At the »Reflektor« festival, artists can curate their own artistic programme at the Elbphilharmonie. Laurie Anderson, Nils Frahm, Angélique Kidjo, Bryce Dessner and others have already taken part.
Sought-after internationally as a jazz pianist and composer, Brad Mehldau is always happy to return to Hamburg. In 2017, he inaugurated the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall in jazz and now curates his own »Reflektor« festival.
Whether in German, English or French, Sophie Hunger knows just how to blend her unique sound with the idiosyncrasies of each language. This makes the Swiss artist one of the most interesting singer-songwriters in Europe. Over the course of one weekend, she performed at the Elbphilharmonie with a band, orchestra, film, literature and a host of guests.
Jazz, rock, noise and all quite often with a mood of protest in the air: guitarist Marc Ribot has performed on stage with countless stars from a diverse range of genres, as well as founding a string of band projects of his own. Together with Ceramic Dog, Los Cubanos Postizos, Thumbscrew, the Rootles Cosmopolitans and musical friends, Ribot could be experienced in multiple formations over one weekend for the first time.
Art discovery traveller André Heller brought together musicians from all genres for his Reflektor festival and curated creative combinations. With Camilla Nylund and Angélique Kidjo, Jewish sacred music, the best from Vienna, songwriting legend Jimmy Webb and many more.
With his natural and unmistakable guitar sound, Bill Frisell is one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 21st century. As a Native American artist, however, he also feels at home in folk music. At his curated festival, Frisell performed in various small ensembles, for example, in a duo alongside trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.
Angélique Kidjo has always brought the Elbphilharmonie to fever pitch in her past performances. In 2023 the four-time Grammy award-winning singer was staging a festival of her own and brought along several of the finest young singers from Africa with her.
John Zorn is a creative powerhouse. Music wells out of him in a constant flow of creativity, with a broad spectrum from swinging jazz and primitive noise to the most delicate sounds, ranging in form from meticulously crafted compositions to completely free improvisation. Over four days, he presented the major facets of his work.
As the daughter of the famous sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar was perhaps born with a special talent. However, thanks to her versatility, she has long emancipated herself from the overpowering role model. For her »Reflektor« series, she and a number of long-standing musical companions took over the Elbphilharmonie programme for four whole days.
Max Richter and Yulia Mahr, as the »Reflektor« guest artists, were given the keys to the Elbphilharmonie for a few days. The composer, pianist and producer is admired by a huge community of fans around the world for his minimalist soundscapes and condensed, trance-like piano pieces.
»The most beautiful sound next to silence« – this was the slogan Manfred Eicher used when he founded the ECM Records label in 1969. To this day, it occupies a special place in the music world, especially for aesthetically perfect jazz and sonically overwhelming classical music. Names such as Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny and Arvo Pärt are inextricably linked to Eicher's label. In 2020, he was given the keys to the Elbphilharmonie for a few days.
He is one of the hottest sound innovators of our time: pianist Nils Frahm not only performs in clubs and at festivals, but also in the biggest concert halls – such as during his »Reflektor« weekend, to which he invited numerous illustrious guests.
Whether as a performance artist, musician or director – whatever Laurie Anderson touches turns into a creative work of art. At the »Reflektor« weekend she has curated, she and her friends showcased the full range of her talents.
Curating your own weekend at the Elbphilharmonie – this honour can only be bestowed upon artists who bring an extra dose of originality to the table. This applies, for example, to Israeli jazz piano dervish and virtuoso improvisation world champion Yaron Herman.
Bryce Dessner also likes to sit, stand and play between all chairs. Since the 2000s, he has been thrilling indie fans as the guitarist for the band The National; he has also made a name for himself as a distinguished composer of orchestral, film and chamber music.
