Barbara Hannigan / Bertrand Chamayou

Jonas Kaufmann / Diana Damrau

The high-flying duo formed by Jonas Kaufmann and Diana Damrau continue their exploration of the Germanic repertoire, accompanied on piano by lieder master Helmut Deutsch.

My Bloody Valentine

From a recital by an Aphrodite on the eve of Valentine’s Day, one might expect a classic ode to romantic love, but singer Aphrodite Patoulidou has something else in mind.

Soirée Bizet 2

Soirée Bizet 1

In honour of the 150th anniversary of the death of Bizet—who perished at just 36, never knowing the enormous success that awaited Carmen—Adèle Charvet and Florian Caroubi perform a selection of the composer’s melodies.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Maria Bengtsson / Bertrand de Billy

Richard Strauss – a celebrated composer, a politically controversial cultural figure and unquestionably an artist ahead of his time – is the subject of this concert’s musical portrait. Those who knew him described him as someone with a great sense of humour who never let fame go to his head. He loved music, his family and playing cards (and is even said to have been a good loser). He first began composing at the age of six. His famous tone poem »Ein Heldenleben« marks his first major achievement in the art of orchestration. Critics accused him of shameless self-aggrandizement in this work, but Strauss responded: »I am not a hero. I don’t have the strength for it. I’m not fit for the battle. I prefer to stay in the background, in a quiet place ....«

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Maria Bengtsson / Bertrand de Billy

Richard Strauss – a celebrated composer, a politically controversial cultural figure and unquestionably an artist ahead of his time – is the subject of this concert’s musical portrait. Those who knew him described him as someone with a great sense of humour who never let fame go to his head. He loved music, his family and playing cards (and is even said to have been a good loser). He first began composing at the age of six. His famous tone poem »Ein Heldenleben« marks his first major achievement in the art of orchestration. Critics accused him of shameless self-aggrandizement in this work, but Strauss responded: »I am not a hero. I don’t have the strength for it. I’m not fit for the battle. I prefer to stay in the background, in a quiet place ....«

Janine Jansen / Denis Kozhukhin

The duo formed by Janine Jansen and Denis Kozhukhin in a programme juxtaposing Brahms—a composer particularly close to their hearts—with a selection of 20th-century French chamber music.

Thomas Dunford / Théotime Langlois de Swarte: »The Mad Lover«

These two Frenchmen are among the brightest rising stars of the early-music scene. The Baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte was mentored by the star conductor William Christie. And Thomas Dunford has jammed on his lute with Bobby McFerrin. With their duo programme »The Mad Lover«, the two musicians travel back to 17th-century England, an era in which the ostinato groove became a virtuosic engine driving sonatas, suites and fantasias. The inspiration for this programme was a »Ground« from the stage music to the play »The Mad Lover« by John Eccles. This sensuous work, which is based on a simple recurring bass ostinato, gave Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Thomas Dunford the idea of arranging works of this kind for the charming combination of violin and lute. And they found just what they were looking for in works by Henry Purcell and the England-based Italian Nicola Matteis.

CANCELLED: Ensemble der Neuen Philharmonie Hamburg / Armine Nersisjan / Hendrik Lücke

This event has been cancelled: Information on tickets refunds

Katharina Mai / Aguas de Maio

The name of the band is an allusion to a piece by the Brazilian bossa nova composer and pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim and at the same time the programme of the band’s music. The lyrics of the song in question are an enumeration of everything that belongs to a fulfilled human life, and so the musicians have selected for their repertoire from the almost endless wealth of Brazilian sounds what they found suitable, extraordinary or otherwise remarkable. Samba, Bossa Nova, Choros, Musica Popular Brasileira - stylistically, there are no limits except their own.