Richard Strauss | Salome
Sun, Oct. 29, 2023, 6.00 pm - 7.45 pm
Inszenierung und Bühne
Dmitri Tcherniakov
Director
Birthplace:
Moscow, Russia
Studies:
Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, Moscow (1993)
Prizes:
The Golden Mask, Premio Franco Abbiati, Premios Líricos Teatro Campoamor, International K. S. Stanislavsky Prize, The International Opera Award (Category: Best Director), Stage Designer and Director of the Year (Opernwelt-Magazine)
Important productions:
„Salome“ (Hamburgische Staatsoper, 2023), „From the House of the Dead“ (Ruhrtriennale, 2023) „War and Peace“ (Bayerische Staatsoper, 2023), „Der Ring des Nibelungen“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2023), „Der fliegende Holländer“ (Bayreuth Festival, 2021), „Eugene Onegin“ (Wiener Staatsoper, 2020), „Cosi fan tutte“ (Aix-en-Provence Fesitval, 2020), „Les Troyens“ (Opéra national de Paris, 2019), „Tristan und Isolde“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2018), „Fürst Igor“ (Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, 2017), „Snegourochka“ (Opéra National de Paris, 20217), „Carmen“ (Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, 2017), „Iolanta/Der Nussknacker“ (Opéra National de Paris, 2016), „Pelléas et Mélisande“ (Opernhaus Zürich, 2016), „Herzog Blaubarts Burg/Senza Sangue“ (Hamburgische Staatsoper, 2016), „Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District“ (English National Opera, 2015 and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, 2008), „Don Giovanni“ (Canadian Opera Company, 2015), „Parsifal“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2015), „Lulu“ (Bayerische Staatsoper, 2015), „Die Legende von der unsichtbaren Stadt Kiteg“ (Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2014 and Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, 2012), „La Traviata“ (Teatro alla Scala, 2013), „Die Zarenbraut“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2014), „Fürst Igor“ (Metropolitan Opera, 2014), „Jenufa“ (Opernhaus Zürich, 2012), „Il trovatore“ (La Monnaie, 2012), „Don Giovanni“ (Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, 2010), „Ruslan und Ludmila“ (Bolschoi-Theater,2011), „Simone Boccanegra“(English National Opera, 2011), „Dialogues des Carmélites“ (Bayerische Staatsoper, 2010), „Wozzeck“ (Bolschoi-Theater, 2010), „Macbeth“ (Opéra national de Paris, 2009), „Chowanschtschina“ (Bayerische Staatsoper, 2008), „Der Spieler“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2008), „Eugen Onegin“ (Bolschoi-Theater, 2006), „Boris Godunow“ (Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 2005), „Aida“(Novosibirsk, 2004), „The Rake’s Progress“ (Bolschoi-Theater, 2003), „Ein Leben für den Zaren“ and „Tristan und Isolde“ (Mariinski-Theater, 2002), et al.
Career stages:
Director, Stage and Costume Designer since 1993
photo: Doris Spiekemann-Klaas
Musikalische Leitung
Kent Nagano
General Music Director of Hamburg
Kent Nagano is considered one of today’s outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. Since September 2015, he has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg. In addition, he is committed as Artistic Director of the Ring project “The Wagner Cycles” of Dresdner Musikfestspiele with Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln, and as patron of the Herrenchiemsee Festival. 2023 he was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra, in 2021 of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, in 2019 of the Concerto Köln, and in 2006 of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.
The 2023/2024 season in Hamburg begins with four concerts, performing with the Philharmonische Akademie at the Laeiszhalle, then with the Philharmonic State Orchestra at the Rathausmarkt Open Air and the Elbphilharmonie. This will be followed by a series of opera productions at the State Opera in September and October, with a premiere of Mussorgski’s Boris Godunow in a production by Frank Castorf and a premiere of Strauss’s Salome in a production by Dmitri Tcherniakov, as well as performances of Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone and Britten’s Peter Grimes. Furthermore, as in every season Nagano will conduct symphonic concerts with the Philharmonic State Orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie, including the New Year’s performance.
His past years in Hamburg include opera productions such as Les Troyens, Lulu, Lady Macbeth von Mzensk, the world premiere of Stilles Meer and German premiere of Lessons in Love and Violence, the "Philharmonische Akademie" at St. Michaelis, open-air concerts at the Rathausmarkt and the world premiere of Pascal Dusapin's work Waves for organ and orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie. Orchestral tours with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg have taken Kent Nagano to Japan, Spain and South America.
Kent Nagano has worked with the world's leading international orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique Radio France, the Orchestre de l’Opéra national in Paris, the Chicago and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Wiener Symphoniker. Special projects were productions of Wagner's Das Rheingold with Concerto Köln and the Bernstein opera A quiet place at the Paris Opera. His operatic work has included Dusapin‘s Il viaggio, Dante at the Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, Hindemith's Cardillac and Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites at the Opéra National de Paris and Henze’s The Bassarids and the premiere of Saariaho's L’amour de loin at the Salzburg Festival. Other world premieres conducted by Nagano include Bernstein's A White House Cantata and the operas Alice in Wonderland by Unsuk Chin, Three Sisters by Peter Eötvös and The Death of Klinghoffer and El Niño by John Adams.
