The Hamburg International Music Festival looks to the »Future«
Concerts from 1 May to 5 June now on sale
Press Information
Hamburg, 19 November 2024: »Future« is the overarching theme of the upcoming edition of the Hamburg International Music Festival. Guest performers at the renowned festival include not only top orchestras from Vienna, Munich, Rome, London, Budapest and Chicago, but many of the most celebrated artists of our time as well. Among the soloists taking to the stage are audience favourites such as Lisa Batiashvili, Janine Jansen, Camilla Nylund, Joshua Bell, Sol Gabetta, Igor Levit, Daniil Trifonov, Mitsuko Uchida, Seong-Jin Cho and Sir András Schiff. John Luther Adams is performing his award-winning orchestral work »Become Ocean«, while the ensemble of composer Philip Glass plays the live soundtrack to the classic film »Koyaanisqatsi«, a critique on civilization. One thread at the festival is the visionary music of the composer, conductor and influential cultural networker Pierre Boulez, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday next year. The legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago is coming to Hamburg with its programme »Great Black Music – Ancient to the Future« and the Australian pianist and composer Zubin Kanga is set to make a guest appearance as part of our inquiry into artificial intelligence. The future of classical music awaits too, with a performance at the Elbphilharmonie by the youth orchestra of the Brazilian organisation »Neojiba«. Iván Fischer conducts Gustav Mahler’s opulent »Resurrection Symphony« with his Budapest Festival Orchestra, while Alan Gilbert brings a brand new work to the Elbphilharmonie.
Every year, the Hamburg International Music Festival gives the performing musicians the freedom to realise some very special projects and programmes. In the opening concert, Kent Nagano and the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra take us straight to the heart of the music festival: with a performance of Pierre Boulez’s »Répons”, one of the most complex and fascinating masterpieces of modern music in the repertoire, with a large ensemble, six soloists and instrumental sounds electronically altered in real time (1/2 May). A radical innovator, Pierre Boulez explored electronic sounds and mathematical models – without ever losing sight of the spirited music of his predecessors Olivier Messiaen and Claude Debussy. World-class performers including Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra, the cello section of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, a soloist ensemble led by mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, and the fearless piano virtuoso Tamara Stefanovich each explore various different aspects of his oeuvre.
Alan Gilbert and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra perform Alban Berg’s modern classic »Wozzeck« starring Matthias Goerne in the title role (23/25 May). Together with the pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, the orchestra in residence throws the spotlight onto three French works that rarely find their way into concert halls and bring the festival motto »Future« to life in a unique way: Claude Debussy’s Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra, César Franck’s Variations symphoniques and Henri Dutilleux’s Symphony No. 2 (8/9/11 May). With Pablo Heras-Casado conducting, the programme also includes excerpts from Richard Wagner’s »Götterdämmerung«. Antoine Tamestit, this season’s NDR Artist in Residence, can be heard as the soloist in Sofia Gubaidulina’s Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, which unfolds a dark and mysterious world of sound with Wagner tubas, cymbals and an additional string quartet (30/31 May).
The historic and prestigious Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, is set to bring Gustav Mahler’s 6th and 7th symphonies to the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall (17/18 May). The Vienna Philharmonic, pianist Igor Levit and conductor Thomas Adès present an extraordinary programme featuring a Haydn symphony, a spectacular piano concerto by Adès himself, and Janáček’s »Taras Bulba«. Pierre Boulez will also be honoured on his 100th birthday (24 May). The London Symphony Orchestra makes a guest appearance with its newly appointed chief conductor Sir Antonio Pappano and a programme featuring two French composers who fearlessly pushed boundaries in their respective lifetimes: Hector Berlioz and Pierre Boulez (4 June). Lisa Batiashvili joins them the following day, bringing with her one of the most beautiful works for her instrument to the Elbphilharmonie: Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 (5 June). Iván Fischer and his world-famous Budapest Festival Orchestra celebrate their 40th anniversary with Gustav Mahler’s visionary Symphony No. 2, also known as the »Resurrection Symphony«. The soloists are Christiane Karg and Anna Lucia Richter (27 May).
