Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Paavo Järvi

With the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, its musical director the Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi, and the music of John Adams—which he sometimes performs alongside the composer—Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson is on friendly turf.

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Víkingur Ólafsson / Paavo Järvi

Brahms times two is the motto this season for the exceptional Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson: after travelling around the world with Bach’s Goldberg Variations, this season he has taken on both of Johannes Brahms’ piano concertos – with different partners at his side. The opening concert with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in November will be followed in March by the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and the large-scale symphonic Second Piano Concerto. The orchestra brings Schumann’s »Rhenish« Symphony as a lively addition – a showpiece for the Swiss orchestra and its energetic chief conductor Paavo Järvi. You can hear in the cheerfully flowing sounds of this symphony the motivational boost that the move from Leipzig to Düsseldorf on the Rhine meant for the composer.

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich / Víkingur Ólafsson / Paavo Järvi

Since the Elbphilharmonie opened, Estonian star conductor Paavo Järvi has been one of its permanent guests, enchanting Hamburg audiences at several concerts a year. Now the conductor of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen again comes to the Grand Hall with his second top orchestra, the venerable Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. They will be joined by Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, who gave two brilliant renderings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s »Goldberg Variations« in Hamburg last season. On the programme is a new piano concerto by US composer John Adams, which was commissioned by the Elbphilharmonie among others. And the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich tackles two of the most famous modern orchestral pieces by György Ligeti and Witold Lutosławski, who skilfully combined folk music from Hungary and Poland with a thrilling orchestral sound in the 1950s.

Moritzburg Festival Orchester

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, a highlight of his work, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, nicknamed "Fate", will be performed by Yefim Bronfman and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. This concert promises pure Romanticism.

Orchester ’91 / Emanuel Dantscher

Under the baton of Emanuel Dantscher, the Orchester’91 presents an extraordinary blend of great symphonic music in this concert to mark its 33rd anniversary. In the »Overture’91«, a work commissioned by the orchestra from Roland Fister, a bridge is built between Hamburg and Vienna. Here, seagull cries resound alongside a waltz, but also »Guten Abend, gute Nacht« by Johannes Brahms.

Haydn-Orchester / Sarah Christian / Rida Murtada

The Haydn-Orchester Hamburg is regarded as one of northern Germany’s top amateur orchestras. Founded in 1977, Rida Murtada has occupied the position of musical director since 2003. The orchestra performs biannually at the Laeiszhalle.

40 Jahre das junge Orchester NRW

Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony starts with a four-note motif, resembling Beethoven's 5th. Reflecting the era's upheaval, the symphony features stark contrasts, from somber marches to triumphant brass chorales. Mahler's focus on polyphony weaves through the composition. He considered it a "completely new style," possibly influenced by his love for and marriage to Alma Schindler in 1902. The 'Adagietto,' seen as a declaration of love to Alma, gained fame, notably through Visconti's 'Death in Venice.' The junge orchester NRW celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Festkonzert 70 Jahre Akademisches Orchester Leipzig

Haydn-Orchester Hamburg / Mathias Weber / Rida Murtada

The Haydn-Orchester Hamburg is regarded as one of northern Germany’s top amateur orchestras. Founded in 1977, Rida Murtada has occupied the position of musical director since 2003. The orchestra performs biannually at the Laeiszhalle.