This season, the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg invites music lovers to a symphonic journey filled with groundbreaking premieres, historical masterpieces, and innovative collaborations. From the world premiere of Jörg Widmann's 'Cantata in tempore belli' to the deep emotions of Brahms and the scientific explorations in the themed concerts, each event showcases a unique blend of artistry and creativity. Join us as we explore the details of these captivating concerts and the talented artists who bring them to life.

Harmonious Journeys: Exploring Hamburg's Philharmonic and Chamber Concerts

Dive into the world of orchestral and chamber music with Hamburg's Philharmonisches Staatsorchester this spring. From the enchanting melodies of Ravel's 'Daphnis et Chloé' to the innovative 'Science Slam' at the Theme Concerts, these events promise an exciting musical journey. Experience performances by renowned conductors like Thomas Guggeis and James Conlon, along with talented young musicians from the Orchestra Academy. Join us at the iconic Elbphilharmonie for a celebration of music that bridges the past and future.

A Symphony of Talent: Exploring Hamburg's Upcoming Concerts

Hamburg's vibrant musical scene is set to captivate audiences with a series of diverse and exhilarating concerts. From the forward-thinking '3rd Theme Concert' with a focus on the future of music and science, to the introspective chamber concerts and grand orchestral performances featuring works by iconic composers, the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg promises an unforgettable experience. These events bring together renowned conductors, talented performers, and groundbreaking compositions, making the city a cultural hub for music lovers worldwide.

Orchestral Wonders and Artistic Journeys in Hamburg's Musical Scene

The Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg's upcoming season promises an array of diverse and intimate chamber concerts alongside grand orchestral performances. From the poignant themes of love and friendship in Brahms' works at the 3rd Chamber Concert to the reflective nature of Strauss' compositions in the 9th Philharmonic Concert, these events offer musical experiences that both challenge and inspire. Discover the artists, composers, and innovative works that will captivate audiences at iconic venues like the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.

The Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg: A Season of Rich Chamber and Orchestral Experiences

Hamburg is set to resonate with the harmonies of history and innovation in a series of captivating concerts this year. From the orchestral genius of Dvořák and Martinů to the chamber intricacies of Schubert and Wolf, the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg curates an eclectic lineup. With maestros like Kent Nagano and James Conlon at the helm, these events promise to explore the profound depths of musical art. As we delve into the nuances of these performances, each concert offers a tapestry of emotions, examining the past, redefining the present, and imagining the future of music.

A Symphony of Time: Exploring Hamburg's Musical Landscape

The International Music Festival in Hamburg is an artistic journey like no other, offering a vibrant series of concerts and performances that captivate the senses. From orchestral masterpieces to thought-provoking dramas, this year's lineup includes the return of Pierre Boulez's 'Répons' under Kent Nagano's baton at the Elbphilharmonie, a heartfelt 6th Chamber Concert featuring the Amaris Quartet, and an orchestral tribute to Richard Strauss. Join us as we explore these culturally rich events, each one bearing its unique signature in the world of music and theater.

A Symphony of Cultural Reflections: Hamburg's Eclectic Music Events

Hamburg's cultural calendar for 2025-2026 is a symphony of diverse musical expressions and captivating performances. From chamber concerts featuring classical compositions by Schubert and Glinka to ballet performances like 'Lady of the Camellias,' the city is set to enchant audiences. Notable contributions from artists like Giorgi Gigashvili and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg promise to redefine musical boundaries, blending historical richness with modern creativity. As the city embraces everything from orchestral to ballet and musical theatre, it is clear that Hamburg is a beacon for music aficionados worldwide.

Exploring Hamburg's Vibrant 2025-2026 Musical Landscape

From the delicate strings of chamber music to the grandeur of orchestral performances and evocative ballet, Hamburg's vibrant cultural scene offers an eclectic mix of artistic expressions. This season, audiences are treated to a rich tapestry of events including premieres, timeless classics reimagined, and innovative performances that challenge the norms. Artists from various disciplines come together, bringing their unique interpretations, making each event an unforgettable experience.

