ConcertPulseThe Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Date & Time
Sun, Jun 29, 2025, 20:00
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Program
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Last update: Sat, Nov 9, 2024, 14:10
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The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
Whether they appear at the Queen’s private birthday party in Windsor Castle, at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, in Carnegie Hall or at the Sydney Opera House – it is the declared mission of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain to fight the serious side of life with all their might. They pull it off with charm, British wit, surprising arrangements and pure delight in playing and entertaining people. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, founded in 1985, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a fast-paced sprint through all musical genres: from ABBA to ZZ Top, from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana, from bluegrass to Lady Gaga. A witty, quirky, great, rousing obituary for rock’n’roll and melodic entertainment, all played on the »bonsai guitar«.
Great works of music
Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Chamber Hall (Katowice)
Why not play piano concertos as a chamber ensemble? It would be impossible to show rational obstacles. In the times before the phonograph, that was exactly how people learnt great works of music that were not being performed at a concert hall near them. Privately, at home, at meetings, making music together. It is the meeting of artistic individualities and their willingness to collaborate that give chamber music its sense. Hence the presence of Chopin’s Concerto in E minor in the version for five instruments today, on the 175th death anniversary of this most important Polish musician of all. For the same reason, its counterpoint will be the famous Trout, Schubert’s masterpiece which introduced the early romantic sensitivity to chamber music. This is music derived from the spirit of a simple song. These two romantic build up layers of human emotions, activate affections and pile up associations. This is all we need. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes
The great Verdi Gala
Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
»Every music has its heaven«, Verdi once said. His music was created under the clear skies of »Bella Italia«. Verdi’s music arouses strong emotions, but always remains genuine and true – and beautiful, as beautiful as the sky over Italy. There is a »very special« hit in many of Verdi’s operas. The world-famous »Prisoners’ Chorus« from Nabucco or »Preghiera di Desdemona« (Ave Maria) or »Ella giammai m’amò«. They are among the most moving pieces that European music has ever produced. NABUCCO, LA TRAVIATA, RIGOLETTO, IL TROVATORE and AIDA are masterpieces from the first to the last bar. With his soft, full timbre, Italy’s star tenor Cristian Lanza, Silvia Rampazzo and baritone Giulio Boschetti as well as the choir and orchestra of the Milano Festival Opera present the very best of Verdi’s magnificent arias, duets and choruses. With great talent and even more feeling, Cristian Lanza knows how to give his voice wings. The Italian tenor, born in Rome, has been one of the greats of the scene for some time now. His grandfather continues to be a source of inspiration for him. Born in Italy, he is the grandson of the world-famous singer Mario Lanza. But he has long since ventured out of his grandfather’s slipstream. Cristian Lanza’s lyric tenor has a softer and fuller timbre than that of his grandfather. He not only has the high notes that are expected in tenor arias, but also enchants and touches his listeners with his soulful voice.
The Great Movie Night
Experience the captivating highlights of film music from classics such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Superman, E.T., and Indiana Jones, all composed by the legendary John Williams. This film music gala is a tribute to the work of this great composer.
Charlie Chaplin: The Great Dictator
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
It’s one of the great masterpieces of film history, »perhaps the most significant film ever produced« (New York Times): with »The Great Dictator«, Charlie Chaplin created not only a satire of Adolf Hitler and National Socialism, but also a general manifesto against totalitarianism and war. In the opening week of the Hamburg International Music Festival, which is centred around the theme of »War and Peace«, the film is being screened in the Elbphilharmonie – with the soundtrack performed live by the Symphoniker Hamburg. As with his earlier films, Chaplin was responsible for the script, direction and production on »The Great Dictator«. And he also acted the two main roles: the tyrant Anton Hynkel and the Jewish barber who is terrorised in the ghetto by Hynkel’s stormtroopers. The great similarity between these two characters leads to a mix-up at the end of the film and to that famous speech in which the »wrong« dictator takes to the stage and, in a passionate address, makes a plea for humanity and world peace. »The Great Dictator«, Chaplin’s first sound film, is shown in English with the original soundtrack by Charlie Chaplin and Meredith Willson. Talking about the composition process, Willson explained: »We broke the picture into 70 musical sequences and spent weeks fitting original music to these sequences.« In this process, Chaplin’s role was far more than simply providing the occasional idea: »I have never met a man who devoted himself so completely to the idea of perfection as Charlie Chaplin. I was constantly amazed at his attention to details, his feeling for the exact musical phrase or tempo to express the mood he wanted.« In addition to their original music, Willson and Chaplin made memorable use of two classical works: the scene in which Chaplin as the barber shaves a customer to the rhythms of Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 5 has gone down in film history, as has Hynkel the dictator’s dance with the inflated globe to the sound of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin prelude.
