Johannes Harneit / Christoph Klimke | Händel´s Factory
Sat, Nov. 04, 2023, 8.00 pm - 9.15 pm
Inszenierung
Adriana Altaras
Birthplace:
Zagreb, Croatia
Studies:
Berlin University of the Arts, New York University,
Prizes
As an actress
Silver Bear (2000), 2nd Audience Award Friedrich Luft (1999), Theater Award of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (1993), Golden Horse Award (1989), Federal Film Award (1988)
Important productions:
Abduction from the Seraglio, Babier, (Stattstheater Kassel,) Elektra, Aida, (Staatstheater Braunschweig,) Anna Karenina, Maskenball, (Konzertheater Bern), Madama Butterfly (Theater und Orchester Heidelberg), Falstaff, Carmen, (Theater Osnabrück), Sold Bride Opera Graz, LiTai Pe, Bonn Opera and others.
Stations:
House director at the Maxim-Gorki-Theater in Berlin (2002-2004), opera director at the Neuköllner Oper in Berlin, house director at the Hans-Otto-Theater in Potsdam (2006-2008).
Books:
Titos Brille, Doitscha, Das Meer und ich waren im besten Alter, Die jüdische Souffleuse, Besser allein als in schlechter Gesellschaft.
All published by Kiepenheuer und Witsch Verlag.
photo: Martin Walz
Musikalische Leitung
Johannes Harneit
Conductor and composer
Birthplace:
Hamburg, Germany
Studies:
Composition and music theory with György Ligeti at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Conducting with Klauspeter Seibel at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Assistance with Sergiu Celibidache in München
Prizes and scholarships:
1st prize “Internationaler Kompositionswettbewerb Hitzacker” (1986), composition scholarship Schloss Solitude Stuttgart (one-year scholarship 1990), “Composer in Residence” festival “Spannungen” in Heimbach (2000), “Composer in Residence” festival “Heidelberger Frühling” Heidelberg (2002), “Performance of the Year” (Opernwelt) for “Al gran sole carico d´amore” by Luigi Nono – musical director/conductor at the Staatsoper Hannover (2003), “Artist in Residence” Cantiere Internationale d´Arte di Montepulciano (2003), “World Premiere of the Year” (Opernwelt) for “i OPAL – Große Oper” by Hans-Joachim Hespos – musical director/conductor at the Staatsoper Hannover (2005), “Komponist für Heidelberg” Theater und Orchester Heidelberg (2014/2015)
Repertoire music theatre / important works:
Lulu / Wozzeck (Alban Berg), Carmen (Georges Bizet), Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti), König Hirsch (Hans Werner Henze), Die Sache Makropulos (Leoš Janáček), Die lustige Witwe (Franz Lehár), Saint François d´Assise (Oliver Messiaen), Die Krönung der Poppea (Claudio Monteverdi), Don Giovanni / Die Zauberflöte / Entführung aus dem Serail (Wolfgang A. Mozart), Al gran sole carico d´amore / Prometeo (Luigi Nono), Hoffmanns Erzählungen (Jacques Offenbach), La Boheme / Tosca / Madame Butterfly (Giacomo Puccini), L´heure espagnole (Maurice Ravel), Lear (Aribert Reimann), Jakob Lenz (Wolfgang Rihm), Il Barbiere di Siviglia / La Cenerentola (Gioacchino Rossini), Pierrot Lunaire (Arnold Schönberg), Die Fledermaus (Johann Strauss), Salome (Richard Strauss), Eugen Onegin (Pjotr Iljitsch Tschaikowski), Aida / Macbeth / Nabucco / La Traviata / Don Carlos / Ein Maskenball (Giuseppe Verdi), Der fliegende Holländer (Richard Wagner), Die Soldaten (Bernd Alois Zimmermann), et al.
Stages:
Bayerische Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Opernhaus Leipzig, Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Bremen, Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen, Wuppertaler Bühnen, Theater Krefeld Mönchengladbach, Alte Oper Frankfurt, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Theater Heidelberg, Edinburgh International Festival, Theater Basel, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Theater Chur, Nationaltheater Belgrad, Teatro Poliziano Montepulciano, Teatro la Fenice Venedig, Theatro Alighieri Ravenna, Schauspielhaus Graz, et al.
