Café del Mundo

Tomatito & José del Tomate

A must-see for Spain lovers! Tomatito, the undisputed king of flamenco guitar since Paco de Lucia's death, performs with family support at the Cologne Philharmonic, transforming the concert hall into a flamenco club. With the interplay of two guitars, dramatic vocals, and Joni Cortés’ cajón, it's a captivating flamenco experience.

RSB on Tour: Torre Del Lago

Simply... Philharmonic!3: Specchio del mondo

La Morra, photo: Dirk Letsch Around the middle of the fourteenth century, the previously dominant musical centres of Italy – Milan and Verona – began to lose their position to Florence. Gherardello da Firenze is considered to be the earliest composer associated with this city. Although he was a clergyman, it is mainly his secular works that have survived to our times. However, the most important Florentine Trecento composer is considered by scholars to be Francesco Landini, slightly younger than Gherardello, who at the time composed the largest number of works written in Florence. Interestingly, during his lifetime, Landini was known mainly as an outstanding organist, working at the Florentine convent of Santa Trinita and later at the Basilica of San Lorenzo. In the surviving musical sources associated with Landini, his name often appears with an annotation referring to his instrument. Admiration for Francesco’s playing was expressed in 1389 by the lawyer and writer Giovanni Gherardo da Prato, in his work Il Paradiso degli Alberti, describing Florence at the time. An organetto (portative organ) even accompanies Landini on his tombstone portrait. Perhaps his outstanding talent as a performer and appreciation during his lifetime explain why a relatively large number of his works have survived to this day. However, they are exclusively secular compositions. Simply… Philharmonic! Project 3: Both historical eras and cultural centres are often associated with outstanding individuals who represent the art created in a given place and time. However, confining ourselves to the individual perspective often distorts the full picture of the artistic reality of the time. For Baroque Italy, such a point of reference is certainly Antonio Vivaldi. Although he was an outstanding violinist, he also wrote concertato works not intended for string instruments, as did another violinist, Georg Philipp Telemann, who today remains in the shadow of the great Baroque luminaries from Saxony – Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Unlike Vivaldi, Telemann was a multi-instrumentalist, also experienced in playing wind and keyboard instruments. Francesco Landini can be considered a symbol of Florence, and also of the entire Italian output of the Trecento. He too delighted his contemporaries with his performance art, specialising in organ. The most outstanding composer of the Polish Republic of the first half of the fifteenth century known to us today was Nicolaus of Radom. Very little is known about his life, but he can certainly be associated with his activities in early Jagiellonian Cracow. Daniel Laskowski

Latin American guitar sounds – Sombras del Fuego

Alejandro Carrillo Gamboa is regarded as one of the best guitarists in Europe and is appreciated for his dazzling musical virtuosity, which is rich in tonal colours and artistic forms of expression. He delights his audiences in renowned concert halls such as the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and the Konzerthaus Berlin and Vienna. The programme »Latin American Guitar Sounds – Sombras del Fuego« is a musical journey through Latin American and European music. Alejandro’s fiery, gentle sounds evoke longing memories of a warm summer evening. Just the right programme for the cold season! A very special highlight of the evening will be the artist’s own compositions and vocals. Alejandro will surprise his audience with songs from his latest winter album.

Vinci: Oratorio per la Madonna del Rosario

Besides Venice, Naples was also one of the most important musical cities in Italy from the 17th century. French lawyer and scholar Charles de Brosses even described it as the »capital of the music world«. The »Neapolitan School« – a group of composers originating from Naples who for over a hundred years significantly influenced the history of opera and moved stylistically between late baroque and pre-classical were a large part of this assessment. Besides composers Alessandro Scarlatti and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, still very well-known today, Leonardo Vinci was also part of this circle. With his »Oratorio per la Madonna del Rosario«, 300 years after its premiere, you can now experience a real rarity and rediscovery at the start of the »Viva Napoli« Festival. Leonardo Vinci’s operas also remained on the repertoires for a long time after his death in 1730 – evidence of the tremendous reputation of the composer. Yet the oratorio to honour the Madonna of the rosary was only handed down in a unique script and was virtually not performed at all any more since its origin around 1723. A challenge which seems to be made for the early music ensemble Arsenale Sonoro, formed in 2014. It has set itself the objective of reviving forgotten musical gems from the baroque period using painstaking research and passionate dedication. With the rediscovery of Vinci, the composer now celebrates his debut at the Laeiszhalle.

The Simon & Garfunkel Story

In this affectionate homage, the West End success faithfully brings the unmistakeable sound of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to the stage. With global hits such as »The Sound of Silence«, »Bridge over Troubled Water« and »Mrs Robinson«, the show takes the audience on a thrilling journey through time, following the careers of the likeable and philosophical folk-rock stars!

Xatar feat. heavytones

Two pop-cultural icons come together here: With their joint live programme »Das Letzte Mahl«, Xatar and heavytones break down genre boundaries and mix trademark soul/funk/jazz sound with hard rap from the street. When explosive brass sections, driving percussion, funky guitars and vintage keyboard pads meet gangster rap with ruthless lyrics, it promises nothing less than a new level of hip hop and energetic live entertainment.

Naturally 7

Naturally 7 create the multi-faceted sound cosmos of a whole band from the sound of the drums to the bass, the guitar, the harmonica or even the trombone – and completely without instruments! The seven men sing a cappella, but they are not comparable with many other groups of this genre, because only a few achieve such a perfect sound. Sometimes it’s R’n’B, soul or hip hop, sometimes gospel, pop or even rock. In the programme »N7 @the Movies« Naturally 7 performs great songs from movies and musicals like »Titanic«, »West Side Story«, »Grease«, »8 Mile«, »Saturday Night Fever« and many more.

Bertram Engel

From the Westphalian province to rock star – this dream came true for Bertram Engel in 1976 when Udo Lindenberg signed the then 17-year-old for the legendary Panikorchester. A few years later, another superstar of German rock music, Peter Maffay, hired him as a permanent band member. Bertram Engel has now been in the spotlight with the two for almost five decades, sharing unique moments and destinies with them on and off stage. As a drummer, he is the pulse that drives and holds the band together. In his book, Engel tells of his exciting life as a rock musician, full of unrivalled anecdotes about the stars he has performed with. At the Laeiszhalle, Bertram Engel not only reads from the book, but also plays songs he wrote for Peter Maffay and Udo Lindenberg.

Karl Bartos: »The Cabinet of Dr Caligari«

Two legendary worlds collide: the creativity of a long-time Kraftwerk band member and a milestone in cinema history. It is no exaggeration to use the adjective »sensational« to describe what has been created in recent years in the Hamburg studio of musician Karl Bartos, who played a key role in shaping Kraftwerk’s electropop style from 1974 to 1990. It brings the silent film classic »The Cabinet of Dr Caligari« into our time through sophisticated sound design and creates a total work of art that immediately casts a spell over you. The fascinating interplay of fantasy and touching chills is given something intoxicating and beguilingly beautiful by Barto’s sound art. Karl Bartos has been fascinated by »The Cabinet of Dr Caligari« for almost twenty years and has given this silent film classic a fitting artistic guise. He has not only created a completely new, consistent soundscape to accompany the movie, but also his own music. He uses the timeless sound of the symphony orchestra, albeit synthesised and electronically modulated. This spectacular project combines the film screening of the first psycho-thriller with sounds and music created live on stage by Karl Bartos and his colleague Mathias Black.