NOSPR / Hermus / Great symphonists and The Master-Singers of Nuremberg
Narodowej Orkiestry Symfonicznej Polskiego Radia, Concert Hall (Katowice)
If The Master-Singers of Nuremberg were stripped of their stage design and historical setting, they could constitute a metaphor of perfect order in the musical (though not only) world: the winner of the competition for the most beautiful song and its best performance would be the best and the most talented participant and the ambitious mediocre one would suffer a well-deserved defeat. In such a world, the following question would become an abstract and groundless one: why have Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s Three Dances, Op. 34, not found their rightful place in the concert repertoire? Why is this work – chronologically placed halfway between Symphony No. 2 and No. 3, surprising, brilliant, written with a particular flair for timbre and expression – performed so rarely? Nonetheless, in real life, Walter’s love song does not shine in a blaze of glory at first, while the talentless Beckmesser will still trumpet his clerkish shallowness before he finally loses.Usually, however, it is the greatness of vision that wins. Such was the Wagnerian vision, which changed the course of history. Without his orchestral language, Bruckner’s, Mahler’s and Richard Strauss’ oeuvres would certainly be different from those we know today.In his Gesamtkunstwerk, Wagner lent an increasingly greater weight to the orchestra. The instrumental layer ceases to be merely a helpful scaffolding for the vocal show, beginning to explain and add to the drama happening onstage. The furthest he ever ventured away from the academic thinking about form was in the prelude to the Lohengrin (1848). In the prelude to the 1862 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Wagner decided to build a classically structured score. In a sophisticated manner, he brings together motifs taken from the operatic plot, referencing its heroes and crucial moments, simultaneously creating a score of unusual brilliance and elan, a concert masterpiece.Even though Bruckner admired Wagner, the path his symphonies open up for us is one leading to a radically different sphere of artistic expression – a sphere marked by patience and humility, but also by self-destructive uncertainty. In this Brucknerian world, The Sixth is truly exceptional. The least frequently performed, it does not belong to any period – while being the only one never amended by the composer, it also separates the “early” part of his symphonic universe from the “late” works. Amidst contrasting moods and motifs, the meandering harmonies, complicated rhythms and an orchestration fueled by an unrestrained imagination lead from darkness to light.Andrzej SułekConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 100 minutes
5. Jazz Festival: The great Django
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tischlerei (Berlin)
He played the guitar in his very own way and founded European jazz in the process - the guitarist and bandleader Django Reinhardt was already an absolute icon during his lifetime. Jazz guitarist Joscho Stephan - an important representative of modern gypsy swing for more than 20 years - is dedicating a very special evening to this exceptional artist. **** It's hard to believe: in May 2025, the jazz festival will take place in the Tischlerei for the 5th time and illustrious programmes and stars of the jazz scene will join forces. Experience Handel's music as the perfect template for improvised jazz (5, 6 May). The fantastic guitarist Josho Stephan plays a tribute to Django Reinhardt (7, 8 May), the unforgettable songs that originated on the Motown Records label are interpreted by Worthy Davis on 9 May and Mette Nadja Hansen lends her voice and bends her knee to the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald and The Count (10, 11 May). Two concerts for children aged between 4 and 7 about the "magic dragon Mo", the first trumpet dragon in Pyromania, will conclude the festival on 11 and 12 May.
5. Jazz Festival: The great Django
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Tischlerei (Berlin)
He played the guitar in his very own way and founded European jazz in the process - the guitarist and bandleader Django Reinhardt was already an absolute icon during his lifetime. Jazz guitarist Joscho Stephan - an important representative of modern gypsy swing for more than 20 years - is dedicating a very special evening to this exceptional artist. **** It's hard to believe: in May 2025, the jazz festival will take place in the Tischlerei for the 5th time and illustrious programmes and stars of the jazz scene will join forces. Experience Handel's music as the perfect template for improvised jazz (5, 6 May). The fantastic guitarist Josho Stephan plays a tribute to Django Reinhardt (7, 8 May), the unforgettable songs that originated on the Motown Records label are interpreted by Worthy Davis on 9 May and Mette Nadja Hansen lends her voice and bends her knee to the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald and The Count (10, 11 May). Two concerts for children aged between 4 and 7 about the "magic dragon Mo", the first trumpet dragon in Pyromania, will conclude the festival on 11 and 12 May.
Communal Concert of the Academies of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and the BRSO
For years Mariss Jansons was the principal conductor of both the BRSO and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. If gifted young musicians from two academies now assemble in Munich for a concert, they do so in memory of this great conductor, who left an indelible imprint on both orchestras. Jansons had a firm commitment to talented young orchestral musicians, and the idea of the academy continues in his spirit, helping graduates to find their way into professional orchestras. Now, for the first time since their initial exchange of 2019, the two academies reunite in a concert that straddles the boundaries of Germany and the Netherlands. Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, George Benjamin’s modernist take on Purcell and Richard Strauss’s Suite from Der Bürger als Edelmann give these young musicians ample opportunity to display their prowess under the baton of Daniel Harding.
Chamber Concert of the Orchestra Academy
Konzerthalle Bamberg, Joseph-Keilberth-Saal (Bamberg)
Outside subscription