Strollers, prams, wheeled walkers, walking-stick umbrellas, bags sized A3 (42 cm x 30 cm) or above, sport bags, backpacks and luggage must be checked in at the cloakroom.
Jackets and handbags may be taken into the hall.
Symphonischer Chor / Elbipolis / Matthias Janz
Hardly any other work of Baroque music has such a clear-sighted impact on the present as George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Saul. Written in London in 1738, it tells the ancient story of the first king of Israel, whose jealousy of the young hero David leads to tragedy. But Saul is more than biblical history – it is a musical psychogram about power and humanity, about the dangerous pull of fame and the price of political vanity. Anyone looking today at the tensions between authority and change, old and new, will discover in Handel’s music an almost timeless reflection of our social and political upheavals.
With luminous choruses, haunting arias, and orchestral drama, Handel creates a gripping psychological drama that goes far beyond the religious subject matter. The characters are impressively portrayed: the fanatical fury of the king, David’s gentle strength, Jonathan’s loyalty, Michal’s quiet love. Virtuoso choruses alternate with moving arias and instrumental surprises – including the organ, which Handel himself played. This tonal diversity creates a dramatic force that extends far beyond the sacred.
Saul is a work about people in extreme situations – shockingly relevant in times of global power games, vulnerable democracies, and public spectacle. Handel’s music does not ask about winners or losers, but about human dignity in the storm of emotions. An oratorio that is more than a stage action: a musical mirror of our times.
Symphonischer Chor Hamburg
Elbipolis Barockorchester Hamburg
Jonathan Michie bass
Tobias Hechler alto
Ilker Arcayürek tenor
Magdalene Harer soprano
Karola Sophia Schmid soprano
director Matthias Janz
Georg Friedrich Händel
Saul / Oratorium in drei Akten HWV 53
Promoter: Symphonischer Chor Hamburg e.V.
Since 1908, the Laeiszhalle has been a meeting place for Hamburg's musical life. The neo-baroque Laeiszhalle Grand Hall accommodates over 2,000 guests. (Please note: The Laeiszhalle is a separate concert hall located three kilometres away from the Elbphilharmonie.)
Strollers, prams, wheeled walkers, walking-stick umbrellas, bags sized A3 (42 cm x 30 cm) or above, sport bags, backpacks and luggage must be checked in at the cloakroom.
Jackets and handbags may be taken into the hall.
Facilities for ladies are located behind the cloakrooms on all floors. Facilities for gentlemen can be found on the landing between the floors, also located behind the cloakrooms.
A fully accessible toilet for persons with mobility disabilities is located behind the cloakroom on the ground floor (Parkett links).
Laeiszhalle Hamburg
Johannes-Brahms-Platz
20355 Hamburg
The Laeiszhalle can be easily reached by bus, underground and bicycle.
The nearest stops include:
Underground line U2: Gänsemarkt / Messehallen
Underground line U1: Stephansplatz
Bus 3, X35, 112: Johannes-Brahms-Platz
Bus X3: U Gänsemarkt (Valentinskamp)
Bus 4, 5, 109: Stephansplatz
StadtRAD (public city bicycle) station: Sievekingplatz / Gorch-Fock-Wall
There are bicycle stands available in front of the Laeiszhalle.
Gänsemarkt multistorey car park: Dammtorwall / Welckerstrasse
Rate per hour or part thereof: €4.50
Night rate (18:00–06:00): maximum €11
24-hour rate: maximum €30
Please note: There are several construction sites in the immediate vicinity of the Laeiszhalle which may make it difficult to get to the concert. Please therefore plan enough time for your journey to the concert.
The Laeiszhalle is a separate concert hall located three kilometres away from the Elbphilharmonie.
We suggest visitors arrive at the Laeiszhalle main entrance not later than 30 minutes before the start of the concert or event. Late seating is not guaranteed and latecomers may not be admitted to the concert hall.
The entrance of the Recital Hall is located on Gorch-Fock-Wall.
Admission times Grand Hall and Recital Hall:
Events without pre-concert talk:
Foyer: 60 minutes before the start of the event
Hall: 30 minutes before the start of the event
Events with pre-concert talk:
Foyer: 90 minutes before the start of the event
Hall: 15 minutes before the start of the talk
If a pre-concert talk is offered for this event, it is noted above under PROGRAMME.
All halls and spaces are accessible for visitors with disabilities. More information at www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/accessibility.
Photography is permitted at the Laeiszhalle for private purposes only. Please respect the privacy of other visitors and help ensure an undisturbed concert experience for all guests and artists. Employees and artists may not be photographed.
Photography, audio or video recordings of concerts and events are strictly prohibited.
Event-related video recordings or photographs for editorial or commercial purposes must be authorised by the Press Office of the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle.
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