The grand seigneur of the piano, Sir András Schiff, is making a guest appearance in a dual role as both pianist and conductor. With the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, he presents works by Schumann and Mendelssohn on original instruments (20 May). Tugan Sokhiev devotes his energies to Anton Bruckner and Dmitri Shostakovich, together with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The inimitable Sol Gabetta is the soloist performing the latter’s cello concerto (21 May). The Brazilian youth orchestra Neojiba is made up of extremely talented musicians aged between 13 and 27. It is part of a support programme that – following the example of Venezuela’s »El Sistema« – not only offers musical education, but also fosters social integration. Together with the outstanding 19-year-old soloist Guido Sant’Anna, it is now set to perform for the first time in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall (22 May). Meanwhile, Sir Simon Rattle is bringing along a French programme to Hamburg with his Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra: Maurice Ravel’s complete ballet music for »Daphnis et Chloé« and »Rituel«, one of Pierre Boulez’s most impactful works (1 June).
One of the current shooting stars of the early music scene is the French baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte, who – following on from his appearance in June 2024 in the Elbphilharmonie’s FAST LANE series – can be heard with his own ensemble Le Consort and Antonio Vivaldi’s »The Four Seasons« (11 May). Christoph Willibald Gluck set the antique story of »Iphigénie en Tauride« to music with finely drawn character studies that portray the inner conflicts of the characters in gripping ways and set them to beautiful arias. An ideal template for Thomas Hengelbrock and his ensembles (3 May). The FestspielOrchester Göttingen and the NDR Vocal Ensemble perform Handel’s oratorio »Solomon« together, under the direction of the baroque specialist George Petrou (15 May). And together with the lautten compagney BERLIN, Rolando Villazón embarks on a musical voyage into the world of Claudio Monteverdi (28 May).
The recording of Mozart’s final three symphonies by the Ensemble Resonanz under Riccardo Minasi was internationally acclaimed. The »Haffner« Symphony is now on the programme at the Elbphilharmonie, along with a world premiere by Manfred Trojahn and music by Marianna von Martines. Nils Mönkemeyer on the viola and William Youn on the piano are also set to explore fragments from Mozart’s pen (6 May). The Kammerakademie Potsdam under the direction of Antonello Manacorda performs Mendelssohn and Viotti with Christian Tetzlaff (26 May). Camilla Nylund has achieved global stardom for her performances of the great operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Things get particularly exciting when the Finn performs a very intimate song recital, like she is set to do at the festival, alongside Helmut Deutsch, one of the most sought-after song accompanists of all time, at the piano (7 May).
The grand dame of the piano, Mitsuko Uchida, returns to the Elbphilharmonie with a moving solo concert. The programme includes Beethoven and Schubert, two composers who helped the Grammy award-winning musician to international acclaim (29 May). Seong-Jin Cho has made a name for himself as the winner of the legendary Chopin Competition, and this season he is Artist in Residence with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In the Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, this exceptional South Korean artist explores the vibrant sound cosmos of Maurice Ravel (13 May). The star pianist Daniil Trifonov is also presenting a romantic programme at the Laeiszhalle, sure to showcase all facets of his superb skills. In addition to piano sonatas by Samuel Barber and his fellow countryman Piotr I. Tchaikovsky, he is also set to perform dances by Frédéric Chopin (26 May).
Machines, speed and progress all promised a glorious future at the beginning of the 20th century. The general enthusiasm for technology soon spilled over into art, as the Futurists explored new subject matter and forms of expression. The pianist Lukas Geniušas presents important representatives of this brief but exciting period (28 May). For Tamara Stefanovich, no work is too difficult and no programme too daring. This time around, the pianist combines the stormy Piano Sonata No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich with the supposedly unplayable Second by Pierre Boulez. In the second half of the evening, she plays new co-compositions by Stefanovich-Dell-Lillinger-Westergaard together with her ensemble SDLW (8 May). The celebrated pianist Bertrand Chamayou brings some legendary works for prepared piano by the brilliant maverick John Cage to the stage, together with the dancer and choreographer Elodie Sicard, in »Cage²« (9 May).