The 2023/24 season will see Kent Nagano make a wide variety of appearances at the Maison symphonique in Montréal, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Philharmonie in Berlin, the Konzerthalle in Bamberg and the Kulturpalast in Dresden. In addition, he will conduct the Orchestre de l'Opera de Lyon and lead a new production of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre by Krzysztof Warlikowski at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
Under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano and the Intendant of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele Jan Vogler, Wagner's "Ring Tetralogy" will be performed in the artistic context of the period in which it was composed, based on the latest findings of research into Wagner and performance practice, and integrated into an extensive supporting program as part of the multi-year project "The Wagner Cycles" of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele from 2023 to 2026. The prelude was the performance of "Das Rheingold" at the Dresden Music Festival in 2023 and the tour to Cologne, Ravello and Lucerne under the musical direction of Kent Nagano. With "Die Walküre," the second work in the epochal narrative will follow in 2024.
Highlights of Kent Nagano's collaboration with the OSM as Music Director from 2006 to 2020 included the inauguration of the orchestra’s new concert hall La Maison Symphonique in September 2011, performances of the complete cycles of Beethoven and Mahler symphonies, Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, concert versions of Wagner's Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde and Das Rheingold, Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au Bücher, and Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise. Tours have taken Nagano and the orchestra to Canada including the Northern Territories, Japan, South Korea, Europe (latest 2019), Latin America and the USA. In July 2018, Kent Nagano conducted Krzysztof Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion with the OSM at the Salzburg Festival opening concert.
His recordings with the OSM on Sony Classical/Analekta include Mahler’s Orchestral Songs with Christian Gerhaher in 2013 and a complete recording of all of Beethoven’s symphonies in 2015. Decca released a recording of the North American premiere of L'Aiglon, a rarely performed opera by Honegger and Ibert in 2016, conducted by Nagano in 2015. Further releases by Decca are Danse Macabre with works by Dukas, Saint-Saens, Ives and others in 2016 as well as a recording of Bernstein's A quiet place in 2018 on the occasion of the composer's 100th birthday. John Adams' Common tones in simple time & harmony (Decca) was released in 2019, the Lukas Passion by Penderecki (BIS) and works by Ginastera, Bernstein and Moussa (Analekta) in 2020.
At the Bayerische Staatsoper, where he was General Music Director from 2006 to 2013, Kent Nagano commissioned new operas such as Babylon by Jörg Widmann, Das Gehege by Wolfgang Rihm and Alice in Wonderland by Unsuk Chin. New productions included Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Khovanshchina, Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and Die Frau ohne Schatten, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites, Messiaen’s Saint François d'Assise, Berg’s Wozzeck, George Benjamin's Written on skin and Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Tours took Nagano and the Bavarian State Orchestra through Europe and Japan. In addition to Bruckner's Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7 (Sony), Kent Nagano has released several opera performances with the Bavarian State Orchestra on DVD: Unsuk Chin's opera Alice in Wonderland (2008) and Mussorgsky's Chowanschtschina (2009) with unitel classica/medici arts, Dialogue des Carmélites with Bel Air Classiques (2011) and Lohengrin (2010) with Decca.
Another very important period in Nagano’s career was his time as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from 2000-2006. He performed Schönberg’s Moses und Aron with the orchestra (in collaboration with Los Angeles Opera) and took them to the Salzburg Festival to perform both Zemlinsky’s Der König Kandaules and Schreker’s Die Gezeichneten, as well as to the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden with Parsifal and Lohengrin in productions by Nikolaus Lehnhoff. Recordings with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin for Harmonia Mundi include repertoire as diverse as Bernstein’s Mass, Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6, Beethoven’s Christus am Ölberge, Wolf’s Mörike-Lieder, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Schönberg’s Die Jakobsleiter and Friede auf Erden, as well as Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 and Schönberg’s Variationen für Orchester Op. 31. In June 2006, at the end of his tenure with the orchestra, Kent Nagano was given the title Honorary Conductor by members of the orchestra – only the second recipient of this honour in their 60-year history. To this day he maintains a close friendship with the orchestra.
In October 2019, Kent Nagano and Mari Kodama expanded their joint recordings of Beethoven's works for piano and orchestra with Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 0 E-flat Major WoO 4, a nearly unknown work from the composer’s youth, and his Rondo for Piano and Orchestra WoO 6 with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. The complete edition of Beethoven’s piano concerti was released on the Berlin Classics label.
Nagano was awarded Grammys for his recordings of Busoni’s Doktor Faust with Opéra National de Lyon, Prokofjew’s Peter and the Wolf with the Russian National Orchestra and Saariaho’s L’amour de Loin with the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin. He has worked with labels such as BIS, Decca, Sony Classical, FARAO Classics and Analekta for many years, and has also recorded CDs with Berlin Classics, Erato, Teldec, Pentatone, Deutsche Grammophon and Harmonia Mundi.
To celebrate Kent Nagano's 70th birthday in 2021, a 3-CD box set of works by Olivier Messiaen was released in October on the BR Klassik label. The release includes live recordings of the works Poèmes pour Mi, Chronochromie and La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ from his concerts with the Symphonieorchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, demonstrating Nagano's close familiarity with Messiaen's musical language in a special way.
In September 2021, Kent Nagano published his second book with Berlin Verlag. In "10 Lessons of my Life", he recalls ten deeply personal encounters from which he learned important lessons, not only for his career but for his life more broadly. Among those experiences are encounters with the Icelandic pop artist Björk, Frank Zappa, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez and the Nobel Prize winner in physics Donald Glaser.
In 2015 Kent Nagano published "Erwarten Sie Wunder!" also in Berlin Verlag, a passionate appeal for the relevance of classical music in today's world. In 2019 the book was released in English by the Canadian McGill-Queen's University Press under the title ″Classical Music - Expect the Unexpected" and in 2015 under "Sonnez, merveilles!" in French by Éditions du Boréal.
