Name: Strauss: Elektra / Alan Gilbert
Start: 2026-02-15T18:00:00
Location: Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

In the vast landscape of cultural events, some stand out with their unique blend of creativity and profound thematic depth. The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg serves as the perfect backdrop for an array of musical spectacles ranging from jubilant choral performances to intense operatic dramas. With events featuring works by Bach, Strauss, and Brahms, conducted by maestros like Alan Gilbert and Paavo Järvi, attendees are invited to immerse themselves in a world where music narrates the tales of myths, heroism, and existential reflections.

Exploring the Depths of Music: A Journey Through Choirs, Myths, and Heroic Tales

The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Cologne Philharmonie will host a series of captivating musical events in 2026 that delve into timeless themes of myth, tragedy, and consolation. From heroic myths and operatic shockers to the musical reflections on human suffering and end of the world visions, these events promise to provide profound insight into the human condition through the powerful medium of music. Join us as we explore the works of Strauss, Schumann, Brahms, and others, brought to life by world-renowned conductors and performers.

Exploring the Depths of Myth, Tragedy, and Consolation in Music

Embark on a captivating musical journey with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra as they present a series of riveting performances from February to May 2026. With a repertoire that spans heroic myths, operatic shocks, and Scandinavian influences, this series promises an immersive experience through the masterful interpretations of renowned conductors and performers. Discover the narratives that challenge notions of heroism, delve into Strauss's dramatic 'Elektra,' and explore the rich cultural tapestry of the Baltic Sea region. Each event offers a unique blend of classical compositions and innovative renditions, creating an unforgettable celebration of music and storytelling.

Exploring Epic Narratives: The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Series

Alan Gilbert

Benjamin Bruns

Christina Nilsson

Karita Mattila

Ingela Brimberg

Andreas  Bauer Kanabas

Marie-Luise Dressen

Chelsea Zurfluh

Elbphilharmonie

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

NDR Vocal Ensemble

This workshop offers a tour through the classical symphony orchestra. From the violin, cello and double bass to the trumpet and flute: participants can try them all out. And there are instruments in different sizes for youngsters and adults alike. To conclude the workshop, a little music-making session where everyone joins in shows that all the instruments harmonise.

Workshop: Klassiko Orchestra Instruments

A major chapter in string quartet history is coming to a close: After more than 40 years as an ensemble, the Hagen Quartet is entering its final season. They bring a program to the Elbphilharmonie that revives the highlights of recent decades with works by Mozart, Schubert, and Weber.

Hagen Quartet

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

In the run-up to the performances of Richard Strauss's "Elektra," the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the NDR Vokalensemble, under their chief conductors Alan Gilbert and Klaas Stok, will devote a joint concert to other heroic myths in music. It becomes clear: the oft-praised heroism itself is a myth. For just as Elektra, in her supposedly self-sacrificing fight against injustice, becomes a possessed murderer herself, so too do the protagonists of this concert program "fail": Orpheus cannot free his wife Eurydice from the underworld because he is looking around for her; Napoleon, to whom Ludwig van Beethoven originally wanted to dedicate his "Eroica," tramples on the human rights he proclaimed; and Prometheus, another hidden "dedicatee" of the symphony that has itself become a myth, also makes several mistakes as the legendary originator of human civilization...

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra & Vocal Ensemble / Klaas Stok / Alan Gilbert

It's all in the mix: Original works, visionary new creations, and original arrangements combine in the Kebyart saxophone quartet's programs to create a distinctive work of art. With explosive staging, the four likeable Catalans transform each of their concerts into an experience. These excellent musicians share not only a passion for chamber music, but also a strong desire to breathe new life into the traditional communication of classical music. Their brimming tour schedule demonstrates their success: from Barcelona to Paris and across Europe, Kebyart is in demand at festivals and concert series with innovative standards. The saxophone has never been so multifaceted before.