A Symphony of Culture: Hamburg's Diverse Musical Landscape

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Barbara Assiginaak's compositional interpretation of Max Bruch's sonic imagination will be heard - for the first movement of his Violin Concerto will be replaced by a new composition from her pen, inspired by the original. Bruch meets us today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Assiginaak, as part of the here and now! 

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10th Philharmonic Concert BRUCH / ASSIGINAAK

Elbphilharmonie

In Wagner's interpretation, the medieval myth about the tragic love between the Irish king's daughter Isolde and Tristan, King Mark's henchman, to whom Isolde was married against her will, becomes a key work of musical theater at the beginning of a new era. This season, the Hamburg State Opera is bringing Ruth Berghaus' legendary production from 1988 back into the repertoire.

Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)

Hamburg State Opera

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become ZeitSpiele and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Daniela Terranova's orchestration of Bach's music on the one hand and her compositional dialog with Beethoven on the other will be heard - for the third movement of his 6th Symphony will be replaced by a new composition from her pen, inspired by the original.

9th Philharmonic Concert BEETHOVEN / TERRANOVA

"Luisa Miller" is Giuseppe Verdi’s third setting of a play by Friedrich Schiller. “It is a great drama, full of passion and very effective in theatrical terms,” the composer wrote to the librettist Salvadore Cammarano about “Kabale und Liebe”...

Luisa Miller

With over 200 artists ranging from singers and dancers to a rock band, Leonard Bernstein's spectacular MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers will be performed at this year's International Music Festival Hamburg.

Special concert music festival

How do I become what I am not? Between appearance and reality, director Tatjana Gürbaca searches for the melancholic undertones in Gioachino Rossini's masterful comedy. Behind some comic masquerades lies the desire to escape one's role, behind some triumphant vocal acrobatics the fear of missing out on life. Can there ever be a winner in the pursuit of happiness? A masterpiece for all time.

The Barber of Seville

The Hamburg State Orchestra's philharmonic concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Richard Dubugnon's compositional interpretation of Mendelssohn's essence will be heard - for the second movement of his violin concerto will be replaced by a new composition from his pen, inspired by the original. We encounter Mendelssohn Bartholdy today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Dubugnon, as part of the here and now! 

8th Philharmonic Concert MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY / DUBUGNON

"The success was tremendous and unprecedented! Critics, artists, amateurs and music lovers were intoxicated ... The auditorium roared apart, loudly proclaiming the new miracle." Thus a report on the premiere in 1821 at the Berlin Schauspielhaus. Der Freischütz struck a chord with the times, every barrel organ played the "Jungfernkranz", every street singer performed it, as Heine reports.

The Marksman

Nagasaki, Japan, ca. 1900: Pinkerton, a lieutenant in the American navy, has fallen in love with Cio-Cio-San, also known as “Butterfly”. The Japanese ritual marriage ceremony is merely a farce to him – and shortly thereafter, Pinkerton’s “plaything” is alone again, with their child. Three years later, he returns to Japan, but not because of Butterfly...

Madama Butterfly

Three masterpieces – two centuries – one narrative. There is Schumann's song cycle "Frauenliebe und -leben ," in which the feelings of the nameless protagonist revolve around the needs of a man. There is Duke Bluebeard's Castle , in which two mysterious strangers are magically attracted to each other. And there is the bourgeois, liberal marriage construct of Oscar Wilde's Florentine Tragedy . These raise the question: Do people desire the same throughout all ages?

Women's Love and Death

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Sally Beamish's compositional exploration of Mozart's rules will be heard - for the second and third movements of his Sinfonia Concertante will be replaced by new compositions from her pen, inspired by the original. We encounter Mozart today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Beamish, as part of the here and now! 

7th Philharmonic Concert MOZART / BEAMISH

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. As in a dialog, different opinions come together, new ideas emerge and develop during the performance, opening up a creative space for spontaneous development.

