Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Die tote Stadt
Wed, Jun. 05, 2024, 7.30 pm - 10.15 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
Chor
Eberhard Friedrich
Choir Director
Birthplace:
Darmstadt, Germany
Studies:
Studies with Helmuth Rilling in Frankfurt am Main
Prizes:
Under his direction, the Bayreuther Festspielchor was awarded the International Opera Award for Best Choir of the Year in 2014. Under his direction, the choir of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden was named Choir of the Year in 2004 and received the European Cultural Award (2009). Eberhard Friedrich also received a Grammy for his recording of "Tannhäuser" at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden with Daniel Barenboim (2003)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Choir director of the Hamburg State Opera since 2013/14
Career stages:
Choir director of the Festspielchor / Bayreuther Festspiele (since 2000), choir director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (1998 to 2013), assistant at the Bayreuther Festspiele (since 1993), choir director at the Theater der Stadt Koblenz (1986 to 1991) as well as at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (1991 to 1998)
Cooperation with choirs:
MDR-Rundfunkchor, Amsterdam Opera Choir, Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, Philharmonischer Chor Prag, Chor des Niederländischen Rundfunks, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Rias Kammerchor, Bayerischer Rundfunkchor, Chöre des Westminster Choir College, et al.
photo: Enrico Nawrath
Leitung Kinderchor
Luiz de Godoy
Musical Direction
Birthplace:
Mogi das Cruzes, Brasil
Studies:
Piano at Universidade de São Paulo (Bachelor) and at Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas (Master), Erasmus stay with focus on piano and conducting at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Diploma course conducting at Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien (with honors)
Prizes:
Würdigungspreis der Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (2019), Scholarship from UNESCO, the European Union and the Brazilian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, Erwin-Ortner-Preis zur Förderung der Chormusik (2016)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Leader Alsterspatzen since 2019/20
Repertoire:
Focus on choral symphonic repertoire (spiritual and secular oratorios; in particular Wiener Klassik and Deutsche Romantik), special relationship to performance practices of old and new music
Career stages:
conductor of the Wiener Sängerknaben (2016–2019), choir director of Chorakademie des Wiener Staatsopernchores (2016–2018), assistent of the artistic director of the Wiener Singakademie at the Wiener Konzerthaus (2015–2019), musical director of Opera Studio at Sommerfestival „ Música nas Montanhas“ in Poços de Caldas, Brasilien (2010–2012), corepeater of opera projekts at Theatro Municipal de São Paulo (2005–2009)
Stages:
Esplanade Singapur, Peking National Opera, Seoul Lotte Hall, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, Taiwan National Theater, Teatro Real Madrid, Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Tokyo Opera City Hall, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wiener Musikverein; Carinthischer Sommer, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Grafenegg Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival
Cooperations with orchestras (as conductor):
Camerata Schulz, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Orquestra de la Armada de Chile, Orquestra Juvenil da Bahia, Polish Baltic Filharmonic, Schubert-Akademie Wien, Youth-Orchestra Singapur et al.
cooperations (choral rehearsal / assistance):
Berliner Philharmoniker, Les Sciècles, Mariinsky-Theaterorchester Wiener Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker et al.
Cooperations with artists:
Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, Ton Koopman, Sir Simon Rattle, Simone Young, Franz Welser-Möst
photo: Fernanda Nigro
Paul
Klaus Florian Vogt
Tenor
Birthplace:
Heide, Germany
Studies:
Singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Lübeck
Prizes:
Christel Goltz Preis of the Semperoper, ECHO-Klassik as Artist of the Year (2012), Europäischer Kulturpreis für Musik (2013), Hamburg Chamber Singer (2019)
Important parts:
Lohengrin (Lohengrin), Tannhäuser (Tannhäuser), Parsifal (Parsifal), Walter von Stolzing (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Siegmund (Die Walküre), Siegfried (Siegfried, Götterdämmerung), Tristan (Tristan und Isolde), Florestan (Fidelio), Paul (Die tote Stadt) et al.
