Mitsuko Uchida / Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Yuja Wang

World leaders have joined forces here: exceptional pianist Yuja Wang and the acclaimed Mahler Chamber Orchestra have been »Artistic Partners« since early 2024 and as such already had their much-celebrated Elbphilharmonie prelude – »it was the pure, unrestrained, scintillating joy of playing« wrote the Hamburger Abendblatt. For their second joint concert on the Elbe, the orchestra and pianist have chosen a light-hearted programme, which celebrates the merging of classical music and jazz at the start of the 20th century with again two performances by Yuja Wang. Alexander Tsfasman can rightly be described as »Russia’s George Gershwin«. Very much as in Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue, in Tsfasman’s Jazz Suite laid-back swinging rhythms and typical jazz harmonies encounter the breakneck virtuosity of the solo piano – and a good dash of romantic melodiousness in the style of Rachmaninov. Maurice Ravel was also fascinated by jazz, which he had experienced at a concert tour in the USA. Yuja Wang is also on the piano here for Ravel’s piano concerto, which sprinkles jazz harmonies into wonderfully dreamy French impressionism. The two orchestral pieces always let the contemporary shine through, but are actually based on old musical forms: in his »Tombeau de Couperin«, Ravel gives a nod to baroque dances and styles for a suite and Stravinsky considered concerti grossi such as J.S. Bach wrote when composing his orchestral concerto. The instruments emerge in groups or even individually as a solo – the speciality of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, which sees itself as a unique collective characterised by chamber music.

Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Raphaël Pichon

Franz Schubert considered his two-movement Symphony in B minor a complete masterpiece. However, it would become known as the "Unfinished" Symphony. French conductor Raphaël Pichon and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra celebrate Schubert alongside Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony, reflecting his travels. Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll" was a birthday gift to his wife Cosima, drawing inspiration from his opera "Siegfried".

Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle

»The truth about Mozart’s music is that it’s deeply emotional and passionate and dark and menacing and happy like no other music that has ever been written«, says no lesser figure than Sir Simon Rattle. Now the rostrum star presents all these facets in two concerts with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra devoted to Mozart’s symphonic legacy. »Extreme human emotions crowd into the smallest space here«, says Rattle. Extremes that can now be heard live in the Elbphilharmonie tonight. »No commission, no specific intention« motivated Mozart to write his last three symphonies – thus Mozart biographer Alfred Einstein. Composed in the space of a single year, they should be understood rather as »an appeal to eternity«. Either way, these are pinnacles of the classical symphony repertoire, where the composer displayed his entire palette one more time. For their guest appearance at the Elbphilharmonie Rattle and the »MCO« have chosen the sunny Symphony in E flat and the brilliant C major Symphony, better known as the » Jupiter«.

Romantic soundscapes: Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Raphaël Pichon

Diverse tonal colours, intense emotions: These qualities characterise the music of the Romantic period. This concert with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra shows just how broad an expressive spectrum could be encompassed by works from this period. Franz Schubert is featured, with his lyrical and intriguing “Unfinished” Symphony and melancholy “Lacrimoso son io”; also on the programme are Mendelssohn's liltingly lively “Scottish”’ Symphony and Richard Wagner's Siegfried Idyll: a tender declaration of love to his wife Cosima. Raphaël Pichon, best-known for his refreshing approach to early music, conducts.

Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Music from the New World

Antonello Manacorda and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra open our International Chamber Orchestra series with music from the “New World”. Anton Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony, written in New York, clearly expresses the influences of both indigenous and African American melodies – although the work is also unmistakably Bohemian in colour. 2024 marks the 150th birthday of the brilliant Charles Ives, the first American composer to gain truly global recognition. Anna Prohaska sings selected songs by Ives, juxtaposed with songs by Gustav Mahler, his European contemporary.

Yuja Wang & Mahler Chamber Orchestra: Ravel's Piano Concerto

The Concertgebouw’s famous Main Hall is one of the best concert halls in the world, well-known for its exceptional acoustics and special atmosphere. In the Main Hall, you will feel history. Here, Gustav Mahler conducted his own compositions, as did Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Sergei Rachmaninoff played his own piano concertos in the Main Hall. This is also where musicians such as Leonard Bernstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Yehudi Menuhin gave legendary performances. Right up to now, the Main Hall offers a stage to the world’s best orchestras and musicians. Buy your tickets now and experience the magic of the Main Hall for yourself!

Anna Vinnitskaya | MCO Academy | Mahler Chamber Orchestra | Elim Chan

Shostakovich and Prokofiev were repeatedly targeted by Soviet art critics. Prokofiev appeased them with his heroic Fifth Symphony, while Shostakovich did so with his highly virtuosic 2nd Piano Concerto, brilliantly performed by Russian pianist Anna Vinnitskaya. Vinnitskaya, who won the ECHO Klassik award in 2014 for her recording of the concerto, is now accompanied by the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Elim Chan. Prokofiev's 5th Symphony, written in 1944 during the Soviet victory over Nazi troops, also displays combative traits.

Australian Chamber Orchestra

JS Bach hovers over an enticing programme from Australia’s premiere ensemble, embracing Gubaidulina’s sinewy tribute, and Shostakovich’s riveting Chamber Symphony.

FOUR SEASONS Chamber Orchestra

The cities of Dnipro and Cologne are celebrating their friendship with a concert, marking their two-year collaboration with a city partnership. The concert will feature a mix of German and Ukrainian musical traditions, including works by Bach, Schumann, Lyatoshynskyi, and Almashi. The program also includes the German premiere of Chiacchiaretta's "Sunflower Seeds" and a performance by Dmytro Udovychenko, winner of the Concours Reine Elisabeth.

Chamber Orchestra – Arabella Steinbacher