Giacomo Puccini | Tosca
Sat, Mar. 16, 2024, 7.30 pm - 10.00 pm
Musikalische Leitung
Yoel Gamzou
Conductor
Birthplace:
New York, USA
Masterclasses:
Conductor Winston Dan Vogel, Carlo Maria Giulini
Prizes:
Special Prize International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, ECHO Klassik Award emerging artist of the year “conductor” (2017), Princess Margriet Award of the European Cultural Foundation (2013), Berenberg Culture Prize (2012)
Important productions:
Lady Macbeth of Mzensk, Tosca, Der Rosenkavalier, Seven Deaths of Maria Callas, et al.
Stages:
Theater Bremen, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Teatro San Carlo Neaples, Greek National Nopera Athen, Göteborgsoperan Sweden, Den Norske Opera Oslo, Staatstheater Kassel, Wiener Staatsoper, et al.
Career stages:
Generalmusicconductor of the Theater Bremen (since 2017/18), Artistic Director and Principal Conductor (2016), Principal Guest Conductor and Erster Kapellmeister of Staatstheater Kassel (2015), Former of the International Mahler Orchestra (2006)
Cooperation with orchestra:
Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Norwegian Radio Orchestar, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Frankfurter Museumsorchester, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Hamburger Symphoniker, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Jena Philharmonie, Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Szczecin Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, et al.
Find further information about Yoel Gamzou here.
photo: Christian Debus
Chorleitung
Christian Günther
Associate Chorus Master
Birthplace:
Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Studies:
Conducting at University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, conducting lessons with Neeme Järvi, Jorma Panula and Gianluigi Gelmetti
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Assistant Chorus Master at Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season
Career stages:
Assistant of the Chorus Master at Hamburg State Opera (2008-2019), regular guest appearances at NDR-Chorus (since 2018), Guest Chorus Master at Zürich Opera House (2018), Assistant of Eberhard Friedrich with the Chorus of the Bayreuth Festival (2017), Guest engagements at Music Festival Bremen, at Festival der Projektgruppe Neue Musik Bremen as well as at Oh Ton-Ensemble Oldenburg, Leader of the Ensemble “Atelier Neue Musik”, Lectureship at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen (since 2007), Associate Chorus Master and Leader of the children's chorus at Theater Bremen (2002-2007), 2nd Capellmeister at Theater Bremen (2005-2007), Conductor of the Ensemble “piano possible” Munich (1996-2007), Guest répétiteur at Stuttgart State Theater, Theater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich and at the Biennale in Munich
Cooperation with choruses:
Chorus of Hamburg State Opera, NDR Chorus, Children's chorus of Theater Bremen, et al.
Floria Tosca
Ailyn Pérez
Soprano
Birthplace:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Studies:
Graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts and Indiana University
Prizes:
Beverly Sills Artist Award (2016), Richard Tucker Award (2012), George London Foundation’s Leonie Rysanek Award (2006), Shoshana Foundation Career Grant (2007), 2nd place in the Plácido Domingo Operalia Competition (2006), honors from the Loren L. Zachary Foundation, Opera Index and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation
Important parts:
Elisabetta di Valois (Don Carlo), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), Tosca (Tosca), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), Violetta (La Traviata), Manon (Manon), Liù (Turandot), Thaïs (Thaïs), Mimì and Musetta (La Bohème), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), La Contessa di Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Desdemona (Otello), Tatyana Bakst (Great Scott), Marguerite (Faust), Amelia Grimaldi (Simon Boccanegra), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Micaëla (Carmen), Antonia (Les contes d’Hoffmann), Rusalka (Rusalka), Nedda (Pagliacci), et al.
Stages:
Opernhaus Zürich, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Teatro all Scala Milan, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera New York, Wiener Staatsoper, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Teatro di San Carlo, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Bolshoi Theatre, Opéra de Paris, Santa Fe Opera, Dutch National Opera, Palau de les Arts Valencia, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Harry Bicket, Emmanuel Villaume, James Gaffigan, Sir Mark Elder, Carlo Rizzi, Marco Armiliato, Gustavo Dudamel, Nicola Luisotti, Antonio Pappano
Find further information about Ailyn Pérez here.
photo: Chris Singer
Mario Cavaradossi
Adam Smith
Hailed as the “tenor that the whole opera world is talking about” (Marie Claire) and a “revelation” (Backtrack), Adam Smith is known for his voice that “overflows with dramatic conviction and heroic impact” (Opera Now Magazine). Recent standout roles include Don José in Carmen, Rodolfo La Bohème and Cavaradossi in Tosca. Having already made his debuts at the Glyndebourne Festival, La Monnaie de Munt and Opéra National de Bordeaux in previous seasons, his 2022/23 season includes multiple house debuts throughout Europe and a return to South America.