Stages:
Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Vienna State Opera, Zurich Opera House, New National Theatre Tokyo, Bavarian State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Semperoper Dresden, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Opéra national de Paris, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Concertgebouw, Teatro Real Madrid, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Finnish National Opera, Osterfestspiele Baden-Baden, Tanglewood Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Salzburger Festspiele, Bayreuther Festspiele, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Katharina Wagner, Hans Neuenfels, Barrie Kosky, Andrea Moses, Uwe Eric Laufenberg, Andreas Kriegenburg, Andreas Homoki, Jossi Wieler, Valentin Schwarz, Tobias Kratzer, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Daniel Barenboim, Christian Thielemann, Kirill Petrenko, Andris Nelsons, Simone Young, Mariss Jansons, Sir Antonio Pappano, Philippe Jordan, Hartmut Haenchen, Alan Gilbert, Kent Nagano, Sebastian Weigle, Thomas Guggeis, Gianandrea Noseda, et al.
Find further information about Klaus Florian Vogt here.
photo: Harald Hoffmann
Marietta, Die Erscheinung Mariens
Vida Mikneviciute
Soprano
Herkunft:
Litauen
Studium:
Magister in Gesang an der Litauischen Akademie für Musik und Theater in Kaunas, Ersamus-Stipendium an der Leipziger Hochschule für Musik „Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ (2003)
Auszeichnungen:
Erster Preis und Publikumspreis beim Robert-Stolz-Gesangswettbewerb „Wiener Operette“ in Hamburg, dritter Preis beim Gesangswettbewerb „Operette meine Liebe“ in Kaunas (Litauen), Stipendiatin der Barenberg-Bank für künstlerische Entwicklung Hamburg sowie des Concorso Riccardo Zandonai in Riva del Garda und Diplomandin bei Gesangswettbewerben in Litauen und Russland
Wichtige Partien:
Hebe und Phani (Les Indes galantes), Pamina und Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore), Sandmännchen und Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Micaëla (Carmen), Wellgunde und Freia (Rheingold), Helmwige (Walküre), Elisabeth (Tannhäuser), Senta (Der fliegende Holländer), Elettra (Idomeneo), Eva (Eva), Lydia Ivanovna (Fatinitz), Natalie Prinzessin von Oranien (Der Prinz von Homburg), Tatjana (Eugen Onegin), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Margherita (Mefistofele), Violetta Valéry (La Traviata), Eva (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Margarete(Faust), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), Mimi (La Boheme), Ursula (Mathis der Maler), Elisabeth (Don Carlo), Die grosse Hure (Antikrist), Kaiserin (Die Frau ohne Schatten), Sylva Varescú (Die Csárdásfürstin), Irene (Rienzi), Chrysothemis (Elektra), Maddalena di Coigny (Andrea Chenier), u.a.
Bühnen:
Opernhaus Zürich, Hamburgische Staatsoper (Mitglied des Internationalen Opernstudios von 2008-2010), Staatstheater Mainz, Festival Aix-en-Provence, Theater Basel, Staatstheater Kassel, Oper Frankfurt, Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Lettische Nationaloper, u.a.
Zusammenarbeit mit Regisseuren:
Lorenzo Fioroni, Katharina Thalbach, Johannes Schütz, Tilman Knabe, Harry Kupfer, Christof Nel, Tom Ryser, Vera Nemirova, u.a.
Zusammenarbeit mit Dirigenten:
Simone Young, Daniel Barenboim, Adam Fischer, Valery Gergiev, Alexander Joel, Eun Sun Kim, Peter Schneider und Hermann Bäumer, u.a.
Find further information about Vida Mikneviciute here.
Frank, Fritz
Daniel Schmutzhard
Baritone
Geburtsort:
Rum in Tirol, Österreich
Wichtige Partien:
Robert in Jolanthe (De Beer/Meir Wellber), Eisenstein (Fledermaus), Danilo (Lustige Witwe), Papageno (Zauberflöte), Corpo (Rappresentazione di Anima e di Corpo), Dunois (Tschaikowskis Jungfrau von Orleans), Scherasmin (Oberon), Olivier (Capriccio), Ottokar (Freischütz), Fritz Kothner (Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Alberich und Donner (Rheingold), u. a.
Bühnen:
Theater an der Wien, Volksoper Wien, Oper Frankfurt, Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Gewandhaus Leipzig, New National Theatre Tokyo, u. a.
Zusammenarbeit mit Regisseur*innen:
Calixto Bieito, Robert Carsen, Jossi Wieler, William Kentridge, Marco Arturo Marelli, Vincent Boussard, Barrie Kosky, Alfred Kirchner, u. a.
