in Berlin in 2016 and the musicians’ joint career long since assumed an international format. The Guardian enthuses about the Brahms debut album by the four Frenchmen: »Warm, wonderfully refined sound, impeccable intonation and punctilious attention to detail.« Under the heading »Outlaws«, the Quatuor Agate presents a well-thought out concept programme in Hamburg with String Quartet No. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich at its heart. Under the impact of the tyranny of his Russian homeland, Shostakovich created a piece of bloodcurdling intensity in 1960 that he saw as his own musical obituary. Adrien Jurkovic, Thomas Descamps, Raphaël Pagnon and Simon Iachemet surround this confessional music with a broad-based programme combination which ranges from the Renaissance to the present day. Projections accompany the programme and shine a light on the life of the composers. With singing, the musicians rise far above their usual role as instrumentalists in the commissioned composition by Anna Korsun.

Memoirs of a Geisha and other gems of cinematography

This is the essence of chamber musicianship – we play what we like. We play for pleasure - our own and that of our listeners. The idea of chamber music is summarised in the Italian term da camera, which means playing for a chamber, a room, or a small hall. It denotes semi-private, intimate music. It is lovely when such a mood is carried into the concert hall. Today, there is an opportunity to do so because we love the tunes we already know, and there are plenty of them here. Most listeners will recognise Sting's Roxanne, Satie's Gnosienne or Barber's Adagio. Exactly like in the programme Name That Tune, after two sounds, we will already know what's coming next. Concert hall goers, on the other hand, will once again be seduced by gripping Schubert's Andante or Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Lovers of cinematic melodramas will get a handful of John Williams tunes, while refined musical gourmets will get Glass's Mishima, Vasks' Meditation and Schnittke's waltz. Not a single note goes to waste here! Adam Suprynowicz

Juan de la Rubia Recital

Born in Castellón, Spain, Juan de la Rubia is the organist at Barcelona's Sagrada Família. Known for his skill in opulent arrangements, virtuoso improvisations, classical pieces, and jazz influences, he has performed at prestigious venues like the Auditorio Nacional, Gewandhaus Leipzig, and Elbphilharmonie. Now, he debuts at the Philharmonie Essen.

JAZZIK #2

Where does jazz begin and classical music end? With this new series, the RSB fuses jazz, classical and minimal music.

American Minimalism

American minimalism stems from the assumptions of experimental music – firstly, we create a working model and see what happens when we repeat it, gradually introducing variations. The perception of the human brain tricks us, which is why such procedures result in mesmerising auditory illusions. Philip Glass and Steve Reich are the founding fathers of this popular genre. Glass's quartets are more classical and never evade romantic phrases or recitative melodies. Steve Reich's Different Trains, written in 1988, on the other hand, is a classic of the genre and undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of the 20th century. During the Second World War, a few-year-old Reich used to travel by train between New York and Los Angeles, where his separated parents lived. He later realised that if he had lived in Europe, as a Jew, he could have gone to a concentration camp. In his harrowing work, the music mimics the shape of sentences played back from a recording taken from the wartime memories of Jews from both continents. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

Reverie and Rapture

Växjö-based Musica Vitae joins us accompanied by the British violinist and conductor Hugo Ticciati, who is active in Sweden. He founded the O/Modernt festival in 2011, known for its innovative and cross-genre programming, which also characterizes his concert with Musica Vitae.The first part of the concert presents music infused with religious reverie. We hear the mysticism of Hildegard of Bingen in Vos flores rosarum and wordless violin song in Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Additionally, two meditations on the theme of the suffering mother: John Tavener's Mother of God, Here I Stand from The Veil of the Temple, and Lera Auerbach's Sogno di Stabat Mater (Dream of Stabat Mater). After the interval, the mood shifts from spiritual contemplation to exalted rapture. In the enigmatically dancing Aksak and Ciphers, Swedish composer Albert Schnelzer has encoded both Brahms and family members in the score. This is followed by a musical dialogue between Philip Glass's baroque-inspired Symphony No. 3 and three arrangements of songs from the iconic grunge rock band Nirvana's album Nevermind. Bridging the gap between the baroque and contemporary rock music is Purcell’s Cold Song from his semi-opera The Fairy-Queen.

Daniel Hope : Chamber orchestra

The Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass

The piano etudes by Philip Glass are modern classics. 20 pieces, sometimes meditative, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes romantic. Music that is not complicated and yet difficult to play. The famous US composer has inspired artists from almost every genre. Now ten renowned pianists from all over the world will perform the 20 etudes in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall – something that has never been done before in this form in Germany. A spectacular evening and an entertaining journey into the beguiling world of Philip Glass are guaranteed.

Iveta Apkalna & Alinde Quartett

Nahezu eine ganze Saison lang haben die Organistin Iveta Apkalna und das Alinde Quartett in ihren philharmonischen »Porträt«-Konzerten begeistert. Zum Abschluss präsentieren sich Organistin und Quartett nun zusammen. Quer durch die Musikgeschichte geht es dabei – bis hin zu einem neuen Werk, das der mit dem »Hindemith-Preis« ausgezeichnete Regensburger SJ Hanke für Orgel und Streichquartett geschrieben hat.Den Anfang machen die Fünf aber mit einer Kirchensonate von Mozart. Von da ab spielt man immer wieder auch seine individuelle Klasse aus. Iveta Apkalna feiert den atemberaubenden Klangstrom des Minimal-Music-Gurus Philip Glass. Das Alinde Quartett verzaubert dagegen mit dem mal kantablen, mal kunstvoll kontrapunktischen »Quartetto dorico«, das der Italiener Ottorino Respighi 1924 komponierte.