»The Art of Being Human«

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.

Pearls in Baroque: The French Connection of Purcell

Hadelich / Piemontesi / Music of the masters from the banks of the Seine

Stars up close! Today, Augustin Hadelich is a world-leading violinist who conquers the world's stages and performs with the best orchestras, including the NOSPR. He returns with a chamber programme, in duo with the versatile piano virtuoso Francesco Piemontesi. Their concert, which will be dominated by French music, is designed in a modern way. There is no shortage of the canon of violin music, represented by Franck's striking, emotional, late Romantic sonata and Debussy's subtle, intimate sonata. They are accompanied by a third, wonderfully melodic sonata by Francis Poulenc. Both predecessors will shine through, as Poulenc's sounds focus their qualities like a lens because our perception changes with the context. Old French music (by de Grigny and Rameau) will indicate the roots of the work of the masters from the Seine banks mentioned above. György Kurtág's handful of short musical gestures, meanwhile, will allow us to pause for a moment to take a fresh look at what we already know. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration (intermission included): approximately 90 minutes

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 Wedding of the Sun King

Probably France’s largest 17th century festival comes to life again here: the wedding between the »Sun King« Louis XIV and the Spanish princess Marie-Thérèse ended the long-standing hostility of both countries in 1660 and was fittingly ostentatiously celebrated, firstly on the Spanish border, then in Paris. Thereby, a large-scale musical setting befitting their social status from sacred works via fanfares to dance and opera should also be included. Vincent Dumestre, with his period performance orchestra Le Poème Harmonique and vocalists, has put together a splendid panorama of French baroque music, which transforms the entire Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall into a royal ballroom. The proverbial timpani and trumpets sound, there is a lot of music by Jean-Baptiste Lully – Louis XIV’s favourite composer – and by Francesco Cavalli, who travelled from Italy to Paris for the wedding specifically for performances of his operas. This programme incidentally evolved from Dumestre and his ensembles for the Palace of Versailles, which the Sun King had built as an overflowing, sumptuous structure – also to make space for the theatre, ballet and opera performances he so loved. Today, the stars of the early music scene take golden hammers into their hands here and sound repertoire gems of the 16th to 18th century.

Monteverdi: Vespro della Beata Vergine

It takes some confidence to dedicate a sacred work personally to the Pope. But Claudio Monteverdi was keen to reach as large an audience as possible when he published his »Vespro della Beata Vergine« in 1610. With the work, he sought to express all the facets of his compositional prowess, and the »Vespers for the Blessed Virgin« remains one of the greatest works of sacred music to this day. In 13 movements, Monteverdi demonstrates his mastery and his ability to integrate all the contrasting stylistic influences of his time into one diverse whole. The six-strong Flemish instrumental ensemble Les Cornets Noirs specialises in the music of Monteverdi’s time. Together with the singers of the Delectus Cantionum ensemble, they present a historically informed and musically expressive performance of this legendary work.

PHANTASM

Eccentric Englishmen: Works for Viol Consort by Tye, Locke, Lawes, and Purcell

Saxos

‘Why take up with Plato when a saxophone can equally let us glimpse another world?’ Cioran once said. The musicians of Keybart reveal to us not one world but four—each on a different instrument.

Musikkollegium Winterthur / Sergio Azzolini / Bogdan Božović

The bassoon »paints in particular the objects of sad tenderness«. This was written in 1807. Yes, the instrument also has its lyrical side, which can bubble in the depths and nasalise in the high register; it is just as capable of frenzied fluency as it is of heartfelt singability. Hardly anyone realises these rich possibilities of the instrument more beautifully than Sergio Azzolini, who has been setting standards in the world of the (baroque) bassoon for decades, not only as an outstanding soloist but also as a professor in Basel.

Vivaldi: Die Vier Jahreszeiten

So much can be captured: what is known as early music (literally, »old music« in German) has long since no longer only been in the hands of the old guard, who did important pioneering work. More and more young artists, trained in specialised degree programmes, are flocking onto the stages of this world to revive the music of the past few centuries in fresh interpretations. One of the current stars on this scene is French baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte, who – following his performance in the Elbphilharmonie »Fast Lane« series – you can now experience with his own ensemble Le Consort. On the programme is one work that needs no introduction: Antonio Vivaldi’s »Four Seasons«. The collection of four violin concertos portraying the seasons is one of the earliest and most famous examples of programme music – and surely one of the most popular works of all in the history of music. De Swarte now skilfully combines it in his programme with other concertos and overtures by Vivaldi and his contemporaries – and so makes the seasons appear in a new guise.