4th Chamber Concert

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The wild 80s on Hamburg's Kiez: the sex business is in full swing, the power struggles in the red light district are escalating and in the midst of it all, a hitman with white leather gloves is terrifying the whole scene: Werner “Mucki” Pinzner. Pinzner killed at least five pimps, including Lackschuh-Dieter and Corvette-Rolf, on behalf of neighborhood bigwig and pimp “Wiener Peter”. The series of murders ended with Pinzner's staged suicide at police headquarters - after the Kiez killer also shot his wife Jutta and public prosecutor Wolfgang Bistry.

Peter and the Wolf of St. Pauli

Schmidt's Tivoli

The moment when there is no turning back, no “return to what was,” runs through this multi-part ballet evening. Xie Xin and Marcos Morau, two extraordinary and internationally acclaimed artists, are creating world premieres for Hamburg Ballet for the first time. The “point of no return” is explored by Angelin Preljocaj in *Annonciation*, at the moment of the biblical Annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel.

Point Of No Return

Ballettzentrum Hamburg – John Neumeier

Even as a child, he felt a strong attraction to Bach's music, Giorgi Gigashvili explains. "What I intend to do with the third movement of the D minor harpsichord concerto comes from deep within me, from my heart." So, look forward to this 6th Philharmonic Concert, which questions our listening habits and brings our sympathies for Johann Sebastian Bach into the here and now through Gigashvili's interpretation of the jazzy Peterson Suite.

6th Philharmonic Concert

The Philharmonic Concerts of the Hamburg State Orchestra become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Giorgi Gigashvili's interpretation of Bach's music and music inspired by Bach will be heard - not only as a pianist, but also as a composer. The third movement of the harpsichord concerto will be replaced by his orchestration of the jazzy Peterson Suite, inspired by the original. We encounter Bach today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Gigashvili, as part of the here and now! This musical performance without fear of contact opens up new perspectives on our musical culture, our way of thinking and being, our way of receiving music.

6th Philharmonic Concert BACH / GIGASHVILI

The Orchestra Academy of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra prepares highly talented young instrumentalists for a career as a professional musician in a large international orchestra.
The 15 academy members are part of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra for two years. At their annual chamber concert, the stage belongs to them alone for one evening: Partly in classical, partly in unusual formations, they present their skills in the Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie.

Chamber Concert of the Orchestra Academy

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, the fruits of Mikhail Pletnev's inspirations will be heard - for his new composition based on Rachmaninov's music will be juxtaposed with the original orchestral fantasy The Rock.

5th Philharmonic Concert RACHMANINOW / PLETNEV

In our 5th Philharmonic Concert, Sergei Rachmaninoff's orchestral fantasy "The Rock" will be juxtaposed with a new composition by Mikhail Pletnev. The contemporary composer doesn't want to reveal his sources of inspiration, leaving it up to the listeners to discover for themselves "what the music most suggests to them." This opens up new perspectives on our musical culture and the way we perceive music.

5th Philharmonic Concert

At the New Year's Eve concert, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra and its General Music Director Omer Meir Wellber will present a bizarre and dazzling mixture of virtuoso vocal artistry, imaginative tonal language and humorous expressiveness. More is not yet revealed, except: „Psst! Pspsst! Pspspsst! Schscht! Ko! Koko! Kokokoko! Kokoko! Kokode zero! Oh! Kococode Zero Zero: höchste Geheimnisstufe! Zero, Zero! Kommen Störche! Dabeljusi! Krokodil groß! Menge, Menge, Menge! [Kaiserschmarrn!] Vo-vo-vo-volksmenge!“

New Year's Eve concert

At the New Year's Eve concert, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra and its General Music Director Omer Meir Wellber will present a bizarre and dazzling mixture of virtuoso vocal artistry, imaginative tonal language and humorous expressiveness. 

New Year's Eve concert Omer Meir Wellber

It has become a tradition for ballet companies all over the world to perform Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" at Christmas time. John Neumeier's version of "The Nutcracker", however, avoids direct reference to Christmas. In his ballet, the central character Marie celebrates her twelfth birthday and is drawn by the mysterious ballet master Drosselmeier into the fascinating world of dance. It is, in fact, a ballet about ballet itself.

