Around the World

Introduction

Die Hot 8 Brass Band in der Elbphilharmonie 2017

History of music : World music – the music of the world

A history of cultures that find their way to one another, and of creativity that knows no bounds.

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Podcast »Elbphilharmonie Offstage« : Between cultures

Her family comes from Turkey, but she grew up in Hamburg: musician Derya Yildirim talks about creativity between different cultures.

Listen to the podcast (in German)

Cultural exchange in the Elbphilharmonie : Chor zur Welt

Different from each other as they may be, music connects people. The international choir »Chor zur Welt« with amateur singers from 17 countries shows this with ample enthusiasm.

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Live!

Benin : Angélique Kidjo

Between New Wave und Afrobeat. Angélique Kidjo reinvents the Talking Heads classic »Remain in Light«.

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Iran : Majid Derakhshani

As one of the greatest masters of classic Persian music, Majid Derakhshani spontaneously creates one shiny new musical jewel after another.

Portugal : Ana Moura

She has shaken the dust off Fado, and added pop and jazz elements to it: Ana Moura, Portugal's leading Fadista, sings about love, yearning and weltschmerz.

More about the concert

Explained :Instruments around the world

Silk Road : What does a nay flute sound like?

The world of musical instruments consists of more than the violin, the clarinet and the piano. Have you ever heard of the kanun, the nay or the kemençe? Three instruments from countries bordering the Silk Road, presented by agreeable virtuosos.

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West of Africa : Musical gourd

Seckou Keita is one of the great drum masters on the kora, the instrument used by the griots of West Africa, which is made from half a gourd.

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Indonesia : Gamelan

It sounds strange and exotic to Western ears: the centuries-old gamelan music of Indonesia. The Elbphilharmonie owns a set of gamelan instruments that is over 70 years old, which came to Hamburg by a circuitous route.

Read on

Discover :Around the world in six musical stages

From Italy to China : The Silk Road

All manner of merchandise has been transported between Asia and the Mediterranean region along the Silk Road for thousands of years –and with it religion, culture and knowledge.

Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps: The Caravan (ca. 1854)

Playlist : Keyword »East«

From Led Zeppelin to »Gengis Khan«: the Middle and the Far East have been a source of inspiration for Western musicians since time immemorial, yielding many fantastic musical styles. An interesting playlist.

Listen in

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan : The Countries of the Caucasus

The Caucasus is one of the world's most varied regions, ethnically, linguistically and culturally. In 2018 the Elbphilharmonie invited artists from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to visit Hamburg.

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Cameroon : Blick Bassy

»Many African nations are built up on the basis of foreign structures«, says Cameroonian Blick Bassy. »These determine our economy, our education system, our culture – yet they have nothing to do with our needs«. He sings for independence with his gentle songs.

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From indie to India : Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar personifies the modern sound of globalisation: she plays Indian classical music for an audience of millions, while she integrates jazz, pop and film music into her cosmopolitan programmes as a shooting star on the London scene.

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Anatolia, the Balkans, Greece : Çiğdem Aslan

»People living in exile have always found hope in the folk music of their native country«, says the singer with Alevite-Kurdish roots, who now lives in London. In her music she travels back to the Aegean, performing folk songs from Anatolia, the Balkans and Greece.

5 questions for Çiğdem Aslan

Fancy a concert visit?

Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi © Daniel Dittus

Around the World with the Elbphilharmonie.

To the concerts

Redaction: Anne-Elisabeth Lesseur, Julika von Werder, Simon Chlosta, Fränz Kremer, Laura Etspüler