The Elbphilharmonie, the “hall of wonders” (The Guardian), is undoubtedly the new landmark of Hamburg, a monumental synthesis of breath-taking architecture, a unique location and a world-class concert hall. In varying instrumentation the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the baton of Principal Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and several top-class soloists explores in the opening concert the possibilities of the Elbphilharmonie’s Grand Hall and ist acoustics with an exciting programme that spans across all musical eras, from the Renaissance to the present. It culminates in a brand-new commissioned work, created especially for this occasion by the most important living German composer, Wolfgang Rihm.
“A striking building, a scintillating concert!” (The New York Times). BONUS: This documentary accompanies the formation process of this grand building, from the first sketch plans to the rehearsals before it´s festive inauguration and includes statements by the architects Pierre de Meuron and Jacques Herzog, the acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, Christoph Lieben-Seutter, Thomas Hengelbrock and more.
Before moving into the Elbphilharmonie, chief conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and his NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester performed a “Brahms Marathon” with all four symphonies of the Hamburg-born composer in the historic Laeiszhalle. Brahms’ music has always played an important role in the history of the orchestra, whose defining interpretations of the symphonies by Brahms and Bruckner have become the ensemble’s artistic hallmark. The orchestra, founded in 1945, was led by outstanding conductors such as Günter Wand, Christoph Eschenbach and Christoph von Dohnanyi. Since 2011, chief conductor Thomas Hengelbrock is in charge of continuing the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester’s history. In the bonus program Discovering Brahms, Thomas Hengelbrock offers interesting background information on all four symphonies. “The evening was more than worth it” (Hamburger Abendblatt).
Piotr Anderszewski is not only one of the best pianists of our time, he is also a great doubter, a perfectionist, who has to cope with the fact that as a musician he does not always find the perfect instrument at the venue. All around the concert in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, in which Piotr Anderszewski plays Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Thomas Hengelbrock, we experience him in the intensive confrontation with his instrument, the piano. “It is a complicated
relationship. Sometimes I think it would be better if the instrument didn’t exist at all,” says Piotr Anderszewski. “I would prefer to transmit music telepathically – without physical sounds.”
Is this music from »Star Wars« or »E.T.«? Such questions regularly pop up when sections of the »Planets« by Gustav Holst are performed. However, it is the other way around: long before the first »talkies« were ever made, British composer Holst created these effective and visionary pieces that have remained popular ever since. PROGRAM Holst: The Planets; Williams: Soundtrack to Star Wars
“HERE TIME BECOMES SPACE” : In January 2017 the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg finally opened its doors with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester under the baton of Principal Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and several top-class soloists. The audience enjoyed an exceptional celebration with numerous guests from the worlds of culture and politics, plus 1,000 people who won tickets in an international raffle. The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester performed an exciting programme that spans across all musical eras, from the Renaissance to the present. It culminated in a brand-new commissioned work, created especially for this occasion by the most important living German composer Wolfgang Rihm. In varying instrumentation and with outstanding soloists the possibilities of the Grand Hall and its acoustics are explored.
Conductor Thomas Hengelbrock and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra tackle a Brahms marathon, performing all four symphonies of the Hamburg-born composer in the historic Laeiszhalle. PROGRAM: Symphony No. 1 (46’); Symphony No. 2 (39’); Symphony No. 3 (38’); Symphony No. 4 (44’). Also available: LECTURE CONCERT “Discovering Brahms with Thomas Hengelbrock (Length: 43′)
Alan Gilbert marked his debut as Musical Director of the New York Philharmonic in 2009 with a performance of Gustav Mahler’s colossal Third Symphony. He has now also selected the work for his return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. The former first guest conductor of the orchestra is a renowned interpreter of Mahler. Since first encountering Mahler’s work at the age of nine, the composer’s grip on Gilbert has never loosened. With compelling performances around the world, Gilbert repeatedly demonstrates his unique understanding of Mahler’s powerful scores. Alan Gilbert’s debut “was a fulminant success” (Welt).
