Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra / Kent Nagano

The 2024/25 season of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra – the final season for General Music Director Kent Nagano – begins with the sound of infinity rather than with any instruments. In György Ligeti’s groundbreaking »Lux aeterna«, written in 1966, the LauschWerk choir sings with a polyphony at full power – with soprano, alto, tenor and bass dividing into no fewer than 16 voices to capture the »eternal light« in sound. »As a self-contained composition, ›Lux aeterna‹ naturally has a beginning and an end,« said the Hungarian composer, who later taught at the Hamburg University of Music and Drama for many years. »And although the entire habitus of the music is static, gradual shifts do occur. The idea of infinity is evoked; the impression is created that the music was already there even before we started hearing it, and that it will always continue, even when we no longer hear it.«