Name: Orchester der Oper Zürich / Regula Mühlemann / Gianandrea Noseda
Start: 2026-04-01T20:00:00
Location: Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The orchestral world is abuzz with the return of two iconic names and a powerful lineup of concerts. Zurich's opera orchestra reclaims its historical name while alternating between the Opernhaus and Tonhalle Zürich. This season is set to dazzle with performances led by renowned conductors Gianandrea Noseda and Regula Mühlemann. Meanwhile, Hamburg's cultural hub, Elbphilharmonie, hosts an emotional choral experience with Verdi's Requiem. Each event promises a unique blend of timeless classics and modern interpretation, marking a significant occasion for both cities' cultural calendars.

A Symphony of Sounds: An Exploration of Zurich's and Hamburg's Orchestral Masterpieces

Embark on a sublime musical journey with the Zurich Opera Orchestra as they herald a new chapter adorned with timeless melodies and passionate performances. Under the skillful baton of Gianandrea Noseda, the orchestra reverts to its esteemed moniker, Orchester der Oper Zürich, promising a season packed with orchestral and choral masterpieces. Experience the grandeur of Verdi's Requiem, the emotional depth of Haydn's symphonies, and the poetic beauty of Debussy and Ravel as the orchestra enchants audiences in Zurich and Hamburg.

A Symphony of Emotions: The Zurich Opera Orchestra's 2026 Concert Season

Gianandrea Noseda

Regula Mühlemann

Zurich Opera Orchestra

Elbphilharmonie

NDR Chamber Concert

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Edwar Elgar sat down at the piano after a tiring day of lessons and played a random melody that caught his wife’s attention. Without further ado, he began to improvise variations on this enchanting melody, inspired by the different characters of his friends and activities around him: a »gruff disposition«, a »stuttering girlfriend«, his first attempts at playing the piano, a dog tumbling down an embankment, or – not to be forgotten – the world-famous »Nimrod« variation, with which Elgar honours his best friend. The solution to the riddle, the enigma of the variations, which according to Elgar is hidden within the composition, remains unsolved to this day.

NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra / Stefan Geiger

"I imagined it like this: Brahms woke up one morning and had the blues." It's hard to put it more succinctly and humorously than Brad Mehldau himself: In 2013, the pianist recorded the symphonic jazz album "Variations on a Melancholy Theme." Now, the work finds its way to the Elbphilharmonie with the Hamburg Camerata.

Brad Mehldau / Hamburger Camerata / Clark Rundell

Brad Mehldau is one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz piano. In his performance, improvisation meets structure, freedom meets rigor, jazz meets classical and pop, his own songs meet new, often daring interpretations of others' music. Brad Mehldau's solo concert at the Elbphilharmonie will be a source of excitement to see where his musical journey takes him. Destination unknown for now.

Brad Mehldau solo

Described as "one of the most influential pianists of the past decades" (ARTE), American Brad Mehldau delights fans far beyond the jazz world. This is due not only to Mehldau's extraordinary improvisational skills, but also to his compositions, which reflect his deep love of the architecture of music as well as his enthusiasm for good pop music. As part of Mehldau's "Reflektor" festival, some of his compositions can now be heard in new big band arrangements. Mehldau performs them with the hr-Bigband under Darcy James Argue.

Brad Mehldau & Big Band

This duo, which has been playing together blindly for over three decades, forms the grand finale of the "Reflektor" festival at the Elbphilharmonie, curated by Brad Mehldau. Pianist Mehldau, equally influenced by Franz Schubert, Keith Jarrett, and Radiohead, joins bassist Christian McBride, big band founder and great swing master.

Brad Mehldau / Christian McBride

A single hand must conquer the entire keyboard. Maurice Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand was originally composed for the one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein. Yuja Wang, the extravagant, top-class pianist, takes on this challenge of extreme dexterity and subsequently plays a second piano concerto. In Einojuhani Rautavaara's work, composed in 1969, cantabile melodies and arpeggios meet a modern sound language – a powerful firework display between tradition and innovation.

Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Yuja Wang / Esa-Pekka Salonen

La Scala in Milan is one of the most renowned, traditional, and beautiful opera houses in the world. It goes without saying that the orchestra also enjoys an excellent international reputation. The orchestra's last Elbphilharmonie concert two years ago, under the baton of its Milan-born chief conductor, Ricardo Chailly, was hailed by the Hamburger Abendblatt as a "nougat treat on the Sunday family table." Back then, the program featured music by Italian operatic giant Giuseppe Verdi; now the experienced team returns to the Grand Hall with powerful works by Russian grandmasters Piotr I. Tchaikovsky and Sergei Prokofiev, and is joined by Alexandre Kantorov, one of today's most sought-after pianists.

La Scala Philharmonic / Alexandre Kantorow / Riccardo Chailly

It's about to get exciting! When piano-playing brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen join forces with top drummers Alexej Gerassimez and Emil Kuyumcuyan, musical sparks fly. All four already know each other from previous tours. Audiences can therefore look forward to a well-rehearsed team whose enthusiasm for experimentation, sense of rhythm, and outstanding virtuosity promise a veritable firework display on keys and drumsticks. In addition to original compositions for this unusual ensemble, including works by Steve Reich, the program also includes arrangements of repertoire classics such as the Symphonic Dances from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Lucas & Arthur Jussen / Alexej Gerassimez / Emil Kuyumcuyan

This program revolves almost entirely around William Shakespeare. After all, the English poet, with his immortal and timeless plays, has inspired more composers and genres in music history than almost anyone else. The American James Gaffigan, current General Music Director of the Komische Oper Berlin, follows this trail in his return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Lawrence Power / James Gaffigan

Celebrated for its innovative and imaginative programming, the Manchester Collective repeatedly succeeds in uncovering exciting thematic threads and establishing unexpected connections. In their new program, "Albion, Now," they take the audience on a journey through the contemporary British music scene. Christian Mason's vibrant "Sardinian Songbook" encounters Errollyn Wallen's lyrical sound language of "Five Postcards," Anna Meredith's wild swarm of flies in "Tuggemo," in which strings and electronica buzz around each other, and other discoverable new creations from Great Britain—formerly known as Albion. The Manchester Collective thus draws on the rich world of myth and legend of old England and transforms it into a contemporary soundscape.

Manchester Collective

"Anyone else could cobble together the main themes from his scraps," Johannes Brahms enthused about Antonín Dvořák's melodic ingenuity. He first encountered the young Bohemian's works in 1973 – and was completely captivated. He supported Dvořák wherever he could, and a close friendship developed between the two composers. It is therefore extremely fitting that the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia's concert will feature works by Brahms and Dvořák side by side. Star pianist Daniil Trifonov will play the Hamburg composer's exhilarating Second Piano Concerto, while the second half of the concert will feature Antonín Dvořák's magnificent Seventh Symphony under the direction of the newly appointed orchestra leader, Daniel Harding.

Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia / Daniil Trifonov / Daniel Harding

Gianandrea Noseda and the Zurich Opera Orchestra – a well-rehearsed team, masterfully skilled at the intense portrayal of powerful emotions and supporting famous voices. Together with star soprano Regula Mühlemann, they present a collage of Passion-themed works at the Elbphilharmonie this Easter, focusing on the figure of the suffering Mother of God.

Orchester der Oper Zürich / Regula Mühlemann / Gianandrea Noseda

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