Zusammenarbeit mit Dirigent*innen:
Kirill Petrenko, Kent Nagano, Simon Rattle, Sebastian Weigle, Franz Welser-Möst, Leopold Hager, Ulf Schirmer, u. a.
photo: Fotoweinwurm
Brigitta
Katja Pieweck
Soprano
Birthplace:
Hannover, Germany
Studies:
Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg with Prof. Ks. Judith Beckmann
Prizes:
Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Preis of the Körber-Stiftung (2007), Cultural Prize of the Berenberg Bank Hamburg (2000), First Prize of the International Robert Stolz Singing Competition in Hamburg (2000), Masefield Fellowship of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 1999/2000, member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (1997/98 to 1998/99)
Important parts:
Adalgisa (Norma), Mercédès (Carmen), Hexe (Königskinder), Smeton (Anna Bolena), Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor), Marquise de Berkenfield (La fille du régiment), Sélysette (Ariane et Barbe-Bleue), Arsamene (Xerxes), Sancta Susanna (Klementia), Gertrud/Sandmännchen (Hänsel und Gretel), Frau des Dorfrichters (Jenufa), Valencienne (Die lustige Witwe), Witwe Browe (Zar und Zimmermann), Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana), Damigella Pallade (L’Incoronazione di Poppea), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Schenkwirtin (Boris Godunov), Mutter (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Frugola (Il Tabarro), Goneril (Lear), Berta/Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Marchese Melibea (Il Viaggio a Reims), Ariadne (Ariadne), Adelaide (Arabella), Annina (Der Rosenkavalier), Aufseherin/1. Magd (Elektra), Curra/Preziosilla (La Forza del Destino), Annina (La Traviata), Meg Page/Alice Ford (Falstaff), Giovanna/Maddalena (Rigoletto), Fenena (Nabucco), Emilia (Otello), Fricka (Das Rheingold), Siegrune/Sieglinde (Die Walküre), Magdalena (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), Ortrud (Lohengrin), Adriano (Rienzi), Eglantine (Euryanthe), Ericlea (Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria), Larina (Eugen Onegin), et al.
Stages:
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Semperoper, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Staatstheater Mainz, Bayerische Staatsoper, Oper Leipzig, Internationale Herrenchiemsee Festspiele, Staatsoper Hannover, et al.
Zusammenarbeit mit Regisseuren:
Peter Konwitschny, Karoline Gruber, Claus Guth, Willy Decker, Achim Freyer, Roger Vontobel, Stefan Herheim, Michael Thalheimer, et al.
Zusammenarbeit mit Dirigenten:
Simone Young, Sir Simon Rattle, Peter Schneider, Ingo Metzmacher, Gerd Albrecht, Sebastian Weigle, Rolf Beck, Krzysztof Penderecki, et al.
photo: Ida Aldrian
Juliette
Na'ama Shulman
Soprano
Birthplace:
Israel
Studies:
Bachelor (with honors) and Master of Music in Classical Singing at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance
Prizes:
Second Prize at the International Opera Competition in Jerusalem (2018), First Prize at the Charles Schneider Competition (2017), First Prize at the Tavor-Fintz Memorial Competition (2016)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2018/19 till 2019/20
Important parts:
Adina (L'elisir d'amore), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Musetta (La bohème), Clorinda (La Cenerentola), Despina (Così fan tutte), Servilia (La clemena di Tito), Najade (Ariadne auf Naxos), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), Juliette (Die tote Stadt), Berta (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Diana (Orpheus in der Unterwelt), Bacchis (La belle Hélène), 2. Niece (Peter Grimes), Lidochka (Moscow, Tscherjomuschki), et al.
Stages:
Staatsoper Hamburg, Theater Magdeburg, Staatstheater Mainz, The Jerusalem Opera, Piccolo Opera Festival Friuli Venezia Giulia, Jerusalem Theatre, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Kirill Serebrennikov, Vera Nemirova, Olivia Fuchs, Stephen Lawless, Karen Stone, Igor Pison, Mirella Weingarten, Ulrich Wiggers, Shirit Lee Weiss, Anna Bernreitner, Eva Buchmann, Monica Waitzfelder, Ari Teperberg, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Paolo Carignani, Nathan Brock, Ricardo Minasi, Roland Kluttig, Christoph Gedschold, Pier Giorgio Morandi, Matteo Beltrami, Anna Skryleva, Svetoslav Borisov, Sebastiano Rolli, Pablo Mielgo, Paolo Spadaro, et al.
