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January 8, 2025

Hayato Sumino / Piano Recital

Wed, Jan 8, 2025, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Hayato Sumino (Piano)

Hayato Sumino is not just a pianist, he is a real phenomenon. He plays the piano at a world-class level, has a degree in engineering, composes, arranges and improvises and is also a real YouTube star with almost 1.3 million followers under the name »Cateen«. Over 176 million people have already clicked on his videos, in which he either casually performs the most difficult piano pieces with breathtaking technique and virtuosity or entertains his fans with arrangements and improvisations. He bridges the gap between the social media world and impressive performances on all the world’s major stages like no other. This season he finally makes his debut at ProArte.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

January 2, 2025

New Jersey Sinfonietta Young Artists’ Recital

Thu, Jan 2, 2025, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Chaeyeon Oh (Oboe), Jihoo Hwang (Violin), Jieon Lee (Cello), Yunseo Cho (Cello)

Returning to Hamburg for the again, New Jersey Sinfonietta presents four extraordinary young musicians, aged 14 to 17, who will captivate audiences with their award-winning performances. As winners of the 2024 competition, these gifted performers represent the future of classical music, combining technical mastery with artistic depth. Aligned with the New Jersey Sinfonietta’s mission to nurture young talent through exceptional performance opportunities, this concert is a unique chance to witness the next generation of classical virtuosos.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

January 1, 2025

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Pekka Kuusisto / Esa-Pekka Salonen

Wed, Jan 1, 2025, 18:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Pekka Kuusisto (Violin), Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor)

They are two of the most exciting musicians in Finland and are now a proven dream team: conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and two wonderful classics from the orchestral repertoire, complemented by an exciting discovery, they farewell the old year on Hogmanay and New Year and celebrate the new. At the latest since the classic film »2001: A Space Odyssey«, the opening of Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem »Thus Spoke Zarathustra« has been world famous: a trumpet fanfare brightly soars like a shaft of sunlight over darkly rumbling double basses. »We were sleepwalkers, we want to be daywalkers«, Strauss overwrites this work with a phrase from Nietzsche’s eponymous poetry – and in fact radiates the music in typical powerful Straussian imagery of light and heat. Also, with Ravel’s »Boléro«, the first notes are enough for you to recognise perhaps the most beautiful earworm in music history. For around 15 minutes, Maurice Ravel lets the melody wander through the orchestra and become ever more full-bodied – always accompanied by the little drum for which the piece is almost an athletic challenge.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

December 31, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Pekka Kuusisto / Esa-Pekka Salonen

Tue, Dec 31, 2024, 18:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Pekka Kuusisto (Violin), Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor)

They are two of the most exciting musicians in Finland and are now a proven dream team: conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and violinist Pekka Kuusisto. Together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and two wonderful classics from the orchestral repertoire, complemented by an exciting discovery, they farewell the old year on Hogmanay and New Year and celebrate the new. At the latest since the classic film »2001: A Space Odyssey«, the opening of Richard Strauss’ symphonic poem »Thus Spoke Zarathustra« has been world famous: a trumpet fanfare brightly soars like a shaft of sunlight over darkly rumbling double basses. »We were sleepwalkers, we want to be daywalkers«, Strauss overwrites this work with a phrase from Nietzsche’s eponymous poetry – and in fact radiates the music in typical powerful Straussian imagery of light and heat. Also, with Ravel’s »Boléro«, the first notes are enough for you to recognise perhaps the most beautiful earworm in music history. For around 15 minutes, Maurice Ravel lets the melody wander through the orchestra and become ever more full-bodied – always accompanied by the little drum for which the piece is almost an athletic challenge.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

December 15, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Jean-Yves Thibaudet / Marek Janowski

Sun, Dec 15, 2024, 18:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano), Marek Janowski (Conductor)

A luminary of the German Romantic symphonic repertoire meets a master of elegant French piano playing: Marek Janowski returns to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra to perform Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

December 12, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Jean-Yves Thibaudet / Marek Janowski

Thu, Dec 12, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano), Marek Janowski (Conductor)

A luminary of the German Romantic symphonic repertoire meets a master of elegant French piano playing: Marek Janowski returns to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra to perform Robert Schumann’s Fourth Symphony and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 with Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

December 2, 2024

Orchestre National de France / Beatrice Rana / Christian Măcelaru

Mon, Dec 2, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Orchestre National de France, Beatrice Rana (Piano), Cristian Măcelaru (Conductor)