The Nutcracker

The philharmonic concerts of the Hamburg State Orchestra become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Detlev Glanert's play with Haydn's way of thinking will be heard - for his new composition inspired by the Farewell Symphony will be juxtaposed with the original. In this way, we encounter Haydn today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Glanert, as part of the here and now! This musical play without fear of contact opens up new perspectives on our musical culture, our way of thinking and being, on our way of receiving music.

4th Philharmonic Concert HAYDN / GLANERT

Tristano e Isotta – Tristan and Isolde set an example: Nemorino has the evident idea to boost the feelings of his beloved Adina with a love potion. The charlatan Dulcamara sees his chance for a good deal and sells a bottle of the pretended potion to the unhappy lover...

The Elixir of Love

The programm for the first premiere of the season will be announced shortly.

N.N.

Staatsoper Hamburg

Special Chamber Concert

The philharmonic concerts of the Hamburg State Orchestra become ZeitSpiele and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Ella Milch-Sheriff's musical interpretation of the texts from Des Knaben Wunderhorn will be heard - as some of Mahler's songs are replaced by new compositions from her hand, inspired by the original. Mahler meets us today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Milch-Sheriff, as part of the here and now! This musical game without fear of contact opens up new perspectives on our musical culture, our way of thinking and being, on our way of receiving music.

3rd Philharmonic Concert MAHLER / MILCH-­SHERIFF

Paris in the 19th century: extravagant balls, visits to the theater, sparkling diamonds, and champagne. Here, Armand Duval, a young man from high society, falls head over heels in love with the courtesan Marguerite Gautier. Marguerite gives up her former life to be with Armand, but his father rejects their relationship as unsuitable and pressures her until sheagrees to give Armand up, which she does out of love for him. Soon after,, Marguerite dies, lonely and destitute. Only after her death does Armand learn the true reason behind their separation.

Lady of the Camellias

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.

2nd Chamber Concert

The philharmonic concerts of the Hamburg State Orchestra become ZeitSpiele and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Aziza Sadikova's compositional exploration of Tchaikovsky's character will be heard - for the second and third movements of his symphony will be replaced by new compositions from her pen, inspired by the original. Tchaikovsky meets us today as a mirror of the past and at the same time, through Sadikova, as part of the here and now!

2nd Philharmonic Concert TSCHAIKOWSKY / SADIKOVA

Under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is adding a colorful accent to the season: THE BLUE WEEK. The new festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs on the one hand and showcases the special qualities of our orchestra musicians on the other. In the first edition, they make metamorphoses of all kinds audible: In the third concert program of the festival week, Vivaldi's and Piazzolla's spring, summer, autumn and winter come together in an interplay and form eight seasons of different climatic zones.

3. Blue Concert EIGHT SEASONS

Starting this season, there will be a new colorful accent in the program of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra: THE BLUE WEEK. The festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs on the one hand and showcases the special qualities of our orchestra musicians on the other. In the first edition, they make metamorphoses of all kinds audible - in this concert, people are musically transformed into animals, oboe notes into alienated soundscapes and fantasies into sounding reality.

2. Blue Concert METAMORPHOSES

Under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is adding a colorful accent to the season: THE BLUE WEEK. The new festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs on the one hand and showcases the special qualities of our orchestra musicians on the other. In the first edition, they make metamorphoses of all kinds audible - for example, in the first festival concert with Boulez's groundbreaking and enigmatic work Le Marteau sans maître, the instruments mutate into singing voices, while the singer repeatedly takes on a sound role without text. In a labyrinthine way, the work itself unfolds all its characteristics from a single small cell, as if from the sequence of our genetic information, from which first an embryo and then everything else emerges, without anyone arbitrarily intervening from outside.

1. Blue Concert THE HAMMER WITHOUT A MASTER

Hall 424 Jürgen Carstensen e. K.

Every piece, every cast and every artistic intervention in this inaugural concert - presented by Ina Müller - tells us something about the artistic minds of the three sections of the Hamburg State Opera. Works by Georg Friedrich Haas, Olga Neuwirth, Claudio Monteverdi and even Udo Jürgens are played, danced and sung by unexpected artists in even more unusual line-ups. The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is the musical protagonist of the evening, which is far from over after the last note: afterwards, the corks will pop for the first time and all levels of the front building will be transformed into a place of experience until late into the night, with lots of entertainment on numerous stages.