Adam Smith’s 2022/23 season begins with his debut at the BBC Proms as Luigi in Puccini’s Il Tabarro conducted by Sir Mark Elder. This is followed by his debut with the English National Opera in London, where sings Cavaradossi in Tosca, directed by Christof Loy. Returning to the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Adam Smith makes his debut at the Greek National Opera in a production by Warlikowski. His season also includes his Italian debut singing Erik in Wagner’s Der Fliegender Holländer at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. After a triumphant recent South American debut, Mr. Smith returns to Bogotá to perform Cavaradossi at Teatro Mayor. He debuts at the Opera national de Lyon as Boris in Káťa Kabanov in April, and ends his season at Cincinnati Opera with a return to the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly.
Recent highlights include his heralded debut at the Théâtre Royale de la Monnaie de Munt in Brussels as both Luigi and Rinuccio in a new Tobias Krazer production of Puccini’s Il Trittico conducted by Alain Atinoglu. Bachtrach commented on the performance: “[the] tenor knows how to pierce the orchestral wall with insolence without however neglecting the line and the most subtle nuances,” Florestan in Fidelio at the Glyndebourne Festival, his South American debut at Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo as Cavaradossi in Tosca, Don José in Carmen, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème, Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Scottish National Opera, and the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka. On the occasion of his debut in France, at Opéra national de Bordeaux as the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, he was praised for his French diction, “The pronunciation, to which we French are so attached when it comes to opera in our language, is neat, the natural emission of the voice has the ideal timbre so that the poet stands out from the other tenors without forcing the line.” (Forumopera)
Adam Smith has worked with a distinguished list of conductors and directors including Calixto Bieito, Mariame Clément, Alexander Joel, Daniel Kramer, Cornelius Meister, Sir Jonathan Miller, Tomaš Netopil, Giacomo Sagripanti, and Alberto Zedda among many others.
Born in the UK, Mr. Smith began his musical studies with the violin at the age of four. He graduated from the RNCM with a first-class honours degree in music with additional degrees from the International Opera Course at the Guildhall and a Master of Music with Distinction. From 2014-2017 Adam was a member of the ensemble at Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp, during his time there he performed a diverse collection of roles. Prizes include First Prize, Audience Prize, Critics’ Prize, and the prize for The Best Tenor at the 2015 Ferruccio Tagliavini International Singing Competition in Austria. In the same year he won Third Prize in the Ada Sari International Singing Competition in Poland and in 2016 he was a finalist in the International Moniuszko Vocal Competition.
Baron Scarpia
Franco Vassallo
Baritone
Birthplace:
Milan, Italy
Studies:
Private singing lessons with baritone Carlo Meliciani, Civic School of Music in Milan, Literature and Philosophy at The University of Milan
Master class:
With Leyla Gencer and Renata Scotto
Prizes:
Winner of the international singers competition “Associazione Lirica Concertistica Italiana“ in Milan (1994)
Important parts:
Rigoletto (Rigoletto), Macbeth (Macbeth), Ford (Falstaff), Barone di Valdeburgo (La Straniera), Amonasro (Aida), Count di Luna (Il Trovatore), Monforte (I Vespri Siciliani), Germont (La Traviata), Herzog von Nottingham (Roberto Devereux), Renato (Un Ballo in Maschera), Simon Boccanegra (Simon Boccanegra), Rodrigo (Don Carlos), Don Carlo (La Forza del Destino), Don Carlo (Ernani), Scarpia (Tosca), Jago (Otello), Don Alfonso (Lucrezia Borgia), Barnaba (La Gioconda), Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Nabucco (Nabucco), Miller (Luisa Miller), Ernesto (Il Pirata), Sir Riccardo Forth (I Puritani), et al.
Stages:
Teatro alla Scala, Teatro La Fenice, Teatro San Carlo, Teatro Regio di Torino, Teatro Carlo Felice, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Arena di Verona, Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Opernhaus Zürich, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Teatro Real, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, De Nationale Opera, Teatro Arriaga, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opéra Bastille, La Monnaie, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Robert Carsen, Andreas Homoki, David McVicar, Olivier Py, Bob Willson, Hugo De Ana, Gianfranco De Bosio, Giancarlo Del Monaco, Claus Guth, Denis Krief, Christof Loy, Ermanno Olmi, Pierluigi Pizzi, Toni Servillo, Bartlett Sher, Ferruccio Soleri, Graham Vick, Franco Zeffirelli, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Riccardo Chailly, Daniele Gatti, Andris Nelsons, Zubin Metha, Dan Ettinger, Marc Minkowski, Roberto Abbado, Nicola Luisotti, Daniele Rustioni, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, James Levine, Nello Santi, Sir Jeffrey Tate, James Conlon, Fabio Luisi, Daniel Oren, Anton Guadagno, Marco Armiliato, Marcello Viotti, Michele Mariotti, Gianandrea Noseda, Giampaolo Bisanti, Fabrizio Maria Carminati, et al.
