The soundscapes of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's chamber concerts are as diverse as the characters of the musicians who perform in them. The demands in the orchestra pit are often characterized by the size and diversity of the voices. Chamber music, on the other hand, reduces this dimension to smaller ensembles and allows for intimate musical interaction.

EPSG:4326

2nd Chamber Concert

Elbphilharmonie

Bach's music was a great inspiration for Johannes Brahms, who dedicated his choral work "Warum ist das Licht gegeben dem Müseligen" from 1877 to the great Bach scholar Philipp Spitta. The entire work revolves around the big question: "Why": If God is almighty and merciful, why is there all this suffering in the world? The motet ends with a hymn text based on Simeon's Praise by Luther. Here the struggle is over, and the vulnerable have found rest and comfort in the belief that death is not the last word.

All Saints' Day concert

Mogens Dahl Koncertsal

Before becoming Head of Music at Westminster Cathedral in London in 2021, Simon Johnson was organist at St. Paul's Cathedral, where he performed at a variety of royal events, including the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and the celebrations for her 90th birthday. The Eule organ in the Philharmonie Mercatorhalle, with its four manuals and 72 stops, is also very British and majestic. Its four manuals and 72 stops are modeled on the late-Romantic English town hall organs—in the first Toccata of the season, the Duisburg Philharmonic Choir will provide powerful support. Choir director Marcus Strümpe has included Anton Bruckner, among others, on the program, as the late-Romantic composer, as a virtuoso organist and composer of sacred music, was well versed in the combination of choir and organ. In Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Hear My Prayer," a soprano joins the organ and choir: the frequent alternations between solo voice and choir are reminiscent of the "anthem" tradition of the Anglican liturgy. William Harris and Herbert Howells, two prominent representatives of Anglican church music, are also on the program, while Louis Vierne, long-time chief organist at Notre-Dame de Paris, represents the rich organ scene in France. An exuberant romantic richness of sound characterizes his organ symphonies, a genre he himself invented.

Organ & Choir

CityPalais

Regularly voted one of Britain’s favourite pieces of classical music, Vaughan Williams’s Tallis Fantasia is at the heart of this fabulous programme of English music. John Wilson is in demand at the highest level across the globe, having conducted many of the world's finest orchestras over the past 30 years. Britten’s Serenade is one of his best loved works and the programme ends with the musical fireworks of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for string quartet and string orchestra. Add in lush music from two other fine English composers in Howell and Delius and we have a wonderful programme of truly gorgeous music.

John Wilson Conducts The Tallis Fantasia

Perth Concert Hall

The soundscapes of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's chamber concerts are as diverse as the personalities of the musicians who perform in them. The demands of the orchestra pit are often determined by the scale and diversity of voices. Chamber music, on the other hand, reduces this dimension to smaller ensembles and allows for intimate musical interaction. As in a dialogue, diverse opinions collide, new ideas emerge and develop during performance, thus opening up a creative space for spontaneous development.

Chamber Concert / Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

A little piece of heaven and one of the greatest English choral pieces ever composed.

Written as an outpouring of grief after the death of his nine-year-old son, the heartbreakingly beautiful Hymnus Paradisi gives a deeply personal voice to Howells’s pain.

Three Choirs Festival: Howells’s Hymnus Paradisi

Hereford Cathedral

Howells & Duruflé Requiem

Cranston City Hall

Worcester Theatre

On Good Friday, 18 April 2025, the Lay Clerks and Organists of Canterbury Cathedral will perform a selection of contemplative music by candlelight in the beautiful and intimate surroundings of Canterbury Cathedral’s Quire.

The programme, with its backbone of Renaissance polyphony including works by Tallis and Victoria, also features contrasting organ music by twentieth century composer Herbert Howells, lauded for his exceptional contribution to church music. The programme finishes with the fittingly atmospheric De profundis by contemporary Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.

The Choir will be directed by Jamie Rogers, Assistant Director of Music, Canterbury Cathedral and the organ will be played by David Newsholme, Director of Music, Canterbury Cathedral.

Canterbury Cathedral presents A Concert of Music for Holy Week by Candlelight

Canterbury Cathedral

The violin soars melodiously above the rest of the quartet in the gorgeous arrangement of Vaughan Williams’s most popular work The Lark Ascending, which concludes this concert of English music for clarinet and string quartet. Fantasies from the Baroque gems of Purcell’s Three-part Fantasias (arranged for string trio) to Imogen Holst’s Phantasy String Quartet sit alongside this perennial favourite and Holbrooke's intoxicating depiction of a Scottish Island in a magical Celtic evocation for clarinet and strings.

Ensemble 360: Fantasias and Flights - The Lark Ascending

Stables Theatre Ltd

He includes Healey Willan’s lesser-known Passacaglia & Fugue in E minor, and finishes with a complete performance of Widor’s famous Symphony No. 5 with its glorious Toccata.