Born in California, Nagano maintains close connections with his home state and was Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra from 1978-2009. His first major successes came with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1984, when Messiaen appointed him assistant to conductor Seiji Ozawa for the premiere of his opera Saint François d'Assise. Nagano’s success in America led to European appointments: Music Director of Opéra National de Lyon (1988-1998) and Music Director of the Hallé Orchestra (1991-2000). Kent Nagano became the first Music Director of Los Angeles Opera in 2003 having already held the position of Principal Conductor for two years.
Kent Nagano was awarded an honorary doctorate from McGill University in Montréal in 2005, an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in 2006, and an honorary doctorate from San Francisco State University in 2018. Since 2017, Kent Nagano has been a "Compagnon" of the "Ordre des arts et des lettres" of Québec and in the fall of 2023, Kent Nagano was also awarded the title of "Chevalier" in the "Ordre des art et des lettres" of France. In February 2024, Kent Nagano was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal President.
Find further information about Kent Nagano here.
photo: Claudia Höhne
Kostüme
Elena Zaytseva
Costumes
Elena Zaytseva was born in Saint-Petersburg. In 1991 she completed her studies at the faculty of theatre production at the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Theatre Art. From 1990 until 1995 she worked at Lenfilm studio, St Petersburg. From 1995 until 2001 she worked as Chief Specialist in Design at Mariinsky Theatre. In 2001-2003 she was Head of the Costume Department for the New Opera Company. In 2003 she joined the Bolshoi Theatre as Head of the Costume Department and designed the costumes for operas such as "Lady Macbeth von Mzensk" (2004), "Le Corsaire" (2007), "Wozzeck" (2009), "Don Giovanni" (2010), "Petruschka" (2010) und "Ruslan und Ljudmila" (2011).
Since then she realised costumes for Modest Mussorgski´s "Chowanschtina" (Bayerische Staatsoper), "Lady Macbeth von Mzensk" (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), Giuseppe Verdi´s "Macbeth" (opera in Nowosibirsk and Opèra Bastille). In 2013 she designed the costumes for Dmitri Tscherniakov´s production of Rimsky-Korsakow´s "Die Zarenbraut" (Staatsoper im Schiller Theater Berlin and Teatro alla Scala) and Alexander Borodin´s "Fürst Igor" (Metropolitan Opera New York). 2014/15 she realised the costume design for Tcherniakov´s prodcution of Verdi´s "Il trovatore" (Mikhailovsky-Theatre Sankt Petersburg) and Mozart´s "Don Giovanni" (Canadian Opera Company).
In the season 2016/17 she was responsible for the costume design in "Senza Sangue/Herzog Blaubarts Burg" at the Hamburg State Opera.
Licht
Gleb Filshtinsky
Gleb Filshtinsky stammt aus St. Petersburg und studierte an der dortigen Akademie für Theaterkunst, wo er sich bereits auf Bühnenbild spezialisierte. Als Lichtdesigner gestaltete er neben zahlreichen Theaterproduktionen auch Showprogramme inklusive Pyrotechnik. Seine Arbeiten wurden mit zahlreichen Preisen ausgezeichnet, u.a. dem Estischen Nationalpreis für Theater. Seine Produktionen „The Rake’s Progress“ und „Eugen Onegin“ am Moskauer Bolschoi- Theater erhielt die Goldene Maske, den wichtigsten russischen Theaterpreis. Er gestaltete zahlreiche Produktionen für das Alexander- und Mariinski-Theater, wie zum Beispiel „Der Ring der Nibelungen“ (2002-2003), „Mazeppa“ (2006, Y.Alexandrov) und „Tristan und Isolde“ (2005, D.Tcherniakov). Des Weiteren wirkte er an vielen internationalen Produktionen mit, unter anderem an „Ruslan und Ludmila“ am Bolshoi Theater in Moskau (2003, V Kramer), „Der Spieler“ an der Staatsoper Unter den Linden (2008, D.Tcherniakov) und „Iolanta/Nußknacker“ an der Oper Paris.
In der Spielzeit 2016/2017 gestaltet er das Licht für „Herzog Blaubarts Burg/Senza Sangue“ an der Staatsoper Hamburg, „Fürst Igor“ an der Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, „Snegourochka“ an der Opéra national de Paris und „Carmen“ in Aix en Provence (Regie: Dmitri Tcherniakov). Ebenfalls in dieser Spielzeit entwickelt er das Lichtdesign für „Madame Butterfly“ an der Mailänder Scala und „Parsifal“ an der Wiener Staatsoper (Regie: Alvis Hermanis).
Dramaturgie
Tatiana Werestchagina
Dramaturge
Birthplace:
Russia
Studies:
Musicology, Moscow Conservatory
Important Pieces:
Tristan und Isolde, Der fliegende Holländer, et al.
Stages:
Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Bayreuther Festspiele, Bolshoi Theater Moskau, die Metropolitan Opera New York, die Opéra Nationale de Paris, De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, La Monnaie/De Munt, et al.