In three concerts and accompanying discussion events, the music festival reflects on the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence in music: What does the future of the piano sound like? The Australian pianist and composer Zubin Kanga explores this question. His experimentations see him complement and wire up the classical concert grand piano with a host of tech gadgets, or elicit intoxicating sounds from several synthesizers at the same time: a cyborg at the piano with sensor gloves and a helmet that looks like a disco ball but measures brain waves (17 May). In Brigitta Muntendorf’s »Orbit – A War Series«, the audience sits scattered around the room and the sound seems to come from everywhere. The work, which premiered at the Venice Biennale in 2023, focuses on immortal female fighters in a post-human, techno-futuristic choir (17 May). The six musicians that make up the Decoder Ensemble always have their finger on the pulse. »Future Recognition« presents mostly world premieres by young international composers for whom working with A.I. has already become commonplace (18 May).
The Art Ensemble of Chicago enjoys legendary status. Founded in 1967 in the city that gave it its name, the band moved to Paris shortly afterwards. It was from there that they launched their global career with »Great Black Music« – a unique avant-garde jazz that incorporates African, Asian and Latin American traditions (14 May). Tin Men and the Telephone have their concerts controlled by an app and synchronise politicians’ speeches, tennis matches and animal sounds with music: the group brings together technology, humour and fabulous jazz (24 May).
With the melting of the polar ice caps in mind, the Alaskan composer and environmental activist John Luther Adams has composed the opulent orchestral work »Become Ocean«, which won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy. In concert with the Basel Sinfonietta and the pianist Andreas Haefliger, it will be preceded by Dieter Ammann’s relentless piano concerto, which incorporates his past in funk and jazz bands with relish (10 May). Godfrey Reggio’s film Koyaanisqatsi from 1982 depicts a life out of balance: people rush around in fast forward through the street canyons of a modern, mechanical world. The hypnotic soundtrack by Philip Glass, played by an ensemble founded especially to play his music, transforms the film into an audiovisual synthesis of the arts in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall (12 May).
Karlheinz Stockhausen established his global fame as a musician of the future and political utopian with his visionary electronic compositions. Wolfgang Rihm developed his own sound language with classical instruments, making him one of the most important voices in contemporary music. Two separate concerts, in the Recital Hall and in the resonanzraum St. Pauli, are dedicated to their teacher-student relationship (3/4 June). The deaf actor Ruben Grandits takes centre stage in the experimental opera »The Rise« by Eva Reiter. His gestures are transformed into intoxicating sounds through sensors placed on his hands. Specially developed instruments transform movement into sound. Music, dance and language come together in sound and vision, staged by the choreographer Michiel Vandevelde. »The Rise« is a work that can be enjoyed by hearing and non-hearing people alike (21/22 May, Kampnagel).
Making music, dancing, singing, acting and choreographing together: that’s what the community project »Futur X – when is tomorrow?« is all about. Curious young people aged 16 and over are invited to take part and explore their creativity in various rehearsals and workshops from November 2024 onwards. In sessions specialised in music and songwriting, movement and dance, sound design with modular synthesizers and writing texts, they will create a work together that deals with the overarching theme of the future. The result – a musical performance featuring texts, choreography and compositions by the community ensemble – to be presented in two final concerts in the Grand Hall on 4 May.
The Hamburg International Music Festival is a joint festival featuring HamburgMusik, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, Ensemble Resonanz, Konzertdirektion Dr. Rudolf Goette, NDR Vocal Ensemble, NDR das neue werk, the Balthasar-Neumann-Choir and Ensemble and Kampnagel.
Supported by the Förderkreis Internationales Musikfest Hamburg and the Elbphilharmonie Foundation.