Stefan Donner

Huddersfield Town Hall

Prize-winning Austrian organist and harpsichordist Stefan Donner visits from Vienna to play at Huddersfield Town Hall. He includes Healey Willan’s lesser-known Passacaglia & Fugue in E minor, and finishes with a complete performance of Widor’s famous Symphony No. 5 with its glorious Toccata.

With a chamber concert with a very similar line-up, I was able to experience the first time we made music together after the lockdown: a moment of great gratitude and heartfelt joy.

In the run up to Christmas, Wigmore Hall welcomes groups of various kinds, specialists in various repertoires, all intent upon celebrating the festive season in style. Tenebrae launches the season with a wide selection of carols for all tastes.

Tenebrae

Wigmore Hall

Eastman Chorale

University of Rochester

This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. Martin Jones is a student of Ken Cowan. 

Martin Jones, Organ

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

An intriguing programme from a leading Renaissance-specialist ensemble in which works by composers from an earlier period are matched with those of recent times and today, several of them specially commissioned to mirror their predecessors.

Renaissance Reflections

For awe-inspiring vocal magnificence and virtuosity, look no further than Tallis’ towering Spem in alium. Written for an astounding forty individual voice parts, Tallis’ motet is regarded as the pinnacle of Renaissance polyphonic ingenuity. Howells’ Requiem, a rarely performed Romantic masterpiece, is a sublime and complex work of soaring vocals and unexpected harmonies. Join the Master Chorale for a singular performance of two monumental masterpieces, and a varied sonic showcase of music reflecting on the same spirit of hope, devotion, and deliverance – including the world premiere of Carlos Simon’s Affirmations

Spem in alium

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Students in the Vocal Consort certificate program perform a final recital in the Princeton University Chapel.

Vocal Consort

Princeton University Chapel

Organ student Oak Martin will present a program that includes works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Mary Beth Bennett, Herbert Howells, Leslie Adams, Louis Vierne, J.S. Bach and Charles-Marie Widor on Saturday, April 29th at 7:00 PM at All Hallows Episcopal Church in Wyncote. He will be joined by Christopher Correa in a duet for organ and oboe.

Curtis at All Hallows

All Hallows Episcopal Church

Voilà vingt ans que James O'Donnell exerce la charge d'«Organist and Master of the Choristers» – entendez: de directeur de la musique – sous les voûtes de l'une des plus prestigieuses églises d'Angleterre: Westminster Abbey. Deux ans après le titulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, Olivier Latry, il est convié à la tribune de l'église Saint-Maurice de Saanen pour y faire résonner les plus belles pages de son répertoire, en harmonie bien sûr avec la thématique de l'été. C'est ainsi que l'on se délectera à l'écoute de pages pour orgue des grands maîtres anglais, de Purcell à Vaughan Williams. Une «tradition» serait-elle en train de naître?

Westminster Abbey at Saanen Church – James O'Donnell

Eglise de Saanen

Concert 3

La Jolla Woman's Club

‘An undoubted jewel in Britain’s choral scene’ (BBC Music Magazine), the Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford directed by Owen Rees is among the finest and most active university choirs in the UK. Its extensive concert schedule involves appearances across the UK and internationally, and among its acclaimed recordings – including releases with the Academy of Ancient Music and the Britten Sinfonia – the 2018 release of music by John Taverner receive a Diapason d’Or, while Carols from Queen’s enjoyed nine weeks in the Specialist Classical Charts and was a Telegraph Christmas pick.

Christmas from Queen’s

Smith Square Hall

The theme behind this seasonal programme is the Virgin Mary, whether celebrating her own divinity (in the Votive Mass written by Byrd), or in the context of the birth of Christ (in Tallis’ epic Missa Puer natus).

Mother and Child

Enjoy the delicate flight of angels in works by Sir James MacMillan and Dame Judith Weir, and Caroline Shaw’s haunting To the Hands, which brings the sacred sounds of Grigorian chant to a piece about Jesus’ crucified hands.

Howells’ Hymnus Paradisi

Milton Court Concert Hall

The British Isles boast a magnificent anthology of music grounded in lush, poetic landscapes and thriving cities. This concert will transport you there. British violin and viola virtuoso Lawrence Power makes his ACO debut directing music from Thomas Tallis’ evocative theme - made famous by Vaughan Williams - to the genre-defying exuberance of Kate Bush.

Herbert Howells

Events

Upcoming events

Sep 21, 2025 - May 10, 2026

Chamber Concert / Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra · Elbphilharmonie

Dec 7, 2025

Concert 3 · Le Salon de Musiques

Dec 19, 2025

Christmas from Queen’s · Sinfonia Smith Square

Dec 20, 2025

Mother and Child · Sinfonia Smith Square

Feb 26, 2026

Howells’ Hymnus Paradisi · Barbican Centre

Past events

Nov 2, 2025

2nd Chamber Concert · Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg

Nov 2, 2025

All Saints' Day concert · Mogens Dahl Koncertsal

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