Cooperations:
Dmitri Tcherniakov, et al.
photo: Privat
Herodes
John Daszak
Birthplace:
UK
Studies:
Singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Northern College of Music and Accademia D´Arte Lirica
Important parts:
Don José (Carmen), Grigori und Dimitri (Boris Godunow), Achilles (König Priam), Skuratov (From the House of the Death), Ismaele (Nabucco), Max (Der Freischütz), Pierre (War and Peace), Gustavus III (Un Ballo in Maschera), Elemer (Arabella), Zinovy (Lady Macbeth von Mzensk), Herod (Salome), Der Zwerg (Der Zwerg), Grisha Kuter’na (The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh), Alviano Salvago (Die Gezeichneten), Captain Vere (Billy Budd), Peter Grimes (Peter Grimes), Loge (Das Rheingold), Tambour-Major (Wozzeck), Kaufman (Jakob Lenz), Aegisth (Elektra)
Stages:
Welsh National Opera, Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Bayerische Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro all Scala, Teatro Real, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Opernhaus Zurich, Royal Opera House, Staatsoper Hamburg, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Cooperations with directors:
Barrie Kosky, David McVicar, Calixto Bieito
Cooperations with conductors:
Donald Runnicles, Vladimir Jurowski, Thomas Hengelbrock, Kent Nagano, David Robertson, Kirill Petrenko, Marc Albrecht, Daniel Barenboim, Simone Young, Franz Welser-Most, Ingo Metzmacher, Alviano Salvago, Alexander Soddy
photo: Robert Workman
Herodias
Violeta Urmana
Mezzo-soprano
Birthplace:
Marijampole, Lithuania
Studies:
Piano at the Juozas-Gruodis Conservatory in Kaunas, piano and singing at the Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy in Vilnius
Master classes:
Master class at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich as well as Opernstudio of the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich
Prizes / Honors:
Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Singers (London), appointment as Austrian Kammersängerin (Vienna), Grand Duke Gedeminas of Lithuania (Lithuania), honorary degree of the Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy (Vilnius), Commendatore dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia (Italy), Commander’s Grand Cross of the Order of Merit to Lithuania, UNESCO Artist for Peace, et al.
Important parts:
Kundry (Parsifal), Eboli (Don Carlo), Amelia (Un ballo in maschera), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Leonora (La forza del destino), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth), Odabella (Attila), Aida (Aida), La Gioconda (La Gioconda), Medea (Medea), Tosca (Tosca), Norma (Norma), Iphigénie (Iphigénie en Tauride,Iphigénie en Aulide), Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos), Brünnhilde (Siegfried), Sieglinde (Die Walküre), Isolde (Tristan und Isolde), Azucena (Il trovatore), Soprano/Mezzosoprano (Messa da Requiem), Klytämnestra (Elektra), Herodias (Salome), Jocaste (Oedipus rex), et al.
Stages:
Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Opéra national de Paris, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper,Staatsoper Hamburg, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Arena di Verona as well as appearances at festivals such as Bayreuther Festspiele, Salzburger Festspiele, Festival d‘Aix-en-Provence, Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms
Cooperation with conductors:
Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Bertrand de Billy, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, James Conlon, James Levine, Jesús López Cobos, Fabio Luisi, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Sir Simon Rattle, Donald Runnicles, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, et al.
Recordings :
Many CD and DVD recordings documenting her career: LA GIOCONDA, IL TROVATORE, OBERTO CONTE DI SAN BONIFACIO, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, AIDA, LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, MACBETH, DON CARLO, ANDREA CHENIER, SIEGFRIED, PARSIFAL, CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, VERDI'S REQUIEM (soprano and mezzo-soprano), DAS LIED VON DER ERDE and RÜCKERT-LIEDER by Mahler, MAETERLINCK-LIEDER by Zemlinsky, LA MORT DE CLÉOPÂTRE by Berlioz, BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE of Bartok, CD "Puccini rediscovered", Rossignol by Stravinsky, "Lieder" by R. Strauss, Berg, Liszt.
She also played the role of Kundry in Tony Palmer's film "The Search for the Holy Grail".
Find further information about Violeta Urmana here.
photo: Ivan Balderramo
Salome
Asmik Grigorian
Soprano
Prizes:
Golden Stage Cross, Best Female Lead in 2019 at the Austrian Music Theater Awards, Female Opera Singer of the Year in 2022 by the Ópera XXI Association
Stages:
Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real Madrid, Salzburger Festspiele, the Bolshoi Theatre, Teatro alla Scala, Vilnius City Opera, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Dmitri Tcherniakov, Romeo Castellucci, Claus Guth, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Valery Gergiev, Franz Welser-Möst, Yves Abel, Vladimir Jurowski, Mikhail Tatarnikov, Alan Gilbert, et al.
photo: T. Kolesnikov
Jochanaan
Kyle Ketelsen
Birthplace:
Clinton, Iowa / USA
Studies:
University of Iowa and Indiana University
Prizes:
First Prize in several international vocal competitions, including Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Richard Tucker Music Foundation (Career Grant), George London Foundation, Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, Opera Index, MacAllister Awards, Maria Callas Award, Fort Worth Opera, National Opera Association, Connecticut Opera and Liederkranz Foundation
Important parts:
Escamillo (Carmen), Golaud (Pelléas et Mélisande), Il Conte Rodolfo (La Sonnambula), King of Scotland (Ariodante), Méphistophélès (La Damnation de Faust), Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress), Leporello und Masetto (Don Giovanni), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Zoroastro (Orlando), Enrico VIII (Anna Bolena), Mr. Flint (Billy Budd), Don Fernando (Fidelio), Cadmus (Semele), Don Quixote (Master Peter’s Puppet Show), Pharaon (Moïse et Pharaon). In addition, he sang Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Stabat Mater, Brahms' Deutsches Requiem, Beethoven's 9. Sinfonie, Berlioz' Lélio, de Fallas El Retablo del Maese Pedro, Kaija Saariahos Cinq reflets au l'Amour de loin, Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, Stravinsky's Pulcinella, Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Harmoniemesse, et al.