Find further information about Franco Vassallo here.
Cesare Angelotti
Liam James Karai
Bass-Baritone
Birthplace:
Hongkong, China
Studies:
MMUS & PGDip - Royal Northern College of Music, taught by Quentin Hayes
BSC – University of Leicester
Master class:
Olga Peretyatko (2022 Hamburg)
Piotr Beczała (2022 Salzburg Festspiele)
John Tomlinson (2022 RNCM)
Ann Murray (2022 RNCM)
Graham Vick (2021 RNCM)
Christopher Purves (2021 RNCM)
Prizes:
Sir John Tomlinson Scholarship (RNCM)
Andrew Lloyd Webber Scholarship (RNCM)
Frederic Cox Award (RNCM)
RNCM Silver Medal
Joaninha Trust Award Competition
Pomerance Prize (University of Leicester)
St Cecilia Opera Prize (Leicester festival of music & dramatic art)
Winner of the Opera solo Award (Leicester festival of music & dramatic art)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Important parts:
Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Leporello/Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Alidoro (Cenerentola), Escamillo (Carmen), Colline (La bohème)
Stages:
Salzburg Festspiele, Staatsoper Hamburg, English National Opera, Opera Holland Park, RNCM
Cooperation with directors:
Christof Loy, Angelina Nikonova, Victoria Newlyn, Sam Brown, Stuart Barker, Jonathan Cocker
Cooperation with conductors:
Kent Negano, Franz Welser-Möst, Peter Whelan, Adrian Kelly, Peter Robinson, Nicholas Kok, Paul Jenkins
Find further information about Liam James Karai here.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Sagrestano
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
Spoletta
Andrew Dickinson
Tenor
Birthplace:
Liverpool, Great Britain
Studies:
studies at the Royal Academy Opera School (degree 2011)
Prizes:
Maureen Lehane Singing Competition at the Wigmore Hall (2014), British Wagner Association Competition (2015)
Important Parts:
Truffaldino (L'amour des trois oranges), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Max (Der Freischütz), Pedrillo (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Andrès/Cochenille/Frantz/Pitichinaccio (Les Contes d'Hoffmann), Novice (Billy Budd), Hexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Beppe (I Pagliacci), Tom Rakewell (The Rakes Progress), Jonas (Le Prophete), White Minister (Le Grand Macabre), Quint (Turn of the Screw), Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia), Flute (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Kaufmann (Jakob Lenz), et al.
Stages:
Ensemble member at the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 2016 to 2022, collaboration with Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Ensemble Resonanz, Danish National Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Arts New York, Hyogo Performing Arts Center Japan, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Mozarteum Salzburg, Podium Festspiele, Bregenzer Festspiele, Glyndebourne Festival, Royal Festival Hall London, Stephansdom Wien, Liszt Academy Budapest, Berliner Dom, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Ivo Van Hove, David McVicar, Olivier Py, David Poutney, Graham Vick, Deborah Warner, Doug Fitch, Fiona Shaw, Frederic Wake-Walker, David Alden, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Donald Runnicles, Robin Ticciati, James Conlon, Alan Gilbert, Enrique Mazzola, Vladimir Jurowski, et al.
Find further information about Andrew Dickinson here.
Sciarrone
Grzegorz Pelutis
Bass-baritone
Birthplace:
Słupsk, Poland
Studies:
Bachelor and Masters at Academy of Art in Szczecin, both graduated with honours, Janusz Lewandowski’s singing class (2016-2021)
Master classes:
Opera Academy Young Talent Development Programme of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera In Warsaw (since 2021):
Consant tutelage by: Izabela Kłosińska, Olga Pasiecznik, Eytan Pessen, Matthias Rexroth, Michał Biel, Katelan Tran Terrell;
Guest masterclasses: Edith Wiens, Ewa Podleś, Mariusz Kwiecień, Maciej Pikulski, Hedwig Fassbender, Tobias Truniger, Adrian Kelly, Vesselina Kassarova, Fausto Nardi, Małgorzata Walewska
Prizes:
3rd prize and Juan Pons Prize at I International Juan Pons Singing Competition - Palma de Mallorca, Spain, June 2022
2nd prize winner at 1st Swiss International Music Competition – online, July 2021
2nd prize winner and special prize winner of the Director of the K. Namysłowski Symphony Orchestra in Zamość at 7th Krystyna Jamroz National Vocal Competition - Kielce/Busko-Zdrój, Poland, February 2022
3rd prize winner at 7th National Vocal Competition in Drezdenko, Poland, November 2021
3rd prize winner in"Opera Singers" category at"Prague Romansiada" competition, Prague 2017
Only Polish contestant of Plácido Domingo's Operalia 2022
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2023/24
Important parts:
Chorąży “Ensign” (Hrabina - "The Countess"), Dudziarz (Halka), The Mayor “Burmistrz” (Szarlatan, czyli wskrzeszanie zmarłych - “Charlatan, or resurrection of the dead”), Escamillo (Carmen), Archiereios (King Roger), et al.