There is often talk of underrated works by great composers: masterpieces that are only honoured after the death of their creators. But overrated works? Maurice Ravel considered his Boléro to be such a work. »I have only made one masterpiece, that is the Boléro; unfortunately, it contains no music,« he once said laconically. You can disagree and be pleased that Cristian Măcelaru is presenting the work with his Orchestre National de France in this ProArte concert. And that’s not all: in addition to the famous Boléro, the proven Ravel specialists from Paris are also bringing Ravel’s jazz-influenced piano concerto to Hamburg, interpreted by Beatrice Rana, who has played her way into the hearts of local audiences in recent seasons. A fitting prelude to the Ravel Year 2025, in which the 150th birthday of the composer with the unbeatable sense of orchestral colour will be celebrated.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

December 1, 2024

Marshall & NDR Bigband in Hamburg

Sun, Dec 1, 2024, 18:00

Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg)

Wayne Marshall (Conductor), NDR Bigband (Ensemble), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Geir Lysne (Bigband Rehearsal)

A match made in heaven, and yet at the same time: earthly, lively and of the highest calibre: NDR Bigband meets the DSO. Not crossover. Not a stylistic mish-mash. But rather two top ensembles meeting as equals, with Nikki Iles, British bandleader, Geir Lysne, Norwegian arranger and composer, and Wayne Marshall, conductor specialised in gripping orchestra grooves. New sounds for the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg—and on the day before, in Berlin’s Philharmonie.

Info (www.dso-berlin.de)

November 23, 2024

Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Yuja Wang

Sat, Nov 23, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Yuja Wang (Piano), Yuja Wang (Director)

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.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

November 8, 2024

Quatuor Modigliani

Fri, Nov 8, 2024, 20:00

Laeiszhalle, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Amaury Coeytaux (Violin), Loïc Rio (Violin), Laurent Marfaing (Viola), François Kieffer (Cello)

Quatuor Modigliani

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

October 4, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Daniil Trifonov / Alan Gilbert

Fri, Oct 4, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Daniil Trifonov (Piano), Alan Gilbert (Conductor)

He has played his way to the top of the international piano scene in a very short space of time: Daniil Trifonov, born in 1991, has eclipsed many of what was considered great piano art for decades. Martha Argerich has »never heard anything like it before«, for example, who is one of the Russian’s admirers along with other great pianists such as Alfred Brendel. Now the winner of the most important international piano competitions and Grammy award winner returns to perform alongside the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Alan Gilbert.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

October 3, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Daniil Trifonov / Alan Gilbert

Thu, Oct 3, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Daniil Trifonov (Piano), Alan Gilbert (Conductor)

He has played his way to the top of the international piano scene in a very short space of time: Daniil Trifonov, born in 1991, has eclipsed many of what was considered great piano art for decades. Martha Argerich has »never heard anything like it before«, for example, who is one of the Russian’s admirers along with other great pianists such as Alfred Brendel. Now the winner of the most important international piano competitions and Grammy award winner returns to perform alongside the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Alan Gilbert.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

September 15, 2024

Mathias Weber / Piano Recital

Sun, Sep 15, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Mathias Weber (Piano)

The phenomenon of movement is one of the basic elements of music. This manifests itself in a wide variety of forms. An essential manifestation is dance and thus rhythm. There are changing relationships between this and the other basic musical elements, of which melody and harmony are representative. From this field of tension, a multitude of the greatest musical works of art could be created. The horizon extends from the miniature of a mazurka to the large-scale form of the Baroque, the suite, from the carnival swing to the melancholy waltz to the effervescent joie de vivre of a tarantella.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

June 29, 2024

Norddeutsche Orchesterakademie / Kiril Stankow

Sat, Jun 29, 2024, 11:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Norddeutsche Orchesterakademie, Kiril Stankow (Conductor)

Archaic power, shimmering colours, opulent waltz jubilation: the Norddeutsche Orchesterakademie invites you to dance! And to a journey through the breathtaking musical diversity of the early 20th century. The sounds in Stravinsky’s »Sacre«, Ravel’s »Daphnis« and Strauss’ »Rosenkavalier« could not be more different. What unites them, however, is the exuberant creative power of three composers at the height of their art and their time.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

June 18, 2024

NDR Chamber Music Concert with the Noah Quartett

Tue, Jun 18, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Alexandra Psareva (Violin), Michael Stürzinger (Violin), Erik Wenbo Xu (Viola), Bettina Barbara Bertsch (Cello)

