Classical concerts featuring

Leif Ove Andsnes

Grieg’s Piano Concerto

Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto is a classic among classics, constantly featured on concert programmes worldwide, and probably available in hundreds of recordings. Grieg was 25 when he composed the music, and the fact that it was his first work with an orchestra is astonishing. Taking on his compatriot's superhit is none other than Leif Ove Andsnes, one of the world's leading pianists.The concert opens with the exciting premiere of Rocking Bodies by Chrichan Larson. Rocking Bodies plays with the idea of resonant bodies moving in waves around a centre – sometimes repelled, sometimes drawn in. Larson is active as a composer and cellist, a prominent musician who has often been seen in the cello section of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.Concluding the concert, Chief Conductor Ryan Bancroft leads the orchestra in Wilhelm Stenhammar's exquisite Serenade. Stenhammar got the idea for the music during a stay in Florence in 1907. In one of his letters, he wrote: ”I want to compose as beautifully and tenderly about the South as only a Nordic person can.” He succeeded, for the Serenade is a masterpiece.Read more about chief conductor Ryan Bancroft

Leif Ove Andsnes

The 24 preludes completed by Chopin during the notorious winter he spent on Mallorca with his lover George Sand, are some of the most demanding pieces a pianist can tackle. The range is enormous, from small and short simple pieces to brutal outbursts and virtuosic explosions. The famous Raindrop Prelude No. 15 is said to be inspired by the perpetual raining on the island.Norwegian Leif Ove Andsnes, one of the world's most acclaimed pianists, begins his recital with his compatriot Edvard Grieg's piano sonata, written three years before the famous piano concerto. And there are similarities: romantically flowing melodies and glimpses of Norwegian folk music. Grieg has also, like Bach and Shostakovich, embedded himself in the music: the first three notes are e, h, g – the initials of his name Edvard Hagerup Grieg.Between Grieg and Chopin, Andsnes performs music by another compatriot, Geirr Tveitt (1908–81). He was a concert pianist himself, and his both powerful and sometimes meditative music is often inspired by folk music from Hardanger Valley.

Easter Festival Baden-Baden 2025

Easter Festival Baden-Baden 2025

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Leif Ove Andsnes / Alan Gilbert

Is it just a cliché to assume that French music is particularly sophisticated? Or is there more than just a grain of truth in it? An exciting question. Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra explore this question when they take a trip to France with Leif Ove Andsnes as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival. With three visionary works that rarely find their way into the concert hall and illuminate the festival motto »Future« in a unique way.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Leif Ove Andsnes / Alan Gilbert

Is it just a cliché to assume that French music is particularly sophisticated? Or is there more than just a grain of truth in it? An exciting question. Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra explore this question when they take a trip to France with Leif Ove Andsnes as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival. With three visionary works that rarely find their way into the concert hall and illuminate the festival motto »Future« in a unique way.