Georges Bizet | Carmen
Fri, Jun. 21, 2024, 7.00 pm - 10.15 pm
Musikalische Leitung
Ariane Matiakh
Conductor
Birthplace:
Paris, France
Studies:
Orchestral conducting in Vienna, formative artistic impulses from Leopold Hager, Seiji Ozawa and Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Prizes:
From the French Ministry of Culture: honorary title "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (2022), et. al.
Career stages:
Opéra et Orchestre de Montpellier (assistant to Armin Jordan, James Conlon and Alain Altinoglu, among others), principal conductor Württembergische Philharmonie (since 2022), et. al.
Stages:
Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Opéra du Rhin, Opéra comique Paris, Norske Opera Oslo, Komische Oper Berlin, Royal Opera Stockholm, et. al.
Cooperation with choruses:
Orchestre de Paris, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Symphony Orchestras of HR, WDR and MDR, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, BBC Wales, et. al.
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.
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
Don José
Jean-François Borras
Tenor
Birthplace:
Grenoble, France
Studies:
Académie de Musique Rainier III de Monaco
Important parts:
Chevalier Des Grieux (Manon), Werther (Werther), Alfredo (La traviata), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), Faust ( Faust), et al.
Stages:
Opéra de Paris, Staatsoper Wien, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Oper Frankfurt, Opéra de Toulouse, Metropolitan Opera, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Zeffirelli, Jean-Louis Grinda, Branschweig, Poda, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Alain Guingal, Evelino Pido, Daniel Oren, P. Fournillier, Daniele Calegari, Fabrizio Carminati, Michel Plasson, Alain Altinoglu e Stéphane Denève, Roberto Abbado, Daniele Gatti, Roberto Rizzi Brignoli, Riccardo Frizza, Emmanuel Villaume, Dan Ettinger, et al.
photo: Youness Taouil
Escamillo
Kostas Smoriginas
Bass-baritone
Studies:
member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Prizes:
BBC Cardiff Singer of the Word Competition
Important parts:
Escamillo (Carmen), Jochanaan (Salmone), Kurwenal (Tristan und Isolde), Scarpia (Tosca), Orest (Elektra), et al.
Stages:
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Royal opera House Convent Garden, Santa Fe Music Festival, Semperoper Dresden, Oper Köln, Beijing’s National Centre for Performing Arts, Opéra de Rouen, Staatsoper Hannover, Opernhaus Zürich, et al.
Cooperations with conductors:
Simon Rattle, Antonio Pappano, Edward Gardner, Valery Gergiev, Andris Nelsons, et al.
photo: Monika Penk
Remendado
Peter Galliard
Tenor
Birthplace:
Chur, Switzerland
Studies:
With Rico Peterelli, Conservatory in Feldkirch with Maria Eibenschütz, at the Mozarteum Salzburg with Rudolf Knoll
Prizes:
First Prize at the International Mozart Competition (1985), Förderpreis of the Kanton Graubünden (1987), Dr. Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Preis of the Stiftung zur Förderung der Hamburgischen Staatsoper (1989), honored by the Hamburg Senate with the title of “Kammersänger” (2017)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since 1986/87
Important parts:
Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Jaquino (Fidelio), Cassio (Otello), Froh and Loge (Das Rheingold), Alfred and Eisenstein (Die Fledermaus), Peter Iwanow (Zar und Zimmermann), Bardolfo (Falstaff), Hauptmann (Wozzeck), Knusperhexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Lenski (Eugen Onegin), Narraboth (Salome), Don Basilio (Le Nozze di Figaro), Prinz and Hauptmann (Lulu), L’Aumonier (Dialogues des Carmélites), Melot (Tristan und Isolde), Walther von der Vogelweide (Tannhäuser), Wolfgang Capito (Mathis der Maler), Goro (Madama Butterfly), Red Whiskers (Billy Budd), Dämon (L’Upupa und der Triumph der Sohnesliebe), Bischof von Budoja (Palestrina), Mime (Siegfried), et al.