Concert Overview
Do, 1. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr / Fr, 2. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg / Kent Nagano
Boulez: Répons / Beethoven: Sinfonie Nr. 6 »Pastorale«
Sa, 3. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Gluck: Iphigénie en Tauride / Thomas Hengelbrock
Balthasar-Neumann-Chor und -Orchester / Solist:innen
So, 4. Mai 2025, 17.00 Uhr/20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Futur X - wann ist morgen?
Abschlussperformance des Community-Projekts
Di, 6. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Ensemble Resonanz / Nils Mönkemeyer / William Youn / Riccardo Minasi
»mmmmmozart« – Werke von Mozart, Trojahn und von Martines
Mi, 7. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Camilla Nylund / Helmut Deutsch
Liederabend / Berg: Sieben frühe Lieder sowie Lieder von Korngold, Mahler u.a.
Mi, 7. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma / Bell / Harding
Dvořák: Violinkonzert / Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 1
Do, 8. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Tamara Stefanovich / SDLW
Schostakowitsch: Klaviersonate Nr. 1 / Boulez: Klaviersonate Nr. 2 / Stefanovich-Dell-Lillinger-Westergaard: Neue Werke – NDR das neue werk
Do, 8. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr / Fr, 9. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr / So, 11. Mai 2025, 11.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Leif Ove Andsnes / Alan Gilbert
Debussy: Fantaisie für Klavier und Orchester / Franck: Variations symphoniques / Dutilleux: Sinfonie Nr. 2
Fr, 9. Mai 2025, 20.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
John Cage: Music and Dance
Bertrand Chamayou, Klavier
Sa, 10. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
John Luther Adams: Become Ocean
Basel Sinfonietta / Andreas Haefliger / Titus Engel
So, 11. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen / Janine Jansen / Paavo Järvi
Beethoven: Violinkonzert D-Dur / Schubert: Sinfonie Nr. 4
So, 11. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Laeiszhalle Großer Saal
Vivaldi: Die Vier Jahreszeiten
Le Consort / Théotime Langlois de Swarte
Mo, 12. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Ensemble NIGHT
»Eine musikalische Reise durch den Himalaya« – Klassik der Welt
Mo, 12. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi
Philip Glass Ensemble
Di, 13. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Seong-Jin Cho / Klavierabend
Alle Werke für Klavier solo von Maurice Ravel
Mi, 14. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Art Ensemble of Chicago
»Great Black Music – Ancient to the Future«
Do, 15. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Händel: Solomon
NDR Vokalensemble / FestspielOrchester Göttingen / George Petrou
Fr, 16. Mai 2025, 20.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Zubin Kanga
»Cyborg Pianist« – ePhil
Sa, 17. Mai 2025, 14.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kaistudio 1
Der Cyborg-Pianist
Talk mit Zubin Kanga – Elbphilharmonie PLUS
Sa, 17. Mai 2025, 17.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kaistudio 1
KI in der Musik
Podiumsgespräch mit Brigitta Muntendorf, Eva Reiter und Alexander Schubert –Elbphilharmonie PLUS
Sa, 17. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Brigitta Muntendorf: Orbit
Weltraum-Oratorium für KI-Sprachklone und 3D-Sound
Sa, 17. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 6
So, 18. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Decoder Ensemble
»Future Recognition«
So, 18. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 7
Mo, 19. Mai 2025, 19.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Mozart: Requiem
Dresdner Philharmonie / Dresdner Kreuzchor / Solist:innen / Martin Lehmann
Di, 20. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Sir András Schiff
Schumann: Introduktion und Allegro appassionato & Klavierkonzert a-Moll / Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Ein Sommernachtstraum
