The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg becomes the heart of musical innovation and societal reflection as it hosts a series of transformative performances by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. From Bernstein's theatrical choral masterpiece to orchestral reinterpretations that challenge our relationship with history, each concert offers a journey that blends music, culture, and introspection.

Harmonizing Futures: A Tapestry of Sound and Society at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie

As Staatsoper Hamburg unveils its rich lineup for the upcoming seasons, opera enthusiasts are in for a treat with productions like Tchaikovsky's 'Pique Dame', Verdi's 'La Traviata', and Wagner's 'The Flying Dutchman'. The season promises not just operatic grandeur but also creative explorations with 'Monster's Paradise' by Olga Neuwirth and Christoph Marthaler's 'The Troublemakers', alongside orchestral highlights featuring the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. From classical masterpieces to contemporary innovations, Staatsoper Hamburg's season is set to be a remarkable journey through the world of music and drama.

Staatsoper Hamburg: A Season of Operatic Magic and Musical Mastery

Hamburg, a city renowned for its vibrant cultural scene, promises an enticing array of performances with the upcoming operatic and orchestral events. From Tchaikovsky's 'Pique Dame' to Verdi's 'The Troubadour,' and innovative orchestral pieces by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, audiences are in for a treat. The Staatsoper Hamburg and Elbphilharmonie venues will host world-class performers as they bring timeless classics and contemporary compositions to life. Whether you're an opera aficionado or a newcomer to classical music, Hamburg's rich musical offerings provide a captivating experience for all.

Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Hamburg's Operatic and Orchestral Showcase

The world we live in has rarely been as unstable as it is these days. Surrounded by crises and wars, the noticeable shift to the right is increasingly fueling fears for our democracy. If you ask young people on the street how they view their future, the majority answer is: worried. Starting with Antonín Dvořák's Symphony "From the New World," the Philharmonic State Orchestra asks in this concert: If we were allowed to dream, what would our world of tomorrow look like? How would our coexistence be shaped – between people, but also between people and the environment? As part of a one-year, participatory project, the musicians of the Philharmonic State Orchestra, together with students from two schools in Hamburg, are artistically searching for answers. They will present their results in this concert.

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Utopia

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert features Barbara Assiginaak's compositional interpretation of Max Bruch's sonic imagination – the first movement of his violin concerto is replaced by a new composition by her, inspired by the original. Bruch confronts us today as a mirror of the past and, through Assiginaak, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Hilary Hahn / Omer Meir Wellber

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert features Daniela Terranova's orchestration of Bach's music and her compositional dialogue with Beethoven – the third movement of his Sixth Symphony is replaced by a new composition by her, inspired by the original. Beethoven confronts us today as a mirror of the past and, through Terranova, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Jean-Christophe Spinosi

With over 200 artists, from vocals and dance to rock bands, Leonard Bernstein's spectacular "MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers" will be performed at this year's Hamburg International Music Festival.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Audi Youth Choir Academy / Omer Meir Wellber

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert features Richard Dubugnon's compositional interpretation of Mendelssohn's essence – the second movement of his violin concerto is replaced by a new composition by him, inspired by the original. Mendelssohn Bartholdy confronts us today as a mirror of the past and, through Dubugnon, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

"I will try to capture the essence of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and imagine how it might sound in the future, as if Mendelssohn's spirit were dictating the new version to me through a medium." – Richard Dubugnon

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Julian Rachlin

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary. This concert features Sally Beamish's compositional exploration of Mozart's rules – the second and third movements of his Sinfonia concertante are replaced by new compositions by her, inspired by the original. Mozart encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Beamish, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical play opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Konradin Seitzer / Aziz Shokhakimov

Elsa of Brabant is suspected of having killed her younger brother Gottfried in the forest. When King Henry the Fowler asks Elsa to defend herself, she pleads for an imaginary knight to come to her aid. Suddenly, Lohengrin, the Knight of the Swan, appears. He promises to fight for Elsa, but makes her promise beforehand never to question him about his identity or provenance.

Lohengrin

Hamburg State Opera

For Leonora, the song of the troubadour Manrico holds the promise and glow of love; Manrico's rival Count Luna perceives in it threat and danger. Verdi's opera is a celebration of Italian opera singing at its best - so it is no coincidence that the title character is a singer himself.