Cooperation with orchestras:
Magdeburgische Philharmonie, Ramat Gan Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Simfònica De Les Illes Balears, Ashdod Symphony Orchestra, Israel NK Orchestra, Concerto Hamburg, et al.
Find further information about Na'ama Shulman here.
Lucienne
Yeonjoo Katharina Jang
Soprano
Birthplace:
Pohang, South Korea
Studies:
Bachelor’s degree in singing at the Seoul National University with Heion Seo, Master’s degree in singing at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Marietta Zumbült owning a DAAD scholarship
Prizes:
First prize at the Piero Boni international singing contest (2020), second prize at the Anton Rubinstein internhational music competition (2019), first prize at the Vienna Grand Prize Virtuoso international music competition (2019), special award at the international music competition Paris (2019), second prize at the korean singing competition (2016), first prize at the international singing competition of the korean singing club (2015), third prize at the Dong-A music competition (2015), u. a.
Refernce to the Staatsoper:
Member of the international opera studio at the Staatsoper Hamburg since the 2022/23 season
Master classes:
with Samuel Yoon (2021), Edda Moser (2019)
Important parts:
Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Königin der Nacht / Erste Dame / Papagena (Die Zauberflöte),
Gilda (Rigoletto), Olympia (Les Contes d‘Hoffmann), Ida (Die Fledermaus)
Stages:
Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Daegu Opernhaus, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Christian Weise, Roman Hovenbitzer, Stephanie Koch, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Stefan Lano, Joongbae Jee,et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Victorin
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
Graf Albert
Aaron Godfrey-Mayes
Tenor
Birthplace:
Mansfield, United Kingdom
Studies:
Mascarade Emerging Artist (2022-2023)
Mascarade Opera Studio (2021-2022)
Advanced Diploma, Royal Academy Opera
Master of Arts, Royal Academy of Music
Bachelor of Music, Royal Academy of Music
Master class:
Allan Clayton, Royal Academy of Music
Dennis O’Neill, Royal Academy of Music
Carmen Santoro, Mascarade Opera Studio
Ann Murray
Ian Partridge, Royal Academy of Music
Prizes:
1 st place, Royal Academy of Music Pavarotti Prize
3 rd place & Wil Keune Mozart Prize, Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition
1 st place, David Clover Festival of Singing Recital Prize
19 th century Italian opera prize, Mozart Singing Competition
Prize winner, Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award
1 st place, Nottinghamshire Masonic Music Association Bursary
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2023/24
Important parts:
Don Ramiro (La Cenerentola), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Flute (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Alì (Adina), Albert Herring (Albert Herring), Triquet (Eugene Onegin)
Stages:
Teatro La Fenice, Garsington Opera, Nevill Holt Opera, Königliches Kurtheater Bad Wildbad, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Oliver Mears, Marie Lambert-Le Bihan, Noa Naamat, Douglas Boyd, Paul Curran, Federico Grazzini, Pedro Ribeiro, Jean-Romain Vesperini, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Philippe Herreweghe, Trevor Pinnock, Iain Ledingham, Luciano Acocella, Jonathan Santagada, Douglas Boyd, Sian Edwards, Peter Robinson, Matthew Scott Rogers, Nicholas Chalmers, Dionysis Grammenos, Tom Seligman, et al.
photo: Jörn Kipping
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
Extrachor
Extrachor der Hamburgischen Staatsoper
Extrachoir
The Extra Chorus of the Hamburg State Opera consists of about 40 singers who perform part-time in performances of the State Opera. The Extra Chorus thus complements the State Opera Chorus both scenically and vocally in productions that require a very large choral cast. This is often the case with works by Verdi and Wagner. In the 2023/24 season, the Extra Chorus will be in action in productions of Boris Godunov, Don Carlos, Cavalleria rusticana / I Pagliacci and Die Tote Stadt. The Extra Chorus has been musically rehearsed by Christian Günther since 2013.
photo: Bernd Uhlig
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
