Sekar Kenanga – Elbphilharmonie Gamelan Ensemble

Nouruz Ensemble

Nouruz is the New Year’s and spring festival in the Persian and Kurdish cultures. The Nouruz Ensemble led by Iraqi Bassem Hawar also understands »spring« as a departure – towards exciting encounters between the musicians and their second home in Germany, and with other musical styles. In this concert, however, they focus entirely on their roots. A musical journey takes the ensemble from Basra in southern Iraq to Mosul in the north. They perform pieces from the southern marshlands and poetry set to music by Iraqi Assyrians and Arameans from northern Iraq, as well as classical Arabic maqam music from the area around Baghdad and all over the country. Bassem Hawar is a virtuoso on the Iraqi joza violin, which he built and developed himself; he founded the Nouruz Ensemble as a quartet in 2018. He combines a wide variety of musical styles with virtuosity, and is a tireless ambassador for the music of his homeland. Hawar is joined by the Iranian Kiomars Musayyebi on the delicate dulcimer santur and Saad Mahmoud Jawad, one of Iraq’s most renowned oud players. Other members of Nouruz are Persian percussionist Reza Samani, who has long had his roots in the Cologne area, and the Iraqi Rageed William on Armenia’s national instrument, the melancholy-sounding shawm duduk and the smoky-sounding flute nai. The guest vocalist is Baghdad-born Rita William, who works at the interface between Christian and Arabic singing.

Ensemble NIGHT

The landscape of Nepal stretches from tropical plains to the icy, sublime peaks of the Himalayas. Its music possesses a similarly exciting diversity. The Ensemble NIGHT brings out these hidden treasures located between rural folklore, Indian echoes and spiritual colouring. The quintet was formed in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu in 2006 by singer and multi-instrumentalist Jason Kunwar. After an initial phase as a metal band, the musicians decided to explore and preserve the cultural cosmos of the country’s more than 100 ethnic groups and languages. Accompanied by intensive field research trips to remote villages, they have developed a repertoire in which old songs and almost lost instruments come back into play. These include the paluwa flute made from fresh leaves, the three-stringed sarangi covered with sheepskin, and the Tamang stringed instrument known as the tungna. The ensemble also writes new songs based on its deep understanding of traditional music. This »new school folk« tells of spirituality as well as depicting the hardships of life in the countryside. The ensemble also documents its work on film – giving Nepal an opportunity to pass on its exciting heritage to future generations and to the world at large.

'Jangi' Folklore Ensemble

Buganda Music Ensemble

Court music comes to the Elbphilharmonie. The Buganda Music Ensemble comes from the Kingdom of Buganda, which was founded in the 14th century. The territory of the pre-colonial state lies in eastern Africa, in what is now the modern state of Uganda. The ensemble is led by Albert Bisaso Ssempeke, a renowned virtuoso on the ennanga arched harp and the endongo bowl lyre. Another of the formation’s key instruments is the amadinda, a bulky xylophone-like instrument that is played by three musicians at the same time and that boasts an incredible power. European art music composers such as John Cage and György Ligeti have also been inspired by the polyrhythm and microtonality of Bugandan music. How exactly the ancient composers of Buganda developed their compositions is still a mystery, but it is known that they composed on the ennanga arched harp. Various drums also belong to the Buganda Music Ensemble, whose complex melodic and rhythmic patterns produce fascinating effects and tonal illusions that gradually intensify into a mesmerising ritualistic sound. As is often the case in traditional African music, this is also a magical dialogue with the spirits of the ancestors.

Liedstadt & Ensemble Resonanz

Mais Harb, Hêja Netirk and Julian Prégardien - three first-class singers share their favorite songs and reinterpret them together with the musicians of Ensemble Resonanz and guests. Experimental Kurdish music by Hêja Netirk meets Franz Schubert sung by Julian Prégardien. Mais Harb's Arabic songs resound with a fresh string sound. Melodies from Germany, Kurdistan, Syria, Austria and Iran combine with the support of the children's choir of the Al-Farabi Music Academy to create a genuine Berlin song recital.

Workshop: Kosmos Gamelan

Gamelan music originated on the islands of Bali and Java many hundreds of years ago. It is played in a group on gongs, metallophones and drums. Its unique sound already fascinated composers like Debussy and has many fans in Europe to this day. The Elbphilharmonie owns a particularly fine ensemble of gamelan instruments, and this workshop offers the opportunity to try them out, and to hear what a remarkable sound they produce when they all are played together. Please note: this workshop is aimed at families with children aged ten and above. Children younger than ten may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.

Workshop: Kosmos Gamelan

Gamelan music originated on the islands of Bali and Java many hundreds of years ago. It is played in a group on gongs, metallophones and drums. Its unique sound already fascinated composers like Debussy and has many fans in Europe to this day. The Elbphilharmonie owns a particularly fine ensemble of gamelan instruments, and this workshop offers the opportunity to try them out, and to hear what a remarkable sound they produce when they all are played together. Please note: this workshop is aimed at young people aged 16 or older and adults. Children younger than 16 may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.

Workshop: Kosmos Gamelan

Gamelan music originated on the islands of Bali and Java many hundreds of years ago. It is played in a group on gongs, metallophones and drums. Its unique sound already fascinated composers like Debussy and has many fans in Europe to this day. The Elbphilharmonie owns a particularly fine ensemble of gamelan instruments, and this workshop offers the opportunity to try them out, and to hear what a remarkable sound they produce when they all are played together. Please note: this workshop is aimed at young people aged 16 or older and adults. Children younger than 16 may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.

Workshop: Kosmos Gamelan

Gamelan music originated on the islands of Bali and Java many hundreds of years ago. It is played in a group on gongs, metallophones and drums. Its unique sound already fascinated composers like Debussy and has many fans in Europe to this day. The Elbphilharmonie owns a particularly fine ensemble of gamelan instruments, and this workshop offers the opportunity to try them out, and to hear what a remarkable sound they produce when they all are played together. Please note: this workshop is aimed at families with children aged ten and above. Children younger than ten may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.

Workshop: Kosmos Gamelan

Gamelan music originated on the islands of Bali and Java many hundreds of years ago. It is played in a group on gongs, metallophones and drums. Its unique sound already fascinated composers like Debussy and has many fans in Europe to this day. The Elbphilharmonie owns a particularly fine ensemble of gamelan instruments, and this workshop offers the opportunity to try them out, and to hear what a remarkable sound they produce when they all are played together. Please note: this workshop is aimed at families with children aged ten and above. Children younger than ten may not participate in this workshop. All participants need a ticket.