House Warming Concert

1st Chamber Concert

The Hamburg State Orchestra's philharmonic concerts become ZeitSpielen and transcend the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Stephen Hough will interpret Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, entirely in the spirit of its author as both pianist and composer - for he will replace the second movement with a newly composed piece inspired by Beethoven's original. 

1st Philharmonic Concert BEETHOVEN / HOUGH

IM.PRO.LOG The prelude to Peter and the Wolf of St. Pauli

In this concert, which concludes Kent Nagano's ten-year term as General Music Director, two key strands of his concert dramaturgy for Hamburg come together: the reference to tradition, namely to the Hanseatic Johannes Brahms, whose four symphonies the Philharmonic has accompanied in recent years in its Hamburg concerts as well as on tours - and the sound of our present in innovative premieres. A look back makes us think of Widmann's ARCHE, Dusapin's "Waves", Shepherd's "On a Clear Day" and many other outstanding new creations. In this concert - as both a crowning finale and farewell - a new symphony by the young Argentinian Alex Nante will be heard in his unmistakably dreamlike, spiritual sound language.

10th Philharmonic Concert

Why are we here? Are we loved? Have children someday? Graduate from school? And will there still be someone to remember us in 100 years' time? A group of young people looking for their way through perhaps the hardest time of their lives. Driven by the feeling of loneliness and the longing for closeness, by ignorance and boundless curiosity, by pressure to perform and sheer despair, they struggle through the school year: Moritz, Melchior, Wendla and their classmates. They experience violence, abuse, death and a small spark of hope for all the survivors (perhaps also the dead). Wedekind's drama is more than a coming-of-age drama, it is a reckoning with the society of its time, an unsparing story that has lost none of its revolutionary power to this day and will be unleashed in a new and contemporary way through music in this world premiere.

Frühlings Erwachen

Kampnagel

The musical portrait of this concert is dedicated to Richard Strauss – a celebrated composer, politically controversial cultural figure and undoubtedly an artist who was ahead of his time. Confidants described him as a humorous person who never let fame go to his head. His love was music, his family and playing cards (he was even said to have been a good loser). He began composing at the age of six. He reached the first high point of his instrumentation skills with his famous tone poem “A Hero’s Life”. Critics accused him of shameless self-glorification in this work, but Strauss said: “I am no hero. I lack the necessary strength; I am not made for battle; I prefer to withdraw, to enjoy peace and quiet…” If you want to look for autobiographical elements in his work, it is worth taking a look at the “Four Last Songs”, which reflect his exploration of the themes of death and farewell – an artistic legacy; a farewell to this world.

9th Philharmonic Concert

Making music together in the Amaris Quartet is like a refreshing breath of air for my artistic work in the orchestra. These concerts are without doubt the most musically gratifying moments that I am allowed to experience as a musician. They sharpen my hearing and subtly inspire my love of music.

6th Chamber Concert

Pierre Boulez's "Répons" was one of the notable highlights of Kent Nagano's "Philharmonic Academy" in St. Michaelis at the beginning of his tenure in Hamburg. He artfully staged the "exchange" between chamber ensemble and soloists as well as between electronically distorted and unaltered sounds in the hallowed halls of the Michel. The major "Elbphilharmonie" project was still a construction site at the time. Ten years later, Nagano is taking up this exceptional work by the composer, conductor and founder of the Paris IRCAM Institute again and bringing it to our new and yet already firmly established concert hall on the Elbe.

Opening Concert of the International Music Festival Hamburg

I have played "Death and the Maiden" with my siblings since childhood, naively and full of joy. Today with the certainty and knowledge that Schubert's music reflects everything without words: despair, fear, gentleness and consolation.

5th Chamber Concert

In these concerts, THE Czech composer of the 19th century meets THE Czech composer of the 20th: we are talking about Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů.