The NDR’s chamber concert season comes to a close with the ultimate genre in chamber music: the programme selected by the Noah Quartet – which is made up of musicians from the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra – features three string quartets. The enigmatic standalone Quartet Movement in C minor is one of the numerous scattered pieces of individual movements that Franz Schubert never completed. Its tragic, shimmering energy makes it impossible not to lament Schubert’s failure to go further than this single movement. Beethoven’s Three Quartets Op. 59 were nothing less than a revolution for the string quartet genre. Never before had such density of motivic combination, polyphonic sleekness and thematic finesse been achieved in the form. Despite their complexity, the works were immediately successful: »In Vienna, Beethoven’s latest ¬– difficult yet tasteful – quartets are enjoying increasing popularity; their admirers hope to see them in print soon,« reported one enthusiastic reviewer. Although now very popular with artists and audiences alike, Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet was initially met not only with bafflement and amazement, but also with disapproval and hostility. Ravel had delivered an abundance of melodic and harmonic surprises for which the time was apparently not ripe. Gabriel Fauré, as a teacher and dedicatee, like many other composers, was very reserved about the work. It took some clear words from Claude Debussy to gradually pave the way for the work’s acceptance.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

June 1, 2024

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden / Lang Lang / Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

Sat, Jun 1, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Lang Lang (Piano), Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (Conductor)

Please note: Unfortunately, Christian Thielemann is unable to conduct the concert due to illness. Thankfully, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has agreed to conduct the concert at short notice. Due to the change in the line-up, the programme for the second half of the concert will also change. The tickets remain valid.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

May 19, 2024

Sitkovetsky Trio / Pablo Barragán

Sun, May 19, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Alexander Sitkovetsky (Violin), Isang Enders (Cello), Qian Wu (Piano), Pablo Barragán (Clarinet)

»This trio is incredibly well matched, and you can tell how much they trust each other« was BBC Radio’s recent verdict on the Sitkovetsky Trio, which was formed in 2007. And on top of that, the Sitkovetsky Trio has really developed an exceptional quality over the years. They are joined here by the Andalusian clarinettist Pablo Barragán, who loves telling stories with his nuanced and richly coloured playing – e.g. in Olivier Messiaen’s »Quartet for the End of Time«. By the time he completed and gave the first performance of the »Quatuor pour la fin du temps«, as it is known in the original, in the Görlitz prisoner-of-war camp in 1941, the French composer had already spent many months in captivity. The piece’s unusual combination of instruments is simply a reflection of who was incarcerated with Messiaen and what instruments they could play; Messiaen himself took the piano part. Today, the quartet is acknowledged as one of the central chamber-music works of the 20th century. Marked through and through by the composer’s deep Catholic faith, the music is closely linked to the book of Revelations in the Bible. Messiaen himself described the work in these words: »The motifs bring the listener closer to eternity. Special rhythms without any conventional metre push the dimension of time into the distance. The quartet has eight movements. Why? Seven is the consummate number. God spent six days creating the world, sanctified by the divine Sabbath; the seventh day expands into eternity and becomes the eighth day of inextinguishable light and everlasting peace.« Surrounded by the horrors of the Second World War, Messiaen’s faith enabled him not to lose hope. French works – a duo and a trio – are also under the spotlight before the interval: Claude Debussy’s »Première Rhapsodie« for piano and clarinet follows Maurice Ravel’s only piano trio, written in 1914 while he was staying in the Basque region. In addition to local Basque influence, the composer also incorporated echoes of Malaysian music into the work, reflecting the fashion around the turn of the century forte »exotic«.The score also shows how Ravel was horrified by the outbreak of the First World War. He wrote to a friend: »The alarms bells have been ringing for two days, everywhere women are weeping, and worst of all is the excruciating enthusiasm amongst young people!«.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 28, 2024

Nora Kazemieh / Cosmin Boeru

Sun, Apr 28, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Nora Kazemieh (Mezzo-Soprano), Cosmin Boeru (Piano)

On this evening, Hamburg mezzo-soprano Nora Kazemieh juggles a wide variety of styles with feather-light ease. Whether Mozart, Debussy, Strauss, Mendelssohn, Bolcom or Weill: her warm, shimmering timbre combines with the virtuosity of the award-winning Romanian pianist Cosmin Boeru to create a moving listening experience.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 25, 2024

Symphoniker Hamburg / Martha Argerich / Sylvain Cambreling

Thu, Apr 25, 2024, 19:30

Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Symphoniker Hamburg, Martha Argerich (Piano), Sylvain Cambreling (Conductor)

