NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra: Adams & Salonen

Leila Josefowicz / Alan Gilbert – Elbphilharmonie Visions

This concert has already taken place! 10 | 16 | 32 | 43 | 49
This concert has already taken place! 10 | 16 | 32 | 43 | 49
Leila Josefowicz
Leila Josefowicz © Chris Lee
Elphier Quartett
Elphier Quartett © Adrian Díaz Martínez
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Alan Gilbert
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester / Alan Gilbert © Daniel Dittus

»Scheherazade reloaded« – that is how one would have to understand the title of John Adams’s work »Scheherazade.2« at first glance. The American composer chose this title for his »dramatic symphony for violin and orchestra«, which was given its premiere in 2015 by Leila Josefowicz and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Alan Gilbert. Of course, the story of Scheherazade has already been memorably set to music before in the shape of Rimsky-Korsakov’s popular orchestral piece of 1888. But whereas the Russian fairy-tale lover was fascinated by the Oriental atmosphere, John Adams had in mind a reinterpretation of the stories contained in the »One Thousand and One Nights« from a contemporary standpoint.

Visions as a package: If you buy three or more concerts of the »Elbphilharmonie Visions« festival at the same time, you will receive a 30% discount on the ticket price. To do so, select »Visions Trio Bonus 30%« in the shopping basket.

Shocked by the amount of repression that women in many societies still suffer to this day, Adams wrote a violin concerto where the female soloist takes the role of a modern, self-confident Scheherazade. She leads the listener through four »provocative pictures« of a patriarchal society, and dreams at the end of »escape and asylum«.

If Alan Gilbert sees the biennale »Elbphilharmonie Visions« as »a picture of the world of contemporary music«, there is one name that cannot be left out: Esa-Pekka Salonen. The Finnish artist is the embodiment of a 21st century musician – versatile, innovative and open to all media. His music is currently in the spotlight at the Elbphilharmonie for two consecutive seasons. So it is only logical that the musicians of the Elphier Quartet are contributing one of his works to bring the festival to a close. The miniature string quartet »Homunculus« of 2007 presents in the space of just 12 minutes everything that is normally spread out over four movements in this time-honoured genre - »a little piece that behaves like a big piece,« as the composer himself puts it.

Performers

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester

Elphier-Quartett

Leila Josefowicz violin

conductor Alan Gilbert

Programme

Talk with Leila Josefowicz and Alan Gilbert

Esa-Pekka Salonen
Homunculus

John Adams
Scheherazade.2 für Violine und Orchester

Estimated end time

21:15

Festival

Elbphilharmonie Visions

Schwerpunkt

Multiverse Esa-Pekka Salonen

Promoter: NDR / HamburgMusik

Supported by Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung

From the Mediatheque : Videos, Podcasts, Articles

Elbphilharmonie Talk with Leila Josefowicz

The violinist's heart beats for contemporary music. In this podcast she talks about her longstanding friend, the composer John Adams, and the piece that he recently wrote for her.

Alan Gilbert: »We really mean it seriously«

Conductor Alan Gilbert talks about the new festival »Elbphilharmonie Visions«.

Play Video

: NDR Podcast: About Music

About flying conductor's batons, rehearsals and why presenting the news is like driving a car: a video podcast with conductor Alan Gilbert and newsreader Michail Paweletz (in English).

»Wow, so that's how it can sound!«

Composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen about the »Multiversum« in the Elbphilharmonie, swarm intelligence in orchestras and the difficulties of the classical repertoire.

Anniversary Concert: 5 Years of Elbphilharmonie

Happy Birthday, Elbphilharmonie! – The 5th-anniversary concert live from the Grand Hall. Video available until 11 Jan 2023.

Stories with the hashtag #NewMusic

Concert streams, interviews, interesting facts: learn more about New Music.

During your visit

Elbphilharmonie Plaza

A public viewing platform on the 8th floor of the Elbphilharmonie

More about the Plaza

Food and Drink

Before the concert and in the interval

Find out more