8th Philharmonic Concert

This season, the Philharmonic State Orchestra's Music and Science series is celebrating its 10th anniversary. A reason to look ahead! To the future, to what science and music will have to say in 2025. As a new cooperation partner on the path to unlimited possibilities, we welcome "Science Slam", who are experts in bringing the latest research findings to the stage in a short, crisp and scientifically correct manner. In order to convey the message in an understandable and entertaining way, all aids are permitted.

3rd Theme Concert

Stockmeyerstraße 43/Hall 424

Giacomo Puccini stands for grand opera and grand emotions. It is not widely known that the composer devoted himself to chamber music alongside his rich operatic output, and even tried out the "grand" form in it. Most of his works were written during his time as a student in Milan as a testament to his love of experimentation - including his Tre minuetti. From Italy he traveled to Japan with Toshio Hosokawa: he draws his inspiration from the connection between nature and man. Similar to the art of Japanese calligraphy, he sets note after note like a brushstroke, creating the most beautiful sound paintings. Camille Saint-Saëns was also an artist of timbres: his fantasy for harp and violin represents the gesture of French music par excellence - lightness and elegance meet clarity and haunting charm. Ludwig van Beethoven was by no means light-hearted when he set about writing his String Quartet in E flat major. A few months earlier, the Battle of Aspern, one of the bloodiest massacres of the Napoleonic Wars, had raged outside the gates of Vienna. A faint hope arose because Napoleon was unable to achieve a clear victory. The composer put some of this hope in the face of brooding melancholy into his music.

2nd Theme Concert

Resonance Chamber

The Orchestra Academy of the Philharmonic State Orchestra prepares highly talented young instrumentalists for a career as professional musicians in a large 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 alone for one evening: sometimes in classical, sometimes in unusual formations, they present their skills in the Recital Hall of the Elbphilharmonie.

Dance, language and fantastic images: the three orchestral works in this concert programme contain a great deal of creative energy. Ravel wrote "Daphnis et Chloé" as ballet music for Diaghilev's famous Ballets Russes. However, the composition initially enjoyed great success as suites on the concert stage, where its genius comes into its own. Ravel had a "great musical fresco" in mind for the ancient love story of the two foundlings, "less concerned with archaism than with loyalty to the Greece of my dreams". In outstanding colours, he pours the rising sun, the song of the nymph and an ecstatic final frenzy into a painting from the early 20th century.

7th Philharmonic Concert

Ten years of music & science, ten years of two in one: chamber concerts and lectures are closely linked in the themed concerts. This season, the anniversary provides an opportunity for an innovation - for the first time, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is cooperating with "Science Slam". For the three dates in February and March 2025, the speakers will come from the ranks of the entertaining institution that has been bringing new research knowledge to young people's evening or even nighttime stages in Hamburg in an understandable and appealing way since 2009. You can therefore expect amusing speakers who are very familiar with bringing the latest research findings to the stage in a short, crisp and scientifically correct way. In order to convey the message in an understandable and entertaining way, all aids are permitted.

1st Theme Concert

The works of the 3rd Chamber Concerto are all about love and solidarity in word and sound: When Johannes Brahms set about composing the “Two Songs”, it was his close friendship with his long-time companion, the violinist Joseph Joachim. Brahms wanted to create a musical monument to his love and composed the “Spiritual Lullaby” based on a text by Emanuel Geibel for his wedding, but withdrew the composition and revised it. The composer then published both songs together with “Quenched Longing” based on a text by Friedrich Rückert to mark another happy event: the baptism of his godchild, Joseph Joachim’s son. In both compositions, one can hear the unbridled joy of life, born of love. Leoš Janáček's (late) love for Kamilla Stösslová, who was almost 40 years younger than him, was, however, under a completely different, much worse star. In his second string quartet, with the programmatic nickname "Intimate Letters", his feelings for the young woman are omnipresent. Just a year before his death, Janáček left behind the frivolous testimony of a great love: eruptive, provocative and passionate.

3rd Chamber Concert

The 6th Philharmonic Concert will feature a world premiere reflecting our times. Jörg Widmann, who has been in close artistic contact with Kent Nagano, especially since the great success of his ARCHE for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, recently wrote a decidedly peace-loving work in view of the global wars: "Cantata in tempore belli". Jens Harzer takes on the role of the speaker. Ida Aldrian sings the alto part.