The Troubadour

Culture creates meaning and structure. The music theater project by Christopher Rüping, Omer Meir Wellber, and Malte Ubenauf demonstrates that it can even provide existential support. Here, for an extraterrestrial group, Mozart's music becomes a daily reminder and admonition of what it means to be and remain human. And what happens when it all falls silent. Thus, we rediscover Mozart's music in distant worlds.

The Great Silence

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert features Giorgi Gigashvili's interpretation of Bach and Bach-inspired music – not only as a pianist, but also as a composer. The third movement of the harpsichord concerto is replaced by his orchestration of the jazzy Peterson Suite, inspired by the original. Bach encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Gigashvili, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Giorgi Gigashvili / François Leleux

Maria and Elisabetta: two queens fight for power and love. Between them stands Count Leicester, Elisabetta's lover, who is attracted to Maria. The two women meet in the park of Fotheringhay Castle - a duel of emotions, fought with the weapons of bel canto, coloratura on a knife's edge. In the end, the Catholic Maria will ascend the scaffold with her head held high, while the Protestant Elisabetta will keep her throne but lose her love.

Mary Stuart

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

The outsider Herman loves Liza, who is engaged to Prince Yeletsky. Herman is a passionate gambler: he is desperate to win a fortune and reputation in order to win Liza’s heart. When he learns that her grandmother knows the secret of the three winning cards, fate takes its course.

Pique Dame

Musical theater on the current state of affairs: As avatars of themselves, the exceptional artists Olga Neuwirth and Elfriede Jelinek send two "vampires" on a journey around the world and observe the decline of humanity. But what kind of world is this, one that can only be saved by a monster named Gorgonzilla? Tobias Kratzer stages this brand-new political grotesque as a contemporary Grand Guignol.

Monster’s Paradise

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become contemporary games, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary. This concert showcases the fruits of Mikhail Pletnev's inspiration – his new composition, based on Rachmaninoff's music, is juxtaposed with the original orchestral fantasy "The Rock." Rachmaninoff thus encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Pletnev, as a part of the here and now. This unabashedly engaging musical play opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev

The return of two grand masters: Gustav Mahler – star conductor, visionary composer, and the most famous General Music Director in the history of the State Opera. His music unfolds a panorama of human experience – constantly fluctuating between joie de vivre and the dance of death. Director Christoph Marthaler, known for his idiosyncratic and playful scenic collages, approaches Mahler's oeuvre with an intense chamber piece.

The Troublemakers

Staatsoper Hamburg

Senta's dreams are directed towards the sea: will the man who will free her from her restricted life at home come from there? It begins stormily; Wagner's first fully valid opera presents a grandiose, overwhelming vision of the elements already in the overture. The fate of the Flying Dutchman and the woman who is to redeem him takes place in the roar of the waves and the ocean. This "romantic opera" aims to transcend boundaries.

The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchma

Violetta is the most sought-after courtesan of the Parisian demimonde. However, her encounter with Alfredo makes her pleasure-seeking life seem questionable: they fall in love and try to build a life for themselves, far from the fast pleasures of the city...

La Traviata

In this New Year's Eve concert, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra and its General Music Director Omer Meir Wellber present a bizarre and dazzling blend of virtuoso vocal artistry, imaginative sound, and humorous expressiveness.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Hila Baggio / Omer Meir Wellber

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: This concert showcases Detlev Glanert's play with Haydn's way of thinking – his new composition, inspired by the Farewell Symphony, is juxtaposed with the original. Haydn thus encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Glanert, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical play opens up new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Omer Meir Wellber

“Don‘t you know the horrible dark place, don’t you know the evil one lives there?” Hastily, their parents set out for the woods to save Hansel and Gretel from the witch Rosina Leckermaul. As they feared, the children have got lost in the woods and found the gingerbread house. They cannot resist the sweet temptation – and fall straight into the trap of the witch, who likes children so much she could eat them up… literally.
As in most tales of the Brothers Grimm, in Engelbert Humperdinck’s setting of the fairytale all ends well: until that point, however, Humperdinck’s romantic music accompanies the children deep into the dark forest of legend. Here it invokes magical beings, calls on 14 angels to protect the siblings and allows the witch to ride her broomstick through the air.