Stages:
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Lucerne Festival, Salzburger Osterfestspiele, Opéra National de Paris, Enescu Festival in Bukarest, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Semperoper Dresden, Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Nürnberg, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Claus Guth, August Everding, Johannes Schaaf, Harry Kupfer, Peter Konwitschny, Johannes Erath, Renaud Doucet, Georg Schmiedleitner, Stefan Herheim, Herbert Wernicke, Calixto Bieito, Willy Decker, Paul-Georg Dittrich, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christian Thielemann, Ingo Metzmacher, Simone Young, Kirill Petrenko, Kent Nagano, Lawrence Foster, Gerrit Prießnitz, Marcus Bosch, Philippe Jordan, Paolo Carignani, Vaclav Luks, et al.
photo: Martina Cyman
Dancaïro
Zacharia N. Kariithi
Baritone
Birthplace:
Nairobi, Kenya
Studies:
Piano and vocal studies at Kenya Conservatoire of Music with Gachigi Kungu, graduation with distinction of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of the Tel Aviv University Israel (2008-2013), master program “opera” at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Prof. Carolyn James (2013-2015)
Master class:
with Prof. Charles Spencer, Prof. Ulf Baestlein, Bo Skovhus, Edda Moser, Renate Behle, Charles Spencer, Verena Keller, et al.
Prizes:
scholarship recipient of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of the Tel Aviv University Israel (2008-2013), scholarship recipient of the AdlerBuchmann International Program for Outstanding Foreign Students, scholarship recipient of the Hamel Stiftung Hannover, Milena Ebel Scholarship, winner of the Nord Frisian “Lied” Award (2012)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (2015/16-2016/17)
Important parts:
Schaunard (La Bohème), Un chef grec (Les Troyens), Moralès (Carmen), Orpheus (Orpheus), Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen), Un Sergente degli arcieri (Manon Lescaut), Fiorello (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Ein Steuerman (Tristan und Isolde), Happy (La Fanciulla del West), 2. Priester/Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Un officier (Dialogues des Carmélites), Il commissario imperiale (Madama Butterfly), Le Ministre (Iphigénie en Tauride), et al.
Stages:
Carnegie Hall, Hamburgische Staatsoper, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Michael Thalheimer, Jette Steckel, Franziska Kronfoth, Julia Lwowski, Wolfgang Nägele, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Zubin Mehta, Zeev Dorman, Kent Nagano, Alexander Vedernikov, Vladimir Conta, Péter Halász, Josep Caballé Domenech, Volker Krafft, Christoph Gedschold, Patrick Fournillier, Johannes Fritzsch, George Jackson, Stefano Ranzani, et al.
photo: Kartal Karagedik
Zuniga
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
Moralès
Zacharia N. Kariithi
Baritone
Birthplace:
Nairobi, Kenya
Studies:
Piano and vocal studies at Kenya Conservatoire of Music with Gachigi Kungu, graduation with distinction of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of the Tel Aviv University Israel (2008-2013), master program “opera” at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Prof. Carolyn James (2013-2015)
Master class:
with Prof. Charles Spencer, Prof. Ulf Baestlein, Bo Skovhus, Edda Moser, Renate Behle, Charles Spencer, Verena Keller, et al.
Prizes:
scholarship recipient of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of the Tel Aviv University Israel (2008-2013), scholarship recipient of the AdlerBuchmann International Program for Outstanding Foreign Students, scholarship recipient of the Hamel Stiftung Hannover, Milena Ebel Scholarship, winner of the Nord Frisian “Lied” Award (2012)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (2015/16-2016/17)
Important parts:
Schaunard (La Bohème), Un chef grec (Les Troyens), Moralès (Carmen), Orpheus (Orpheus), Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen), Un Sergente degli arcieri (Manon Lescaut), Fiorello (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Ein Steuerman (Tristan und Isolde), Happy (La Fanciulla del West), 2. Priester/Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Un officier (Dialogues des Carmélites), Il commissario imperiale (Madama Butterfly), Le Ministre (Iphigénie en Tauride), et al.
Stages:
Carnegie Hall, Hamburgische Staatsoper, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Michael Thalheimer, Jette Steckel, Franziska Kronfoth, Julia Lwowski, Wolfgang Nägele, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Zubin Mehta, Zeev Dorman, Kent Nagano, Alexander Vedernikov, Vladimir Conta, Péter Halász, Josep Caballé Domenech, Volker Krafft, Christoph Gedschold, Patrick Fournillier, Johannes Fritzsch, George Jackson, Stefano Ranzani, et al.
photo: Kartal Karagedik
Carmen
J'Nai Bridges
Mezzosoprano
Birthplace:
Tacoma, Washington, USA
Studies:
Master of Music degree from Curtis Institute of Music, Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music
Prizes:
Marian Anderson Award (2012), Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (2021), Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording (2022)
Important parts:
Carmen (Carmen), Delilah (Samson and Delilah), Jocasta (Oedipus Rex), et al.
Stages:
Arena di Verona, Canadian Opera Company, Dutch National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, et al.
Find further information about J'Nai Bridges here.
photo: Dario Acosta
Micaëla
Verity Wingate
Soprano
Birthplace:
Winchester, UK
Studies:
Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London
Prizes:
Garsington Opera’s Leonard Ingram Award (2018), Paul Hamburger Prize awarded by Graham Johnson
Important parts:
Mrs. Naidoo (Satyagraha), Mimi (La bohème), Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Iolanta (Iolanta), Trainbearer (Elektra)
Stages:
English National Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera, Garsington Opera, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Lincoln Center, Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Holywell Music Room Oxford, Aldeburgh Festival, et al.
Cooperations with directors:
Krzysztof Warlikowski, Louisa Muller, Andreas Homoki, Monique Wagemakers, Netia Jones, Marcel Sijm, Peter Stein, David Bosch
Cooperations with conductors:
Mark Wigglesworth, Franz Welser-Möst, Sebastian Schwab, Maurizio Benini, Gianluca Capuano, Masaaki Suzuki, Laurence Cummings, Christian Curnyn, Magnus Fryklund
photo: Bertie Watson
Frasquita
Narea Son
Soprano
Birthplace:
Seoul, South Korea
Studies:
Bachelor's degree at Seoul National University, master's degree opera and concert exam opera at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg
Master class:
with Edita Gruberová, Jaume Aragall, Cheryl Studer, Mariella Devia, Thomas Quastoff, Edda Moser, Brigitte Fassbaender und Joyce DiDonato at Carnegie Hall in New York with Live Stream by Arte TV, et al.
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2019/20 season
Was a member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera 2016/17 and 2017/18
Important parts:
Adele (Die Fledermaus), Pamina (Erzittre, feiger Bösewicht!, Neufassung der Zauberflöte von J. Harneit), Marzelline (Fidelio), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Katze Ivanka ( U.A. Katze Ivanka ), Ljusja (Moskau, Tscherjomuschki ), Marthe, Sorge, Seliger Knabe und Sopran Solo ( Szenen aus Goethes Faust), Javotte (Manon), Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos), Oberto (Alcina), et al.
Stages:
Hamburgische Staatsoper, Theater Bremen, Sejong Center (Seoul Metropolitan Opera), Shanghai Grand Theater, Geumho-Konzerthalle, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Achim Freyer, Philipp Stölzl, Georges Delnon, Vera Nemirova, David Bösch, BARBE&DOUCET et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Kent Nagano, Alexander Joel, Johannes Fritzsch, Massimo Zanetti, Christopher Moulds, Renato Palumbo, Axel Kober, Jonathan Darlington, et al.
photo: Sangdon Lee
Mercédès
Kady Evanyshyn
Mezzo-Soprano
Birthplace:
Winnipeg, Canada
Studies:
Bachelor and Master of Music, The Juilliard School
Awards/Competitions:
First Prize of the New Orleans District and Second Prize of the Gulf Coast Region at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (2023), Award from the Gerda Lissner Lieder/Song Competition (2017/18), Winner of the John Erskine Prize at The Juilliard School (2017) and the Tudor Bowl at the Winnipeg Music Festival (2015)
Masterclasses:
Lioba Braun, Brigitte Fassbänder, Elena Garanča, Thomas Hampson, Malcom Martineau, Anne Sofie von Otter, Bo Skovhus, Emmanuel Villaume, and others
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the 2022/2023 season
Was member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera from 2019/20 to 2022/23
Important parts:
Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Charlotte (Werther), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Siébel (Faust), Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Mercédès (Carmen), Meg Page (Falstaff), Tisbé (La Cenerentola), Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas), Fjodor (Boris Godunov), Frau Reich (Die Lustigen Weiber von Windsor), Phèdre (Hippolyte et Aricie), and others
Stages:
Opernhaus Zürich, Bregenzer Festspiele, Carnegie Hall, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Opera Holland Park, Verbier Festival, Aspen Music Festival
Song:
World Premiere of “Drei Grabschriften” (Stefano Gervasoni), Performances of “Animus II” (Druckman), “Folk Songs” (Berio) and “Liebeslieder Walzer” (Brahms), Competitor of the 2019 Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera Song Competition
Cooperation with Directors:
Edward Berkeley, Frank Castorf, Georges Delnon, James Darrah, Axel Ransich, Dmitri Tcherniakov, Jana Vetten, Stephen Wadsworth
Cooperation with Conductors:
Nicolas André, Paolo Arrivabeni, Giampaolo Bisanti, Daniele Callegari, William Christie, Jane Glover, Alexander Joel, Francesco Lanzillotta, Claire Levacher, Jeffrey Milarsky, Evelino Pidò, Teddy Poll, Avi Stein, Stephen Stubbs
Find further information about Kady Evanyshyn here.
photo: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg
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