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.

Bringing Gustav Mahler's "The Song of the Earth" to the stage always leads into the depths of the late romantic aesthetic of the turn of the century. Of course, the basis of the work is poetry - but of a rather dubious nature due to the many translations back and forth from ancient Chinese. And so the six songs, of which the last is by far the most important, are actually to be understood primarily from the perspective of the music and in a sense as Mahler's unofficial ninth symphony. At least that is how he himself suggested it - and also emphasized that "The Song of the Earth" is "probably the most personal ... thing I have done so far." Stuart Skelton and Karen Cargill sing the version for tenor and alto here.

What kind of woman is she? The former professional tennis player Marie Jacquot seems to have been taking the stage by storm for several years. Since the 2023/24 season, the Frenchwoman has been principal guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and from the 2024/25 season she will also take on the role of chief conductor of the Royal Danish Theatre Copenhagen. And for the 2026/27 season she will become chief conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra. Here the hackneyed phrase becomes true: we will be hearing a lot more from her.

4th Philharmonic Concert

The Philharmonic State Orchestra, from whose ranks the ensembles for six chamber concerts are formed until the summer, spends most of its time in the pit: at the interface between the singing on stage and the music from below. The fact that text and instrumental sound usually go together extraordinarily well is therefore in the orchestra's blood. For an entire season, the interaction of text and music will also be examined in an intimate chamber music setting. How fitting that many members of the State Opera ensemble could be won over for the series. The Hamburg chamber singer Gabriele Rossmanith will be the first to perform.

"The success was tremendous and unprecedented! Critics, artists, amateurs and music lovers were intoxicated ... The auditorium roared apart, loudly proclaiming the new miracle." Thus a report on the premiere in 1821 at the Berlin Schauspielhaus. Der Freischütz struck a chord with the times, every barrel organ played the "Jungfernkranz", every street singer performed it, as Heine reports. Weber had discovered the material in an old ghost book. The story of the hunter Max, who devotes himself to the devil in order to win his bride, touches on people's primal fears. The forest, the epitome of the "German soul", becomes a battleground between good and evil. Weber's music depicts the plight and despair of the people with gripping emotionality; the hope of a happy ending is evoked with fervor. Romantic drama and folk play in one, Der Freischütz is set somewhere between dream and nightmare, fascinating to this day.

Der Freischütz

When, at some point towards the end of Helmut Lachenmann's "Dance Suite with German Song" (1980), Haydn's Kaiser Quartet is actually quoted or at least alluded to, it is already clear that no anthem is to be sung along to. And there can be no talk of dancing in this piece by one of the key composers of the past decades. In this provocative work, which was of course premiered in Donaueschingen and is performed here with the help of the sensational Quatuor Diotima String Quartet from Paris, Lachenmann was concerned with noises, with breaks, with the question of what a note actually is.

3rd Philharmonic Concert

With conductor Andrey Boreyko we turn our ears to the East. With his fantastic Scherzo, the Czech Josef Suk, student and son-in-law of Antonín Dvořák, created an orchestral work that is particularly lively - and in no way inferior in expressiveness to the following Divertimento from Stravinsky's ballet "The Kiss of the Fairy".

2nd Philharmonic Concert

Friedrich-Ebert-Gymnasium

Gustav Mahler's development and work as a composer focused primarily on two musical genres: symphony and song. Time and again, the two very different forms came closer together, but the connection between the monumentality of the symphony and the intimacy of the song reached a hymnic climax in "Das Lied von der Erde". A compositional legacy based on texts by Hans Bethge that Mahler left to the world, knowing full well that his own death was already waiting for him around the next corner. For the concerts of the "Association for Private Musical Performances", Arnold Schönberg arranged Mahler's final song for a chamber orchestra, a work that was finally completed by Rainer Riehn. The arrangement for chamber orchestra made Mahler's composition a masterpiece of its own kind, in which the essence of the original sound is preserved through careful reduction and transforms into a new quality of characteristics and emotional experience.