Stages:
Teatr Wielki – National Polish Opera, The Castle Opera in Szczecin, Polish Philharmonic "Sinfonia Baltica" named after Wojciech Kilar in Słupsk, Gorzów Philharmonic, Tadeusz Baird Philharmonic in Zielona Góra, Stanisław Moniuszko Philharmonic in Koszalin, Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow, Various concerts across Europe, e. g. Berlin, Kaliningrad, Prague, Magdeburg, Warsaw, Varna
Cooperation with directors:
Mariusz Treliński, Barbara Wiśniewska, Rafał Matusz, Jitka Stokalska, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Jerzy Wołosiuk, Małgorzata Bornowska, Tadeusz Kozłowski, Michał Klauza, Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, Stefan Plewniak, et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Un Carceriere
Christian Bodenburg
Bass
Nach einer Berufsausbildung und Tätigkeit im medizinischen Sektor studierte Christian Bodenburg in seiner Heimatstadt Münster/Westf. Gesang und Musikwissenschaften.
Erste Bühnenerfahrungen sammelte der Bassist am Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, wechselte dann für zwei Spielzeiten an das Staatstheater Hannover und ist nun seit 2002 an der Hamburgischen Staatsoper engagiert. Neben seiner Tätigkeit im Staatsopernchor war er in und um Hamburg an verschiedenen Opernprojekten und Konzerten beteiligt.
Un Pastore
Solist der Hamburger Alsterspatzen
The Alsterspatzen have been enchanting audiences for many decades as gingerbread- or street children, as altar boys and elves' choir. In the 2019/20 season, Luiz de Godoy took over the direction of the Hamburg State Opera's children's and youth choir. The young singers perform alongside ensemble members and international guests on the Staatsoper's main stage in productions such as "Hansel and Gretel", "Carmen" and "La Bohème". They can also be heard with the Philharmonic State Orchestra at venues including the Elbphilharmonie and as part of their own projects at the opera stabile.
We like to thank the Alster-Hof Melzner Foundation for its support.
Find further information about Solist der Hamburger Alsterspatzen here.
photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke
Kinderchor
Alsterspatzen – Kinder- und Jugendchor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper
Die Alsterspatzen bezaubern seit vielen Jahrzehnten als Lebkuchen- oder Straßenkinder, als Ministranten und Elfenchor. In der Spielzeit 2019/20 übernahm Luiz de Godoy die Leitung des Kinder- und Jugendchores der Hamburgischen Staatsoper. Die jungen Sängerinnen und Sänger stehen in Produktionen wie „Hänsel und Gretel“, „Carmen“ oder „La Bohème“ neben Ensemblemitgliedern und internationalen Gästen auf der großen Bühne der Staatsoper. Darüber hinaus sind sie mit dem Philharmonischen Staatsorchester unter anderem in der Elbphilharmonie und im Rahmen eigener Projekte in der opera stabile zu erleben.
Wir danken der Alster-Hof Melzner-Stiftung für die Unterstützung.
Find further information about Alsterspatzen – Kinder- und Jugendchor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper here.
photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke
Chor
Chor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper
The chorus members appear on stage at the Hamburg State Opera in a different role almost every night. From one day to the next, they might be sailors, pilgrims or conspirators, then courtiers, hunters, the deranged or the imprisoned. In the role of crusaders in I Lombardi alla prima Crociata they travel to Jerusalem, other nights they are invited to Madama Butterfly's marriage or acclaim Prince Igor. The ladies and gentlemen of the opera chorus demonstrate their artistic prowess, their flexibility, and their love of the stage in every performance.
With a membership around 70, the chorus of the Hamburg State Opera has been one of the world’s best opera choruses for many years. The varied repertoire – almost always in the original language – is multifaceted and includes baroque operas and dramatic operas, major works by Verdi and Wagner as well as contemporary pieces. At the start of the 2013/14 season, Eberhard Friedrich took over the post of Chorus Master.
photo: Niklas Marc Heinecke
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
