Guest performance ACT Night / The Art of the Duo

Bach's The Art of the Fugue

Four actors, four musicians, one unparalleled musical genius. From the theatrical imagination of Bill Barclay, a completely new journey into Bach’s astonishing The Art of Fugue.

THE ART OF Lise Davidsen

Celebrated soprano and Wagnerian star performs a rare gala concert with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. The concert, titled THE ART OF, focuses on showcasing the vocal artistry of exceptional international opera talents. Hamburg State Opera revives a long tradition with THE ART OF, previously featuring Luciano Pavarotti and other opera stars.

»The Art of Being Human«

Human existence is a contradictory business. »The Art of Being Human« explores the complex impacts of this trite fact. The Grammy award-winning viola da gamba ensemble Phantasm thereby ensures a musical performance at the very highest level. Its members put their instrumental mastery into operation for an evening in which old sounds and contemporary dance blend into an inseparable unit and jointly try to fathom the darkest recesses of the human condition. Choreographer Sommer Ulrickson and allround visual artist Alexander Polzin create a multidisciplinary framework in which music and movement come together, connect with each other, hook into each other, collide and cross fertilise. Under the leadership of Laurence Dreyfus, Phantasm plays music of English masters, such as John Dowland, Henry Purcell and William Byrd. At the same time, the musicians interact in the most diverse way with the dancers, who move as partners and yet adversaries around sculptures by the Berlin artist Alexander Polzin. The result is a staged concert evening, which makes full use of the potential of this currently popular format!

Guest performance Italian night

Night of the 5 Tenors

Vincenzo Sanso, Luigi Frattola, Orfeo Zanetti, Emil Pavlov and Alejo Ruiz can usually be seen performing in the world’s greatest opera houses. For the »Night of the 5 Tenors«, now in its 15th year, they join forces to present a programme of the most popular arias from the operatic repertoire, including: »Rigoletto«, »Turandot« and »Carmen«. They are accompanied by the Bulgarian Plovdiv Symphonic Orchestra. Sought-after soprano Andrea Hörkens supplies a congenial commentary to guide us through the evening.

Art Ensemble of Chicago

The Art Ensemble of Chicago enjoys legendary status: founded in 1967 in the city that gave it its name, the band moved to Paris shortly afterwards. From there, it launched its global career with »Great Black Music« – a unique type of avant-garde jazz that incorporates African, but also Asian and Latin American traditions. In its sixth decade of existence, two old masters of the first generation are still with the band: saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and drummer Famoudou Don Moye. With fantastic younger musicians added to the line-up, the collective creates its usually unusual homage to its founding members, staying true to its roots and yet always with its finger on the pulse. »From Ancient to the Future« was the band’s motto right from the start and it speaks volumes about their musical positioning – not only in contemporary jazz, but when it comes to old musical traditions and new music as well. The album »The Sixth Decade – from Paris to Paris« was recorded in 2020 at the Parisian festival »Sons d’Hiver«, thus also paying homage to the place where it all began. The Guardian writes about the interplay between the old and new guard: » It’s heartwarming to hear the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s devoted heirs so ready to carry the story on.«

Guest performance Magic of the Horn

Jeffrey Bruinsma - Art of the In-Between

It goes without saying that The Concertgebouw and jazz & pop music make a perfect combination. The stages of both the Main Hall and the Recital Hall have borne witness to nearly the whole of jazz history. Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald have both performed here, as have Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. Famous pop stars and bands that have graced the stage of the Main Hall include Frank Zappa, the Doors and the Eagles, to name but a few. Legendary concerts, in the present as well as the past.

Night of Guitars

The »Night of the Guitars« is an ode to acoustic guitar music. Four musicians come together to create a concert evening. Original compositions and cover versions are performed in unique solo, duet and quartet performances. The speciality of the evening lies in the mix of artists who come together from all over the world. In addition to well-known luminaries from the scene, young, unknown musicians will also take to the stage. Together they create a concert evening of unrivalled virtuoso perfection.

Night of Guitars

The »Nacht Der Gitarren« brings together the world's best guitarists for a festival tour where they perform their latest original compositions and cover versions. For each tour, »Nacht Der Gitarren« presents a new line-up of guitar luminaries to create this very special evening of solo, duet and quartet performances, highlighting the virtuosity and diversity within the acoustic guitar world. The festival is exciting because not only do different cultures come together here, but younger artists also meet more experienced musicians. It is precisely this mix that makes these concerts so brilliant. Fans of the acoustic guitar always get their money's worth here, getting to know new talents or interesting established artists every time.