Philippe Boesmans’s »Chambres d’à côté« thematises all the diverse facets of interpersonal relationships – resulting in a complex and fascinating sound world. The second work of the evening is Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, one of the most important works of the 20th century. It features a virtuosic piano part with musical nuances that are skilfully captured by the orchestra. The concert then comes to a close with Sergei Prokofiev’s suite from the ballet »Romeo and Juliet« – one of his best-known and most popular works.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 21, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Kirill Gerstein / Omer Meir Wellber

Sun, Apr 21, 2024, 11:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Kirill Gerstein (Piano), Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)

Omer Meir Wellber’s conducting is »a miracle of transparency and rigour« according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Israeli conductor has held a number of posts, including chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and he will be assuming the position of general music director at the Hamburg State Opera in 2025. Those who’d like to see the globetrotter in action in the Hanseatic city before then now have their chance. The unconventional conductor – who once inserted a techno interlude into an acclaimed Verdi production at the Bavarian State Opera – gave his debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in 2019. And he is now back on the conductor’s stand here for the third time. As an introduction to the programme, Wellber has chosen a work that was originally conceived as incidental music for a play: Gabriel Fauré’s »Pelléas et Mélisande«. Shortly after composing it, Fauré revised his opulent music for Maeterlinck’s Symbolist fairy-tale to create an independent orchestral work. The suite featuring the famous »Sicilienne« is followed by Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, which »was written in the spirit of Mozart’s and Saint-Saënsʼs concertos,« as the composer himself emphasised. That, however, does not mean that Ravel neglected his own tonal language – he opens the concerto with a spirited lash of the whip and Spanish sounds. Jazz harmonies and rhythms then increasingly come to the foreground. The soloist tasked with performing this virtuosic score is the American pianist Kirill Gerstein – a popular guest with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra for many years now. The concert comes to a close with Franz Schubert’s Third Symphony. Schubert composed the masterpiece in just a few days when he was only 18 years old. With that level of productivity, it is no surprise that the composer, despite his early death at the age of 31, still managed to leave behind an impressive oeuvre. The theatre critic Eduard Hanslick described Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 as »a work of youth and of youth’s gleefully raucous zeal «.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 18, 2024

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Kirill Gerstein / Omer Meir Wellber

Thu, Apr 18, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Kirill Gerstein (Piano), Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)

Omer Meir Wellber’s conducting is »a miracle of transparency and rigour« according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The Israeli conductor has held a number of posts, including chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and he will be assuming the position of general music director at the Hamburg State Opera in 2025. Those who’d like to see the globetrotter in action in the Hanseatic city before then now have their chance. The unconventional conductor – who once inserted a techno interlude into an acclaimed Verdi production at the Bavarian State Opera – gave his debut with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in 2019. And he is now back on the conductor’s stand here for the third time. As an introduction to the programme, Wellber has chosen a work that was originally conceived as incidental music for a play: Gabriel Fauré’s »Pelléas et Mélisande«. Shortly after composing it, Fauré revised his opulent music for Maeterlinck’s Symbolist fairy-tale to create an independent orchestral work. The suite featuring the famous »Sicilienne« is followed by Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, which »was written in the spirit of Mozart’s and Saint-Saënsʼs concertos,« as the composer himself emphasised. That, however, does not mean that Ravel neglected his own tonal language – he opens the concerto with a spirited lash of the whip and Spanish sounds. Jazz harmonies and rhythms then increasingly come to the foreground. The soloist tasked with performing this virtuosic score is the American pianist Kirill Gerstein – a popular guest with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra for many years now. The concert comes to a close with Franz Schubert’s Third Symphony. Schubert composed the masterpiece in just a few days when he was only 18 years old. With that level of productivity, it is no surprise that the composer, despite his early death at the age of 31, still managed to leave behind an impressive oeuvre. The theatre critic Eduard Hanslick described Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 as »a work of youth and of youth’s gleefully raucous zeal «.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 12, 2024

Sinfonia Leipzig / Knut Andreas

Fri, Apr 12, 2024, 20:00

Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Sinfonia Leipzig, Knut Andreas (Conductor)

Whether the rousing and energetic Boléro by Maurice Ravel, the Suite from the opera »Carmen« or the Fire Dance by Manuel de Falla: the Sinfonia Leipzig under the direction of Knut Andreas sets the musical mood for spring with this special concert.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

April 4, 2024

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra / Fleur Barron / Ludovic Morlot

Thu, Apr 4, 2024, 20:00

Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)

Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Fleur Barron (Mezzo-Soprano), Ludovic Morlot (Conductor)

Barcelona is not just a vibrant Mediterranean metropolis and a popular destination for sun-seeking tourists. The capital city of Catalonia is also an important centre for music. The Palau de la Música, which was built in the early 20th century in the Modernisme style is one of the world’s most architecturally unusual concert halls. And the city gained another modern concert venue in 1999 with the L’Auditori de Barcelona. The latter is home to the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, which is famous far beyond the Spanish border and which now performs in the Elbphilharmonie for the first time. As the official national orchestra of Catalonia they will, of course, be performing music from their home region. In »Cinco canciones negras«, the programme features a work by the most important Catalonian composer, Xavier Montsalvatge. The solo part of the five orchestral songs, in which Montsalvatge works with rhythms and themes from the music of the Antilles, is performed by the young mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, a mentee of Barbara Hannigan. The concert opens with the brand new work »Las constelaciones que más brillan« for orchestra by Raquel García-Tomásder, who was born in Barcelona in 1984 and who has already been awarded the Spanish National Prize for Music. Fittingly, the programme also features works by Maurice Ravel, who was strongly influenced by Spanish music, not least because of his Basque mother.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

March 3, 2024

Piano//Duo EnsariSchuch

Sun, Mar 3, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Gülru Ensari (Piano), Herbert Schuch (Piano)

He loves her musical spontaneity and she appreciates his flair for special programmes: The Piano//Duo EnsariSchuch! Making music together as a piano duo requires not only musical skills, but also almost »blind« trust in each other. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Gülru Ensari and Herbert Schuch also have a private connection: Both have been a married couple for nine years and have a daughter together. The two are an ideal constellation because they combine the advantages of different worlds: Herbert’s childhood in Romania, as well as Gülru’s Turkish roots – and can therefore come up with a wide range of musical colours. In their programme »Eternity«, the two shed light on the theme of eternity in music and seek answers to many questions: How does infinity explain itself? Which pieces make you forget space and time? Is redemption or nothingness waiting behind death? They approach these essential questions through the works of Brahms, Schubert, Ravel and Beethoven.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)

Sitkovetsky Trio / Pablo Barragán

Sun, May 19, 2024, 19:30

Elbphilharmonie, Kleiner Saal (Hamburg)

Alexander Sitkovetsky (Violin), Isang Enders (Cello), Qian Wu (Piano), Pablo Barragán (Clarinet)

»This trio is incredibly well matched, and you can tell how much they trust each other« was BBC Radio’s recent verdict on the Sitkovetsky Trio, which was formed in 2007. And on top of that, the Sitkovetsky Trio has really developed an exceptional quality over the years. They are joined here by the Andalusian clarinettist Pablo Barragán, who loves telling stories with his nuanced and richly coloured playing – e.g. in Olivier Messiaen’s »Quartet for the End of Time«. By the time he completed and gave the first performance of the »Quatuor pour la fin du temps«, as it is known in the original, in the Görlitz prisoner-of-war camp in 1941, the French composer had already spent many months in captivity. The piece’s unusual combination of instruments is simply a reflection of who was incarcerated with Messiaen and what instruments they could play; Messiaen himself took the piano part. Today, the quartet is acknowledged as one of the central chamber-music works of the 20th century. Marked through and through by the composer’s deep Catholic faith, the music is closely linked to the book of Revelations in the Bible. Messiaen himself described the work in these words: »The motifs bring the listener closer to eternity. Special rhythms without any conventional metre push the dimension of time into the distance. The quartet has eight movements. Why? Seven is the consummate number. God spent six days creating the world, sanctified by the divine Sabbath; the seventh day expands into eternity and becomes the eighth day of inextinguishable light and everlasting peace.« Surrounded by the horrors of the Second World War, Messiaen’s faith enabled him not to lose hope. French works – a duo and a trio – are also under the spotlight before the interval: Claude Debussy’s »Première Rhapsodie« for piano and clarinet follows Maurice Ravel’s only piano trio, written in 1914 while he was staying in the Basque region. In addition to local Basque influence, the composer also incorporated echoes of Malaysian music into the work, reflecting the fashion around the turn of the century forte »exotic«.The score also shows how Ravel was horrified by the outbreak of the First World War. He wrote to a friend: »The alarms bells have been ringing for two days, everywhere women are weeping, and worst of all is the excruciating enthusiasm amongst young people!«.

Info (www.elbphilharmonie.de)