Bertrand de Billy, Kit Armstrong

Kit Armstrong

Kit Armstrong, hailed as a "musician of the century" and praised by Alfred Brendel, stands out in today's music scene. A pianist, organist, composer, and author, his vast repertoire spans historical and modern instruments. He translates his profound knowledge into captivating sound.

Kit Armstrong / Jan Caeyers / Le Concert Olympique

Following their successful Elbphilharmonie debut with Sabine Meyer and Mozart’s clarinet concerto, Jan Caeyers and the orchestra he founded, Le Concert Olympique, are returning to the Elbphilharmonie. The renowned Beethoven specialist has set himself a special goal with the »Beethoven 27« project, which will run for several years: With 27 works from the pen of the great composer, he wants to build bridges to the 27 member states of the European Union. The second part of the series can be experienced at the Elbphilharmonie on 8 March 2025, featuring, among other works, Beethoven’s »Eroica« Symphony. As a prelude to this, Beethoven’s first works in two orchestral genres will be performed – in Hamburg and at guest performances throughout Europe – because the Second Piano Concerto is actually also a first work (it was only printed as the second). And so this work in particular reveals a likeable impulsiveness and an exuberant wealth of ideas – youthful enthusiasm at the beginning of a new musical era.

Le Concert Olympique / Kit Armstrong / Jan Caeyers

After the opening tour of their »Beethoven 27« project in November 2024, Jan Caeyers and the orchestra he founded, Le Concert Olympique, will return to the Elbphilharmonie together with Kit Armstrong. Jan Caeyers, a recognised Beethoven specialist, has set himself a special goal with the »Beethoven 27« project, which will run for several years: With 27 works from the pen of the great composer, he wants to build bridges to the 27 member states of the European Union. In the second concert programme of this European Beethoven road trip, which will lead through the composer’s entire oeuvre in stages until the 200th anniversary of his death in 2027, three works written almost simultaneously will be performed. With the Third Symphony, known as the »Eroica«, and the Triple Concerto, Beethoven broke new ground in many respects during his so-called »heroic phase« – the final movement of the Eroica alone is ground-breaking with its combination of sonata form, variations and fugue techniques.

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 ....«

Philharmonic chamber music Piano quartets by Mozart and Beethoven with Kit Armstrong

“It is the best thing I have written in my life”, declared Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1784 of his piano quintet. Many of his most famous works had not yet been written, but the quintet remains a Mozartian jewel, with its melodic beauty and charming dialogues between the instruments. It is no wonder that the young Ludwig van Beethoven was inspired by Mozart’s example to write an equally enchanting quintet. Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker play both works with pianist Kit Armstrong. Contemporary counterpoints are provided in the form of wind quintets by Hans Werner Henze and Wolfgang Rihm.

Orchestre de Chambre de Paris

Barefoot or heels? No question for trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary, even in the Berlin winter. With bare feet, she feels the vibrations of the music directly and also feels “much more comfortable on stage, almost like at home.” But there is no trace of eccentricity - the 25-year-old Frenchwoman, who says that the trumpet is her voice, comes across as natural and grounded, whether she is playing jazz or classical repertoire. With the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Hummel's radiant trumpet concerto and other works for trumpet and orchestra, she will give you an atmospheric Advent concert evening under the chandeliers in the magnificent Great Hall. And as Christmas approaches, a classic such as Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker” suite is of course a must!

De Profundis

De Profundis

Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne | Renaud Capuçon

Renaud Capuçon, artistic director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne since 2021, conducts and performs Mozart's A-major concerto and "Haffner" Symphony, showcasing his virtuosity and the orchestra's natural affinity for Mozart. The program also includes Beethoven's early Symphony No. 2, which still reflects Mozart's influence before Beethoven fully broke away with his "Eroica".