Hansel and Gretel

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become contemporary plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary. This concert features Ella Milch-Sheriff's musical interpretation of the texts from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" – some of Mahler's songs are replaced by new compositions by her, inspired by the original. Mahler confronts us today as a mirror of the past and, through Milch-Sheriff, as a part of the here and now. This unabashedly engaging musical play opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Annika Schlicht / Benjamin Appl / Adam Fischer

"It is a simple and tremendous problem of life: that of fidelity", is how Hugo von Hofmannsthal described the core of their third opera together, Ariadne auf Naxos, in a letter to Richard Strauss. To live does not mean to persevere and hold on to what has been lost. If you want to live, you have to let go, forget, get over yourself - constantly transform yourself. This is what a young opera composer experiences in this work when he is confronted with the stubborn wishes of his patron; just like the protagonist of his opera, Ariadne, who, abandoned by her lover, Theseus, expects only death.

Ariadne on Naxos

A REDISCOVERY - NATIONAL EPIC OR FAIRYTALE OPERA ABOUT THE FIGHT AGAINST EVIL?

Who is good and who is evil in this fairytale opera - and why? The nucleus of Pushkin's setting of Ruslan and Lyudmila by Mikhail Glinka is the abduction of the princess's daughter Lyudmila from Kiev, the center of both the Russian and Ukrainian founding myths. For Ruslan, the warrior promised to her, this marks the beginning of an adventurous journey through the magical realm of a powerful dwarf. The rescue operation escalates into a showdown between the men fighting for Lyudmila. But she herself increasingly becomes a distant vision of love - the longed-for prize for heroism. In 1842, in the midst of the awakening Russian national sentiment, Glinka conceived the idea of a culturally united tsarist empire, in which he merged Slavic, Finnish and Arabic melos with the bel canto fashion of his time.

Ruslan und Ljudmila

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become TimePlays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary. This concert features Aziza Sadikova's compositional exploration of Tchaikovsky's character – the second and third movements of his symphony are replaced by new compositions by her, inspired by the original. Tchaikovsky encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Sadikova, as a part of the here and now. This unabashedly engaging musical play opens new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Holly Hyun Choe

"THE LITTLE MERMAID" REPLACES "SURROGATE CITIES"
John Neumeier's "The Little Mermaid" replaces the production "Surrogate Cities" in the current and upcoming seasons, thus also opening the 50th Hamburg Ballet Days.

The Little Mermaid

There's something magical about the change that comes with the seasons. The idea of ​​a leaf growing from a bare branch in spring seems unimaginable, at least during the winter months. And yet: as soon as the first warm rays of sunshine make their way through, everything sprouts and blooms everywhere. Accompanied by Israeli mandolinist Jacob Reuven, students from grades 1 to 4 stroll through the seasons in this concert. Surrounded by music spanning more than 250 years, spring, summer, autumn, and winter seem both distant and close at hand. Sometimes the messenger of spring sits chirping on our shoulder, sometimes we dance the tango with him through the colorful sea of ​​leaves.

Eight Seasons

Starting this season, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's program will feature a new, colorful highlight: Blue Week. This festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs while showcasing the special qualities of the orchestra's musicians. In this first edition, they will make metamorphoses of all kinds audible – in this concert, humans are transformed into animals, oboe notes into alienated soundscapes, and fantasies into sonic reality.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Under the face of the wandering moon, spirit and body quarrel in all their greatness and wretchedness until the blood of two bodies flows. Strauss remains close to Wilde's re-creation of the biblical material, which leads Salome from her mother's tool to autonomy. It is she who, in her unfulfilled desire for the liberatingly different, the body of the prophet Jochanaan, seeks revenge and demands his head - a price the male-dominated society around Herod is willing to pay for their dance. Now that Salome holds his severed head in her hands, she can kiss Jochanaan, possess him if not alive, then dead. As if under a burning glass, Strauss pours Oscar Wilde's demonic dramaturgy into sound like an eruption of the psyche, accompanying his protagonist from her failed escape from the decadence of her existence to her death.

