Easter in th Elbphilharmonie

For some people it's the most important Christian holiday, for others it's a welcome opportunity to have a breather and eat too much chocolate. But in all likelihood, even those who have lost track of the true meaning of Easter still cannot entirely escape its spiritual dimension. And this is where the Easter programme put on by the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle comes in, with several very special concerts over the holidays.

The Easter week opens appropriately with Bach's St Matthew Passion, which vividly depicts the Crucifixion. And the Elbphilharmonie's current Artist in Residence, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, likewise devotes a concert programme to the central theme of Easter, the hereafter.

Transcendence with a Far Eastern flavour marks Gustav Mahler's vocal symphony »Das Lied von der Erde«. Starting on Good Friday, the concerts are devoted to the Russian Orthodox tradition, cautiously renewed by composer Alfred Schnittke and performed with verve by Teodor Currentzis's legendary musicAeterna Choir. The climax and conclusion of our Easter programme is a two-day guest appearance by the Moscow Bolschoi Theatre.