Mi, 21. Mai 2025, 19.00 Uhr / Do, 22. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Kampnagel | K2
The Rise / Ictus Ensemble
Experimentelle Oper von Eva Reiter und Michiel Vandevelde
Mi, 21. Mai 2025, 20.30 Uhr, Kampnagel | K2
The Rise / Ictus Ensemble Künstlergespräch
Mi, 21. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden / Sol Gabetta / Tugan Sokhiev
Schostakowitsch: Cellokonzert Nr. 1 / Bruckner: Sinfonie Nr. 7
Do, 22. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Neojiba Orquestra Juvenil da Bahia / Guido Sant’Anna / Ricardo Castro
Gomes: Prelude aus »Lo schiavo« / Sibelius: Violinkonzert d-Moll / Bernstein: Symphonic Dances / Villa-Lobos: Chôros Nr. 6
Fr, 23. Mai 2025, 17.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Quartett der Kritiker
Diskussion über Alban Bergs Oper »Wozzeck« mit Manuel Brug, Joachim Mischke, Regine Müller, Christian Wildhagen – Elbphilharmonie PLUS
Fr, 23. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr / So, 25. Mai 2025, 18.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Alban Berg: Wozzeck
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / NDR Vokalensemble / Alan Gilbert
Sa, 24. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Wiener Philharmoniker / Igor Levit / Thomas Adès
Haydn / Adès / Kurtág / Boulez / Janáček
Sa, 24. Mai 2025, 20.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Tin Men and the Telephone
»It’s About Time«
Mo, 26. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Laeiszhalle Großer Saal
Daniil Trifonov / Klavierabend
Sonaten und Walzer von Tschaikowsky, Barber und Chopin / Tschaikowsky: Dornröschen-Suite
Mo, 26. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Christian Tetzlaff / Kammerakademie Potsdam / Antonello Manacorda
Viotti: Violinkonzert Nr. 22 / Beethoven: Sinfonie Nr. 5
Di, 27. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Budapest Festival Orchestra / Carl-Philipp-Emanuel-Bach-Chor / Iván Fischer
Mahler: Sinfonie Nr. 2 – mit Christiane Karg und Anna Lucia Richter
Mi, 28. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Lukas Geniušas / Klavierabend
Werke von Skrjabin, Schostakowitsch, Strawinsky, Prokofjew u.a.
Mi, 28. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Rolando Villazón / lautten compagney BERLIN
»Seelenreise«
Do, 29. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Mitsuko Uchida / Klavierabend
Beethoven: Klaviersonate e-Moll / Schubert: Klaviersonate B-Dur
Fr, 30. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr / Sa, 31. Mai 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Antoine Tamestit / Pablo Heras-Casado
Gubaidulina: Violakonzert / Wagner: Götterdämmerung (Auszüge)
Sa, 31. Mai 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Boulez Le marteau sans Maître
Zyklus für Altstimme und Instrumentalist:innen – mit Ema Nikolovska, Sean Shibe u.a.
So, 1. Juni 2025, 11.00 Uhr / Mo, 2. Jun 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg / Maria Bengtsson / Bertrand de Billy
Strauss: Szenen aus »Capriccio«, Vier letzte Lieder & Ein Heldenleben
So, 1. Juni 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks / Sir Simon Rattle
Boulez: Rituel / Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé
Di, 3. Juni 2025, 19.30 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Kleiner Saal
Stationen: Stockhausen & Rihm
NDR das neue werk
Di, 3. Juni 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
Iveta Apkalna, Orgel
Saint-Saëns: Danse macabre / Bach: Chaconne sowie Werke von Petr Eben und César Franck
Mi, 4. Juni 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Antonio Pappano
Berlioz: Ouverture du Corsaire & Symphonie fantastique / Boulez: Livre pour cordes & Mémoriale
Mi, 4. Juni 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Bunker Feldstraße | resonanzraum St. Pauli
Stationen: Rihm & Stockhausen
NDR das neue werk
Do, 5. Juni 2025, 20.00 Uhr, Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal
London Symphony Orchestra / Lisa Batiashvili / Sir Antonio Pappano
Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche & Ein Heldenleben / Mozart: Violinkonzert A-Dur