Salome

The Hamburg State Orchestra's Philharmonic Concerts become time-plays, transcending the boundaries of the ordinary: In this concert, Stephen Hough interprets Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, entirely in the spirit of its creator, both as pianist and composer—he replaces the second movement with a newly composed piece inspired by Beethoven's original. Beethoven encounters us today as a mirror of the past and, through Hough, as a part of the here and now. This unabashed musical interplay opens up new perspectives on our musical culture, our thinking and being, and our way of receiving music.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Stephen Hough / Omer Meir Wellber

In this concert, which concludes Kent Nagano’s ten-year tenure as General Music Director, two essential strands of his concert dramaturgy for Hamburg come together. On the one hand the reference back to tradition, and the Hamburg-based composer Johannes Brahms to be precise, whose four symphonies have been performed by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra both in its Hamburg concerts and on tour in recent years. And then sounds of the present day, in the form of pioneering world premieres. A brief review conjures up performances of Widmann’s ARCHE, Dusapin’s »Waves«, and Shepherd’s »On a Clear Day«, to name just a few outstanding new works. This concert – a crowning finale and farewell at the same time – sees the premiere of a new symphony by the young Argentinian composer Alex Nante, in his inimitably dreamlike, spiritual sound language.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Kent Nagano

Seeking to test their girlfriends’ fidelity, two men wager that they will remain steadfast. They subject the women to passionate onslaught, and in the end, the fortress of their faithfulness falls. The men, however, involved as they are in the experiment, failed to reckon that they too might betray their partners and feelings. All this cheating, confusing, lying – to others and oneself – is grotesquely comical and simultaneously cruel. One side is inclined not to think about the new situation (Guglielmo and Dorabella), while the others try to comprehend it to the point of exhaustion (Fiordiligi and Ferrando). The final ceremony seeks to cement the social status quo, bringing this new freedom to its knees. The marriage, however, is only for show, and beneath the surface of tradition, the first cracks appear.

Così fan tutte

Richard Strauss – a celebrated composer, a politically controversial cultural figure and unquestionably an artist ahead of his time – is the subject of this concert’s musical portrait. Those who knew him described him as someone with a great sense of humour who never let fame go to his head. He loved music, his family and playing cards (and is even said to have been a good loser). He first began composing at the age of six. His famous tone poem »Ein Heldenleben« marks his first major achievement in the art of orchestration.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Maria Bengtsson / Bertrand de Billy

Sir John Falstaff is an anarchist who obeys only the reign of his own enjoyment, an egoist who feeds only his power-hunger and his own flesh, and who would prefer to raze the small-minded morals of his contemporaries like the walls of a fortress – by seducing two women at the same time. Needless to say, his plan is thwarted, but those trying to expose him also fail to emerge unruffled from the confusion they unleash around him – which only the audience can keep track of, barely. “Tutto nel mondo è burla,” but these jokes are only funny because falling into the abyss actually does pose quite a serious risk. Arrigo Boito, the librettist of “Otello”, distilled a sophisticated, ingenious libretto from Shakespeare’s original, driving Verdi to highly complex compositional heights.

Falstaff

This opera is the world in a theatrical nutshell: it deals with growing older, with trials and tribulations, with intransparent decisions. One person searches for individuality, another is too lazy to do so. Others postulate that the community is the only adequate place for the individual. Power has either been legitimised by long tradition or usurped by new regimes. Values such as assimilation and loyalty are set against self-assertiveness and independence. There is loving and dreaming, cheating and trusting. Suicides are prevented, tests passed, adventures survived. Who is right? Who has been wronged? The world of the magic flute is opaque, and everyone is looking for a pathway: within it, into it or out of it. Who holds the reigns? Who can be trusted? Could it be music?

Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Scarpia, Rome’s chief of police, desires Tosca. Since her lover, the painter Cavaradossi, is among the government’s political enemies, Scarpia has him imprisoned. He orders Cavaradossi’s execution and hopes to force Tosca into granting him one night with her, in exchange for Cavaradossi’s release. She, however, thwarts his plans…

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Jul 6, 2026

Utopia

5 - 6 Jul, 2026

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Hilary Hahn / Omer Meir Wellber

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