Thu, 23 Oct 2025 20:00

Elbphilharmonie Großer Saal

Arvo Pärt 90: Tenebrae / Nigel Short

Choral works by Arvo Pärt, Sir John Tavener, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and others

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This concert has already taken place! €15 | 20 | 42 | 53 | 62

Doors open 18:30
Pre-concert talk 19:00
Start 20:00
Interval
End ca. 22:00

Link between the centuries

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt acts like an interface within the history of music. On the one hand, he is one of the most successful composers of so-called »new music«, even if he aesthetically quickly took his leave of the experiments of the post-war avant-garde. On the other hand, medieval Gregorian chant – a »music with soul, without harmony and metre«, as he once said – served him as the greatest source of inspiration. In this sense, it only seems logical that the acclaimed British choir Tenebrae has now created a programme that presents Pärt’s music in context with composers of the Middle Ages as well as the present.

Programme (booklet)

Arvo Pärt 90: Tenebrae (German only) (PDF, 1.9 MB)

Performers

Tenebrae choir

George Herbert organ

conductor Nigel Short

Programme

Sir John Tavener
Song for Athene

Orlando Gibbons
Drop, Drop Slow Tears / from: The Hymnes and Songs of the Church (adaptation by Christian Forshaw)

William Byrd
Ave verum corpus

Roderick Williams
Ave verum corpus re-imagined

Arvo Pärt
Gloria / from: Missa syllabica

Sir John Tavener
Hymn to the Mother of God
Mother and Child

– Interval –

Arvo Pärt
O Weisheit / from: 7 Magnificat-Antiphonen
The Beatitudes
Cantate Domino canticum novum
The Woman with the Alabaster Box

Eric Whitacre
When David Heard

Unsuk Chin
Nulla est finis / a Prelude to »Spem in alium«

Thomas Tallis
Spem in alium / Motets for 40 Voices in 8 Choirs

Encore:

Sir John Tavener
Mother of God, Here I Stand / from: The Veil of the Temple

Pre-Concert Talk

with Noemi Deitz (in German)

19:00 / Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal

Spotlight

Arvo Pärt 90

Find out more

Promoter: HamburgMusik

From the Mediatheque : Videos, Podcasts, Articles

Video on demand from 20 Oct 2025 : Arvo Pärt 90: Estonian Festival Orchestra / Paavo Järvi

Paavo Järvi conducts key works by Arvo Pärt such as »Fratres« and »Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten«. #ArvoPärt #LiveStream

Arvo Pärt in Portrait

The composer was the focus of the »Lux aeterna« festival opening. #ArvoPärt #ContemporaryMusic #Portrait

Video on demand from 3 Feb 2020 : Arvo Pärt: »Adam’s Lament«

Simple, mystical, powerful: Arvo Pärt's famous composition »Adam's Lament« for choir and string orchestra in the Grand Hall #ArvoPärt #LiveStream #ContemporaryMusic

Video on demand from 18 Dec 2022 : Highlights from Handel's »Messiah«

London’s award-winning Tenebrae Choir, the Academy of Ancient Music and conductor Nigel Short perform Handel’s magnificent oratorio. (Excerpts available) #EarlyMusic #Singing #LiveStream #Christmas

Stories with the hashtag #Singing

Videos, streams, interviews and backgrounds – around the topic of singing at the Elbphilharmonie. #Singing

Location : Elbphilharmonie
Großer Saal

Heart of the Elbphilharmonie: the Grand Hall seats 2,100 guests in the »vineyard« style. The stage for artists and orchestras is situated at the centre of the concert hall and is surrounded by terraced seating.

Arrival time

The Elbphilharmonie is a special building situated in a special place. Allow for plenty of time for getting to the Elbphilharmonie and the way to the concert area. We suggest visitors arrive at the Elbphilharmonie Plaza 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.

Concert tickets for the Grand and Recital Halls authorise a visit to the Plaza from two hours before the start of the concert or event. Visitors to the Kaistudios require a separate Plaza ticket to visit the Plaza.

Admission times:

Events without pre-concert talk:
Grand Hall Foyer: 60 minutes before the start of the event
Grand Hall: 30 minutes before the start of the event

Events with pre-concert talk:
Grand Hall Foyer: 90 minutes before the start of the event
Grand 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.
Getting here

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Platz der Deutschen Einheit
20457 Hamburg

The Elbphilharmonie can be easily reached by bus, underground, bicycle and ferry.

The nearest stops include:
Underground line U3: Baumwall
Underground line U4: Überseequartier
Bus 2, 111: Am Kaiserkai (Elbphilharmonie)
Bus 6: Auf dem Sande (Speicherstadt)
Ferry 72 (from Landungsbrücken pier): »Elbphilharmonie« pier
StadtRAD (bicycle sharing system) stations: U Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie) and Am Kaiserkai / Großer Grasbrook

Multistorey car park in the Elbphilharmonie (open 24/7, 435 parking spaces):
Please note that visitors to the Elbphilharmonie should use the entrance marked »Elbphilharmonie«. The entrance »Elbphilharmonie Hotel« is reserved for »The Westin Hamburg« hotel guests.

Please find more information about prices and advance booking of the discounted flat rate on this page: arrival by car
Finding your seat

All visitors enter the building via the main entrance; access to the concert hall is via the »Plaza«, the viewing platform on the 8th floor of the Elbphilharmonie. The Plaza can be reached from the entrance area via the long escalator. Your tickets will be checked twice, at the access control in the entrance area and on the Plaza in front of the staircase to the Great Hall.

The hall entrances are on floors 12, 13, 15 and 16.
Cloakroom

The cloakrooms are located on the 11th floor (fee: € 2). Jackets and handbags may be taken into the hall.

Walking-stick umbrellas, bags sized A3 (42 x 30 cm) or above, luggage and other bulky items must be stored in the lockers (largest size 27 x 87 x 47 cm) located in the corridor leading to the ticket shop on the ground floor (on the right-hand side of the entrance area).

Strollers and prams can be left with the admissions personnel on the Plaza. Wheeled walkers can be handed in at the hall entrances.
Toilet Facilities

The central toilet facility is located on the 13th floor of the Grand Hall Foyer. Further facilities can be found on floors 11, 12 and 15.

Fully accessible toilets are located on floors 12 (north side) and 13 (right-hand side of the large bar). Our front-of-house staff is happy to assist you in this regard.
Coughing, clapping, chatting – Tips for your concert visit

A concert at the Elbphilharmonie is a unique experience for both audience and artists. Guests and musicians alike rave about the precise acoustics in the Grand Hall. You can hear every note, even from the highest balcony.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: even presumably quiet noises from the audience are clearly audible in the entire hall. We therefore ask our visitors to take the following recommendations into consideration: Tips for your concert visit
Photography and video recordings

It is forbidden to take photographs or record videos during a concert or event. Video recordings and photography are permitted for private purposes only on the Plaza and in the foyers as well as before the start or following an event in the concert hall, provided that you respect the privacy of other visitors and do not interfere with regular business operations. Employees may not be photographed or filmed.

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.
Accessibility

All halls and spaces are accessible for visitors with disabilities. More information at www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/accessibility.

Lifts to the Plaza are located in the tunnel on the right-hand side of the Tube (long escalator). From the Plaza, access to the Grand and Recital Hall foyers is via lifts, also located to the right. Please note: cloakrooms for visitors to the Grand Hall are only located on the 11th floor. From there, the upper floors can be accessed via further lifts.