Stages:
Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Metropolitan Opera, Dutch National Opera, Dallas Opera, Opéra National de Lyon, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Teatro Real Madrid, Bayerische Staatsoper, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Minnesota Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, Chorégies d'Orange festival, Tanglewood Festival, Carnegie Hall, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Pacific, Glimmerglass Festival, Michigan Opera Theatre, De Nederlandse Opera, Madison Opera, Washington National Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Teatro Carlo Felice, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Simon McBurney, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Lluís Pasqual, Bernard Labadie, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Louis Langrée, Harry Bicket, Gianandrea Noseda, Michael Tilson Thomas, Masaaki Suzuki, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andrew Davis, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pierre Boulez, Riccardo Muti, Itzhak Perlman, Franz Welser-Möst, et al.
Find further information about Kyle Ketelsen here.
photo: Lawrence Brownlee
Page
Jana Kurucová
Mezzosoprano
Birthplace:
Kežmarok, Slovakia
Education / Studies:
Classical singing at the Konzervatórium J. L. Bellu in Banska Bystrica, in Bratislava as well as at the Musikhochschule in Graz, opera studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper (season 2005/2006), ensemble member of the Theater Heidelberg (2006 to 2009), ensemble member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ( 2009 to 2018)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season
Important parts:
Niklausse/Muse (Les contes d‘Hoffmann), Prinz Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus), Isolier (Le comte Ory), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Marta (Faust), Carmen (Carmen), Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), Romeo (I capuleti e i Montecchi), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Meg Page (Falstaff), Fuchs (Das schlaue Füchslein), Maffio Orsini (Lucrezia Borgia), Melisande (Pelléas et Mélisande), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Mercedes (Carmen), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Fenena (Nabucco), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Idamante (Idomeneo), Sesto (La clemenza di tito), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Ramiro (La finta giardiniera), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), et al.
Stages:
Teatro de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Nationaltheater Prag, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Oper Peking, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Oslo, Semperoper Dresden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, New National Theater Tokyo, Musikfestival Klangvokal in Dortmund, Banská Bystrica, Festival Svátky hudby v Praze, Filharmonie Reduta in Bratislava, Bratislava Nationaltheater, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Laurent Pelly, David Alden, Robert Borgmann, Philipp Himmelmann, Katharina Thalbach, David Herrmann, Roland Schwab, Philipp Stölzl, Christof Loy, Kirsten Harms, Andreas Homoki, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Pedro Halffter, Enrique Mazzola, Michele Mariotti, Ido Arad, Donald Runnicles, Daniel Cohen, Stefan Soltesz, Fabio Luisi, Zubin, Mehta, Alessandro de Marchi, Jacques Lacombe, Omer Meir Wellber, Carlo Rizzi, Ivan Repusic, Moritz Gnann, Jonathan Darlington, Marco Letonja, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Giacomo Sagripanti, Constantin Trinks, Yves Abel, Ottavio Dantone, Matteo Beltrami, Jonathan Nott, et al.
Find further information about Jana Kurucová here.
photo: Martina Cyman
Narraboth
Oleksiy Palchykov
Tenor
Birthplace:
Kiev, Ukraine
Studies:
At the Vocal Faculty of the Petro Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, Atelier Lyrique of the Opéra National de Paris
Prizes:
Grand Prix of the XVI International Lydia Abramova Vocal Student’s Competition “Bella voce” in Moscow, special prize of the Jury at the International Vocal Competition “Debut” in Wiekersheim, Prix Lyrique du Carpeaux, Prix Lyrique de L'AROP, finalist of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 2017/18
Important parts:
Lensky (Eugene Onegin), Alfredo (La Traviata), Fenton (Falstaff), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Il Conte d’Almaviva (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Pylade (Iphigénie en Tauride), Paris (La belle Hélène), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), Cassio (Otello), Narraboth (Salome), Beppe (Pagliacci), Sinowi (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk), Lykow (The Tsar’s Bride), Gritsko (Sorochintsi Fair), Kudryash (Katia Kabanova), Alfred (Die Fledermaus), et al.
Stages:
The Lyon Opera house, Opera Bastille, Opera Garnier, Athénée-Théâtre, Opernhaus Zürich, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Edinburg International Festival, Garsington Festival, Bayerische Staatsoper, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Hamburg, Champs Elysees Theatre, National Opera of Monpellier, National Opera of Ukraine, M. Dzhalil Tatar Academic State Opera, Chaliapin Festival, Le Théâtre du Léman, Palazzo dei Congressi Lugano, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Andreas Homoki, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Barrie Kosky, Calixto Bieito, Willy Decker,
Renaud Doucet/André Barbe, Mariame Clement, William Kentridge, Christophe Perton, Àlex Ollé, Laurent Pelly, Olivier Py, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Nello Santi, Philippe Jordan, Kent Nagano, Visiliy Petrenko, Michael Schønwandt, Riccardo Frizza, Kazushi Ono, Paolo Carignani, Alessandro De Marchi, Daniele Callegari, Henrik Nánási, Vakclav Luks, et al.
Find further information about Oleksiy Palchykov here.
photo: Antonia Sievierova
1. Jude
James Kryshak
Tenor
Birthplace:
Baldwinsville, New York, USA
Studies:
Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (Voice) and German from Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, IL), Masters Degree in Opera Performance from the University of Wisconsin Madison
Prizes:
Finalist in the Ferruccio Tagliavini International Vocal Competition in Deutschlandsberg, Austria (2005), Semi-Finalist in the Klassik Mania Competition in Vienna (2005), Winner in District (Wisconsin 2008, Minnesota 2009) and Regional (Upper Midwest 2009) levels Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Metropolitan Opera National Semi-Finalist (2009), Union League Civic and Arts Foundation Prize in Male Voice (2011), Lola Fletcher Prize of the American Opera Society of Chicago (2011), Shouse Career Grant (Wolf Trap Opera, 2012), The Richard Gold Career Grant (The Shoshana Foundataion & Lyric Opera of Chicago, 2012)
Important parts:
Borsa (Rigoletto), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Little Bat (Susannah), Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte), Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), the School Master (The Cunning Little Vixen), Scaramuccio (Ariadne auf Naxos), Teacher (Lady MacBeth), et al.
Stages:
Bergen National Opera, Birmingham Opera Company, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera de Lyon, San Francisco Opera, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Vienna State Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Glyndebourne Opera, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Christof Loy, Pierre Audi, Neil Armfield, Otto Schenk, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Marco Armiliato, Sir Andrew Davis, Michele Mariotti, Alejo Perez, Donald Runnicles, Thomas Søndergard, Franz Welser-Möst, et al.
photo: Simon Pauly
2. Jude
Florian Panzieri
Tenor
Birthplace:
Paris, France
Studies:
History and Politics, University of Warwick
Singing, Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Important parts:
Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Primo Pastore (Orfeo), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Berthold (Scoring a Century), Erasmus (Silvesternacht), 1. und 3. Vorarbeiter (Lady Macbeth von Mzensk), Un Venditore di Canzonette (Il trittico), et al.
Stages:
Garsington Opera, Reggio Emilia Teatro Valli, The Merry Opera, British Youth Opera, Royal Opera House London, Staatsoper Hamburg, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Paul Curran, John Caird, Keith Warner, Fabio Condemi, Axel Ranisch, Mart Van Berckel, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Kent Negano, Giampaolo Bisanti, Francesco Bossaglia, Ivan Repusic, et al.
Find further information about Florian Panzieri here.
photo: Benjamin Reason
3. Jude
Daniel Kluge
Tenor
Birthplace:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Studies:
Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Klaus Dieter Kern
Master classes:
with Roman Trekel, Julia Varady and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as well as master classes for „Liedgesang“ with Markus Hadulla, Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmut Höll
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season
Important parts:
Normanno (Lucia di Lammermoor), Abdallo (Nabucco), Remendado (Carmen), Flavio (Norma), Knappe und 1. Gralsritter (Parsifal), Kilian (Freischütz), Dr. Blind (Die Fledermaus), Spoletta (Tosca), Schreiber (Chowanschtschina), Jacquino (Fidelio), Ein Soldat (Reigen), Chick (Der Schaum der Tage), Borsa (Rigoletto), Knusperhexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Orpheus (Orpheus in der Unterwelt), Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Truffaldino (Die Liebe zu drei Orangen), Balakin (Charodeyka), Max (Der Freischütz), Tanzmeister (Ariadne auf Naxos), Steuermann (Der fliegende Holländer), Vierter Jude (Salome), et al.
Stages:
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatsoper Wien, Volksoper Wien, Stadttheater Bern, Aalto-Theater Essen, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Opéra National de Lyon, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Jossi Wieler, Sergio Morabito, Kirill Serebrennikov, Nicola Hümpel , Tobias Hoheisel, Imogen Kogge, Armin Petras, Demis Volpi, Axel Ranisch, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Sylvain Cambreling, Georg Fritzsch, Roland Kluttig, Giacomo Sagripanti, Johannes Witt, Hans Christoph Bünger, Kirill Karabits, Willem Wentzel, Alejo Pérez, Christopher Schmitz, et al.
photo: Martina Cyman
5. Jude
Hubert Kowalczyk
Bass
Birthplace:
Radom, Poland
Studies:
Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin with Prof. Martin Bruns and Prof. Dr. Michail Lanskoi; Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali "Pietro Mascagni" in Livorno with Prof. Graziano Polidori; Young Talents Development Program - Opera Academy in Warsaw
Master class:
Lioba Braun, Helmut Deutsch, Brigitte Fassbaender, Tomasz Konieczny, Bogdan Makal, Olga Pasiecznik, Eytan Pessen, Rudolf Piernay, Matthias Rexroth, Harald Stamm, et al.
Important parts:
Bartolo (Le nozze di Figaro), Collatinus (The Rape of Lucretia), Colline (La Bohème), Crespel (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Haly (L'italiana in Algeri), Nourabad (Les Pêcheurs de perles), Oroveso (Norma), Pistola (Falstaff), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Zuniga (Carmen), et al.
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2021/22 season
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2019/20 to 2021/22
Stages:
Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Zurich Opera House, Bregenz Festival, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatr Wielki - Opera Narodowa, Opera Rara Festival in Krakow, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Calixto Bieito, David Bösch, Frank Castorf, Petra Deidda, Brigitte Fassbaender, Herbert Fritsch, Alexander Riemenschneider, Dmitri Tcherniakov, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Matteo Beltrami, Bertrand de Billy, Giampaolo Bisanti, Jonathan Brandani, Daniele Callegari, Paolo Carignani, Nicholas Carter, Vladimir Conta, Axel Kober, Volker Krafft, Carlo Montanaro, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Kent Nagano, Ivan Repušić, Sébastien Rouland, Robin Ticciati, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Lidiya Yankovskaya, et al.
Find further information about Hubert Kowalczyk here.
photo: Martina Cyman
1. Nazarener
Alexander Roslavets
Bass
Birthplace:
Brest, Belarus
Studies:
Rimsky-Korsakov Staatskonservatorium in St. Petersburg bei Professor Nikolai Okhotnikov (2009-2014), Young Artist Programme Bolschoi-Theater in Moskau (2014-2016)
Master classes:
With Elena Obraztsova, Edda Moser, Dmitry Vdovin, Evgeny Nesterenko, Irina Bogacheva, Lubov Orfenova, Neil Shicoff, Bernd Weikl, Carol Vaness, John Fisher
Prizes:
Third prize in the first International Music Competition in Harbin (2018), third and special prize in the Queen Sonja International Music Competition (2017), second prize in the second International Opera Singing Competition of Portofino (2017), special prize in the 36th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition (2017), grand prix and audience prize in the second International Eva Marton singing competition in Budapest (2016), second prize in the sixth Galina Vishnevskaya International Opera Singers Competition (2016), grand prix in the Special Foundation Of The President Of Belarus Supporting Talented Youth (2016), first prize in the seventh International Competition of Opera Singers in Saint-Petersburg (2015), diploma in the 10th Elena Obraztsova International Competition Of Young Opera Singers (2015), special prize in the first International Christmas Vocal Competition in Minsk (2014), grand prix in the 42nd Russian National Vocal Graduates Competition in St. Petersburg (2014)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 2016/17
Important parts:
Malyuta Skuratov (Die Zarenbraut), Mephistopheles (Faust), König Dodon (Der goldene Hahn), Colline (La Bohème), Bartolo (Le Nozze de Figaro), Commenadatore, Masetto (Don Giovanni), Brander (La Damnation de Faust), Il Conte di Monterone (Rigoletto), 5.Jude (Salome), Lodovico (Otello), Il Sagrestano und Cesare Angelotti (Tosca), Raimondo Bidebent (Lucia di Lammermoor), Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Lo zio Bonzo (Madama Butterfly), Don Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Fafner (Das Rheingold), Fafner (Siegfried), Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), King René (Iolanta), Banco (Macbeth), Prince Gremin (Eugen Onegin), Daland (Der Fliegende Holländer), Vodnik (Rusalka), Dulcamara (L’Elisir d’Amore), Ali Baba (Ali Baba), et al.
Stages:
Mikhailovsky Theater, Bolschoi Theater, Tschaikowsky-Konzertsaal in Moskau, Bolschoi Theater in Weißrussland, St. Petersburger Philharmonie benannt nach Schostakowitsch, Ungarische Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Berliner Philharmoniker, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Rimas Tuminas, Calixto Bieito, Tito Capobianco, Paul Curran, Stanislav Gaudasinsky, Peter Stein, Alexey Stepaniuk, Achim Freyer, Liliana Cavani, Mariusz Trelinski, Melly Still, Jan Bosse, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Adam Fischer, Robin Ticciati, Henrik Nanasi, Vladimir Jurowski, Ainars Rubikis, Daniele Rustioni, Tugan Sokhiev, Fabio Mastrangelo, Anton Grishanin, Michal Klauza, Gregor Bühl, Kent Nagano, Paolo Carignani, Renato Palumbo, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Yves Abel, Stefano Ranzani, Carlo Rizzari, Christof Prick, Nathan Brock, Sergei Stadler, Yuri Simonov, Michail Jurowski, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Alexander Anisimov, et al.
photo: Martin Paulsson
2. Nazarener
Nicholas Mogg
Baritone
Birthplace:
Manchester, United Kingdom
Studies:
International Opera Studio, Hamburg State Opera; National Opera Studio, London; Royal Academy of Music, London; Clare College, University Cambridge
Masterclass:
with Sir Simon Keenlyside, Christian Gerhaher, Malcolm Martineau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Gerald Finley, Sir Thomas Allen
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/23 season
Was Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2019/20 to 2022/23
Prizes:
Royal Over-Seas League Singers’ Section; Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award
Roles:
Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Ned Keene (Peter Grimes), Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas), Dandini (La Cenerentola), Steward (Flight), Herr Peachum (Die Dreigroschenoper), Melisso (Alcina), Jupiter (Orphée aux Enfers), et al.
Stages:
Hamburg State Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Het Concertgebouw, Festival Aix, Elbphilharmonie, Theater Lübeck
Cooperation with directors:
Keith Warner, Herbert Fritsch, Tim Albery, Orpha Phelan, Richard Jones
Cooperation with conductors:
Robin Ticciati, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Ton Koopman, Sir Roger Norrington, Yoel Gamzou, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Alan Gilbert, Kent Nagano
photo: linden.shots
1. Soldat
David Minseok Kang
Bass
Origin:
Korea
Studies:
Kyunghee University in Seoul with Alfred Kim, Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart Master class Oper with Ulrike Sonntag (2018-2022)
Master classes:
With Jenny Anvelt, Bo Skovhus, Kwangchul Youn, Margreet Honig, Gundula Schneider
Important parts:
Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Colline (La Bohème), Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata), Gremin (Eugen Onegin), Reinmar von Zweter (Tannhäuser), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Sparafucile (Rigoletto), Colline (La Bohème), et al.
Stages:
Staatsoper Stuttgart, Ettlinger Schlossfestspiele, Theater Kiel, Oper Zürich
Relation to the State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio from 2019/2020 to 2021/2022
Ensemble member since 2022/2023
Cooperations with directors:
Blanka Radoczy, Solvejg Bauer, Bernd Schmitt
Cooperations with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Nicolas Andre, Matteo Beltrami, Paolo Arrivabeni, Giampaolo Bisanti, Francesco Ivan Ciampa
photo: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg
2. Soldat
Karl Huml
Bass
Birthplace:
Melbourne, Australia
Studies:
Vocal training in opera at the Victorian College of the Arts with Rosamund Illing and Ruth Falcon
Prizes:
Herold Sun Aria, 1995
Important parts:
Philip II (Don Carlo), Osmin (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Don Quichotte, Daland (Der fliegende Holländer), Basilio (The Barber of Seville), Frère Laurent (Gounod's Romeo et Juliette), Ramphis (Aida), Collin (La Bohème), Sarastro (The Magic Flute), Ferrando (Troubadour), Timur (Turandot), Padre Guardiano (La Forza del Destino), Eremit (Der Freischütz), Tod (Uhlmann's Kaiser von Atlantis)
Stages:
Salzburger Festspiele, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Maggio Musicale Firenze, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Oper Köln, Teatro Bellini Catania, Opera Australia, Wiener Festwochen, Volksoper Wien, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Theater Hagen, Bremer Theater, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Barrie Kosky, Elijah Moshinsky, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Stefan Herheim, Marco Gandini, Alessandro Talevi, Günther Krämer, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Daniele Gatti, Simone Young, Gabrielle Ferro, Omer Meir Welber, Richard Hickocks, Juras Valcuha, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Stefan Soltesz, et al.
photo: Garrie Davislim
Orchester
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Orchestra
The Philharmonic State Orchestra is Hamburg’s largest and oldest orchestra, looking back on many years of musical history. When the “Philharmonic Orchestra” and the “Orchestra of the Hamburg Municipal Theatre” merged in 1934, two tradition-steeped orchestras combined. Philharmonic concerts have been performed in Hamburg since 1828, artists such as Clara Schumann, Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms being regular guests of the Philharmonic Society. The history of the opera company goes back even further: Hamburg has been home to musical theatre since 1678, even if a regular opera or theatre orchestra was only formed later. To this day, the Philharmonic State Orchestra has embodied the sound of the Hansa City, a concert and opera orchestra in one.
During its long history, the orchestra encountered great artist personalities. Apart from composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, such as Telemann, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mahler, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, since the 20th century chief conductors such as Karl Muck, Joseph Keilberth, Eugen Jochum, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Horst Stein, Aldo Ceccato, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher and Simone Young have shaped the orchestra’s sound. Renowned conductors of the pre-war era such as Otto Klemperer, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Karl Böhm and Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt gave brilliant performances, as did outstanding conductors of our times: suffice it to mention Christian Thielemann, Semyon Bychkov, Kirill Petrenko, Adam Fischer and Sir Roger Norrington.
Starting with the 2015/2016 season, Kent Nagano has taken on the position of Hamburg’s General Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Hamburg State Opera and since June 2023 also its honorary conductor. In his first season Kent Nagano initiated a new project, the Philharmonic Academy, focusing on experimentation and chamber music. In 2016, Nagano and the Philharmonic toured South America, followed by concert tours to Spain and Japan in 2019, and in the spring of 2023, the Philharmonic State Orchestra made its debut at New York's Carnegie Hall under his direction, which was acclaimed by audiences and the press. Since 2017 Kent Nagano and the Philharmonic State Orchestra have continued the traditional Philharmonic Concerts at the new Elbphilharmonie, for which they commissioned Jörg Widmann to compose the oratorio ARCHE, which was given its world premiere during the hall’s opening festivities. The concert recording has been released by ECM, for which Widmann received the OPUS KLASSIK as Composer of the Year 2019, and ARCHE was performed again in 2023 to great acclaim.
The Philharmonic State Orchestra offers approximately 35 concerts per season and performs more than 240 performances per year at the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier, making it Hamburg’s busiest orchestra. The stylistic bandwidth covered by the 140 musicians, ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary works and including concert, opera and ballet repertoire, is unique throughout Germany. Chamber Music has a long tradition at the Philharmonic State Orchestra: what began in 1929 with a concert series for chamber orchestra has been continued since 1968 by a series of chamber music only.
In 2008 Simone Young and the Philharmonic State Orchestra won the Brahms Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Brahms Society. The orchestra has recorded the complete Ring by Wagner as well as the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms and Anton Bruckner – the latter in the rarely-performed original versions – as well as works by Mahler, Hindemith and Berg, and has released DVDs of opera and ballet productions by Hosokawa, Offenbach, Reimann, Auerbach, J.S. Bach, Puccini, Poulenc and Weber.
The members of the Philharmonic State Orchestra feel equally beholden to Hamburg’s musical tradition and responsible for the city’s artistic future. Since 1978 the musicians have been participating in education programmes in Hamburg’s schools. Today, the orchestra maintains a broad education programme, including school and kindergarten visits, patronage for music projects, introductory events for children and family concerts. The orchestra’s own academy prepares young musicians for their professional careers. The Philharmonic’s musicians thereby make an equally enjoyable and valuable contribution to tomorrow’s music education in the music metropolis of Hamburg.
photo: Foto: Felix Broede