Special chamber concert

The 2024/25 season, the last with General Music Director Kent Nagano, starts with Anton Bruckner's Ninth - one of the many ninth and final symphonies in music history. How far the old believer looked ahead to what was to come at the end of the 19th century is still impressive and deeply moving. A symphony for eternity. One that will continue almost indefinitely.

1st Philharmonic Concert

The fundamentally humanistic sound ideal of Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach meets the youthful romantic gesture of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: The 4th Academy Concert continues the series of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos that began in the 1st Academy Concert. Music that is so popular and admired that in 1977 it flew through space on a data disk on board the "Voyager 2" space probe - and is now back in Hamburg. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach does not have to hide from the overwhelming legacy of his famous father, as shown by his Symphony No. 6, nicknamed "Hamburger". A piece of breathtaking tension with rich timbres and a humorous wink. The latter Bach served as a role model for another composer, namely Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The "Youth Symphony" by the twelve-year-old already gives an idea of ​​the composer's great visionary potential.

4th Academy Concert

In the 3rd Academy Concert, two world premieres meet a familiar face: Stefan Schäfer, solo double bassist of the Philharmonic State Orchestra, passionate chamber musician and composer, starts off. His "Reflections on a Good Morrow" is a commissioned work by the Philharmonic State Orchestra. The new is followed by the familiar: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his "Nachtmusique". A demanding work with which Mozart - once again - exceeded the expectations of his time and composed chamber music with an almost symphonic gesture. Fabian Otten shows how much one's own music-making and composing benefit from each other, and can even be mutually dependent. The first percussionist and timpanist of the Philharmonic State Orchestra has been studying the Master's program in composition at the HfMT Hamburg since 2022 and is composing a commissioned work for string quintet and percussion for this concert. The musical final word again belongs to Mozart, whose string quintets were considered by Franz Schubert to be "beneficial departures from a brighter, better life" and by modern musicology to be "his greatest achievement in chamber music" (Charles Rosen). His String Quintet in G minor represents Mozart's very own musical language and the purity and beauty of the artistic form.

3rd Academy Concert

The first Academy Concert, which is given in three (slightly) different programs, is all about Hamburg: The Philharmonic State Orchestra plays under the direction of chief conductor Kent Nagano and together with various choirs from the Hanseatic city. With Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven (Programs I+III), Johannes Brahms and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Program II), four great masters of music history pass the musical pen to each other. As different as the times and eras in which they worked were, they are nevertheless united by great virtuosity, contrasting expressive qualities and the constant search, discovery and reinvention of their own musical language. With three slightly changing programs, four musical languages ​​that are equally different and genius are making their way into the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie.

1st Academy Concert - Program III

1st Academy Concert - Program II

In the second academy concert, old and new are combined, the familiar with the unknown and the fairytale-like, when the forward-moving, youthful freshness of the seventeen-year-old Mozart meets the rather unknown romantic sounds of the Hamburg-born Ferdinand David. The atmosphere continues with Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose music is a sonorous reflection of their origins and homeland, England. Just like Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt" from Norway. A fairytale ending to a concert between Hamburg, Vienna, England and Poland, between classical, romantic and modern.

2nd Academy Concert

1st Academy Concert - Program I

In the heart of Hamburg: a warm late summer night, hustle and bustle, conviviality and brilliant sounds in the open air - chief conductor Kent Nagano, the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera have once again brought a special gift to their loyal audience this year. With powerful choirs, rousing rhythms and beautiful melodies: with Carl Orff's cantata "Carmina Burana", the orchestra, together with the choir of the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Boys' Choir, are bringing one of the most popular musical creations ever to the Rathausmarkt. "O Fortuna, your moods change like the image of the moon," is how the opening chorus first addresses the goddess of fate, before moving on in several stages through the different stages of human life. The wheel of fate rolls relentlessly between joy and sorrow, love and consolation, telling of the autumn of one's own existence and yet offering the decisive hope: that a new spring will come - O, Fortuna!

Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg

5 - 6 Jul, 2026

10th Philharmonic Concert BRUCH / ASSIGINAAK

7 - 21 Jun, 2026

Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde)

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Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg