Elbphilharmonie opens »Fast Lane«

Hamburg, 22 September 2022: The Elbphilharmonie has established the series FAST LANE specially for young musicians whose international careers are just about to take off. These six evenings are an opportunity to experience charismatic artists who are currently making waves with new ideas and courageous programmes. The series begins on 10 October with a concert by the percussionist Vivi Vassileva. Tickets are available at www.elbphilharmonie.de.

Vivi Vassileva is one of the best young percussionists in the classical music scene. She is already being touted as a successor to percussion star Martin Grubinger. Together with the Brazilian guitarist Lucas Campara Diniz, on 10 October she is presenting a diverse recital programme ranging from Bach to Xenakis, from Argentinian music to compositions from Japan. Then, on 5 November, Vassileva performs Friedrich Cerha’s brilliant Percussion Concerto in the Grand Hall, accompanied by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. The jazz saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins was born in 1998 and grew up in Philadelphia surrounded by the spirituality of the Afro-American church, which shaped his approach to music. Wilkins was signed by the iconic jazz label Blue Note at the age of 22. On 5 November, he will be performing with his quartet in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall for the first time. The Macedonian-Canadian mezzosoprano Ema Nikolovska has devoted herself heart and soul to the art of lieder singing. With performances in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, she has become a real audience favourite thanks to her extraordinary voice, and her original and thoughtful programmes. On 14 December, she will be accompanied by Gerold Huber, who made a name for himself as the regular piano partner to the baritone Christian Gerhaher.

The Simply Quartet’s ecstatic playing inspires long-standing string quartet fans and attracts new audiences at the same time. On 19 February, the four musicians from China, Norway and Austria will be roaming through three centuries. Alongside classics by Haydn and Dvořák, the Vienna-based ensemble will also play a modern work by Thomas Larcher, to whom the Elbphilharmonie is dedicating a spotlight this season. In 2019, the French musician Alexandre Kantorow won one of the classical music world’s most important awards: the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The exceptional young pianist has been drowning in concert requests ever since. He will be giving his debut in the Recital Hall on 20 March with works by Brahms and Schubert, as well as Schubert songs arranged by Franz Liszt. On 2 November, Kantorow and the Munich Philharmonic present Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which he composed as a 17-year-old student. The series finale on 19 April features the violinist Maria Ioudenitch, the cellist Sebastian Fritsch and the pianist Aaron Pilsan, three exceptionally gifted musicians who have already won numerous prizes as soloists, but who now perform together as a trio. In a discussion concert in Halle 424 on the previous evening, the three reflect on the process of musical collaboration: Is everyone on the same page in terms of the interpretation? How are musical decisions made? The trio will subsequently perform excerpts from their programme.

Christoph Lieben-Seutter, the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle Hamburg’s general and artistic director, is looking forward to »concerts by young musicians who have already come incredibly far as artists. Looking beyond the different genres, what they have in common is a very natural, energetic and unpretentious approach to music. With this series, we want to showcase this refreshing generation of artists that is conquering the world’s stages at the moment.«

The new series FAST LANE is supported by Porsche Deutschland GmbH. The company is one of the Elbphilharmonie’s six »Principal Sponsors«. »Supporting young talents to pursue their dreams is very important to us. Porsche and the talents of the FAST LANE programme represent passion, performance and unforgettable moments«, says Alexander Pollich, CEO of Porsche Deutschland GmbH. Vivi Vassileva will also be performing at the »Porsche Dreamers Night« on 29 November 2022, an event organised by Porsche in aid of the Toni Garrn Foundation.

Mon, 10 Oct 2022, 19:30, Recital Hall
Vivi Vassileva
Vivi Vassileva, percussion
Lucas Campara Diniz, guitar
Works by Ishii, Bach, Xenakis, Mayrhofer, Contreras, Assad and Piazzolla

Sat, 5 Nov 2022, 20:30, Recital Hall
Immanuel Wilkins Quartet
Immanuel Wilkins, saxophone
Micah Thomas, piano
Kweku Sumbry, percussion
Rick Rosato, bass

Wed, 14 Dec 2022, 19:30, Recital Hall
Ema Nikolovska
Ema Nikolovska, mezzosoprano
Gerold Huber, piano
Works by Schubert and Wallen

Sun, 19 Feb 2023, 19:30, Recital Hall
Simply Quartet
Danfeng Shen, violin
Antonia Rankersberger, violin
Xiang Lyu, viola
Ivan Valentin Hollup Roald, cello
Works by Haydn, Larcher and Dvořák

Mon, 20 Mar 2023, 19:30, Recital Hall
Alexandre Kantorow
Alexandre Kantorow, piano
Works by Brahms, Schubert and Liszt

Tue, 18 Apr 2023, 19:00, Halle 424
Discussion concert: Maria Ioudenitch / Sebastian Fritsch / Aaron Pilsan
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Sebastian Fritsch, cello
Aaron Pilsan, piano
Anne Kussmaul, presenter

Wed, 19 Apr 2023, 19:30, Recital Hall
Maria Ioudenitch / Sebastian Fritsch / Aaron Pilsan
Maria Ioudenitch, violin
Sebastian Fritsch, cello
Aaron Pilsan, piano
Works by Larcher, Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Brahms