Kebyart Ensemble

Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Christina Landshamer – two global stars, each outstanding in their own unique way. In this concert, the two artists will each have their own stage and will be supported by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Conductor Gustavo Gimeno.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra / Patricia Kopatchinskaja / Gustavo Gimeno

Even today, many in the music world shrug their shoulders at the mention of Arnold Schoenberg's name. Schoenberg's music is often considered overly intellectual and difficult to access. While that may perhaps be true of his revolutionary "twelve-tone music," his late Romantic works are the exact opposite: powerfully sonorous, emotional, and captivating. The symphonic poem "Pelleas and Melisande," for example, tells the story of two unhappily married couples who, because of their complicated pasts, cannot be reunited. The music traverses the entire emotional spectrum of its main characters—from the tenderest strains of love to furious jealousy to the most profound world-weariness.

Munich Philharmonic / Lahav Shani

The staged concert »Where the Wind Blows« transports the audience to a world in which air is the source of music. This is particularly evident in the members of this young, enthusiastic woodwind quintet. They find themselves in a mysterious place where movement and sound form a magical union. Determined, they allow the wind to guide them, first in their encounters with each other, then competing with one another, until they finally achieve harmony together. As a quintet, they play music from different eras, including works by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla.

Twinkle Concert L / Wo der Wind Weht

Approaching a genius: With his "Journey to Mozart," Daniel Hope embarked on his first musical adventure into the Mozart cosmos in 2018. A world of sound that is always worth exploring and bringing to life anew. "His music has something otherworldly, untouchable, almost unattainable. And yet he was so human," says Hope. In his new version of "Journey to Mozart," the violinist approaches the Salzburg master by once again allowing his contemporaries to have their say: In addition to famous colleagues such as Joseph Haydn and Christoph Willibald Glück, this time the program also includes a violin concerto by arguably the most extraordinary musician of Mozart's time: Joseph Bologne, the son of a French nobleman and a slave from Guadeloupe, made a career during the French Revolution both as a violin virtuoso and composer, as well as an accomplished fencer in the Légion des Américains et du Midi.

Daniel Hope / Zurich Chamber Orchestra

The full blast of orchestral sound: This season, the Royal Concertgebouw's regulars present Anton Bruckner's monumental Eighth Symphony at the Elbphilharmonie under the baton of the young star conductor Klaus Mäkelä. He will take over as Chief Conductor of the Dutch orchestra in 2027. Together, they are already testing the limits of this powerful symphony.

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Klaus Mäkelä

The Orchestra Academy of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra prepares highly talented young instrumentalists for a career as professional musicians in a major international orchestra. The 15 academy students are part of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra for two years. At their annual chamber concert, the stage belongs to them for one evening: They showcase their talent in the Recital Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, sometimes in classical and sometimes in unusual ensembles.

Chamber concert of the Orchestra Academy

Julius Caesar and Cleopatra are one of the most famous love couples in human history. It's no wonder, then, that artists from all disciplines—from art to theater to film—have been inspired by the passionate relationship between the Roman general and the Egyptian pharaoh. The most impressive musical interpretation was achieved 300 years ago by George Frideric Handel in his opera "Giulio Cesare in Egitto," which, with its rich instrumentation and numerous musical ideas, remains one of the milestones of Baroque heroic opera. Now, the work will be performed for the first time in concert at the Elbphilharmonie with a prominent cast.

Handel: Julius Caesar / Francesco Corti

"Noble simplicity and quiet grandeur"? No way! With their breathtaking operatic shocker "Elektra," Richard Strauss and his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal completely turned the 18th-century idealized image of antiquity on its head in 1909. Horror instead of humanism, revenge instead of a feat of glory, bloodbath instead of a flowering of culture: this one-act opera leaves no one unmoved to this day. And in terms of the musical language, Strauss and his mammoth orchestra also went to extremes in every respect.

Strauss: Elektra / Alan Gilbert

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