Compositions:
Orchestral works, chamber and vocal music (about 100 compositions) as well as music theatre, chamber operas and 4 major operas: IchundIch (after “IchundIch” by Else Lasker-Schüler, commissioned by the Staatsoper Hamburg, premiere 2019 at the Hamburgische Staatsoper directed by Christian von Treskow, composed 2016–2019), Alice im Wunderland (after “Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll, commissioned by Theater & Philharmonie Thüringen, premiere 2015 at Theater Gera under the direction of Cornelia Poppe, composed 2012–2015), Abends am Fluss / Zwei Koffer im Keller – ein Opern-Doppelabend (based on texts by Gero Troike, commissioned by Leipzig Opera 2012, premiere 2015 at Heidelberg Theatre directed by Peter Konwitschny, composed 2009–2012), PYM (after “The Narrative of Arthur Gorden Pym of Nantucket” by Edgar Allan Poe, composed 1994–2000)
Collaboration with orchestras and ensembles:
Staatsorchester Darmstadt, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Sinfonietta Leipzig, Staatskapelle Weimar, Philharmonisches Orchester Heidelberg, Niedersächsisches Staatsorchester Hannover, Wuppertaler Sinfonieorchester, Oldenburgisches Staatsorchester, Neue Philharmonie NRW, WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Münchner Kammerorchester, Ensemble Resonanz Hamburg, Scharoun-Ensemble Berlin, Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, Ensemble Oriol Berlin, Ensemble Phönix (Schweiz), Ensemble Zürich (Schweiz), Orchester le phénix (Schweiz), Minnesota Orchestra (USA), Belgrade Symphony Orchestra (Serbien), Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra (Bulgarien), Radiosinfonieorchester Budapest (Ungarn), Cairo Symphony Orchestra (Ägypten), Dänisches Rundfunkorchester Kopenhagen, et al.
Ausstattung
Eva-Maria Henschkowski
Equipment
Studies:
Study of architecture at the TU Dresden
Studies in stage and costume design at CSSD London
Postgraduate studies at TU Ilmenau - lighting technology 2009-2011, final thesis "Light staging as a common denominator of city marketing and memorial culture?"
Important productions:
Beauty and the Beast (stage and costume design), Hans in Luck (stage and costume design), Pünktchen & Anton (stage design), Conference of the Animals (stage and costume design), Birgit Nilsson Prize (stage design), Rusalka (stage design), Brundibar (stage and costume design), et al.
Career stages:
Since 2005 as Georg & Paul various works for theater, film and architecture (together with Lolita Dolores Hindenberg).
Further stations: Dt. Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Thalia Theater Hamburg, Schauspielhaus Bochum, Kammerspiele Munich, Dt. Staatsoper unter den Linden, Almeida Theatre London, Oval Theatre London and works for film productions of Intervista, Bavaria, Saxonia Media, Fifth Column, et al
Cooperations:
Katharina Birch, Heidi Sommer, Julia Haebler, Tobias Heyder, Matteo Marsan, Ulrich Waller, Dania Hohmann, Adriana Altaras, Igor Bauersima, et al.
Find further information about Eva-Maria Henschkowski here.
Ausstattung
Lolita Dolores Hindenberg
Equipment
Studies:
Study of interior design at the FH Lippe
Postgraduate studies at the TU Ilmenau - lighting technology 2009-2011
Important productions:
Beauty and the Beast (stage and costume design), Hans in Luck (stage and costume design), Pünktchen & Anton (stage design), Conference of the Animals (stage and costume design), Birgit Nilsson Prize (stage design), Rusalka (stage design), Brundibar (stage and costume design), et al.
Career stages:
Since 2005 as Georg & Paul various works for theater, film and architecture (together with Eva-Maria Henschkowski).
Further stations: Dt. Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Thalia Theater Hamburg, Volksbühne Berlin, Theater Total Bochum, Oper Kiel; as an architect in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Luxembourg and work for film productions of Intervista, Media Park, Network Movie, Studio Hamburg, et al.
Cooperations:
Katharina Birch, Heidi Sommer, Julia Haebler, Tobias Heyder, Matteo Marsan, Ulrich Waller, Dania Hohmann, Adriana Altaras, Igor Bauersima, et al.
Find further information about Lolita Dolores Hindenberg here.
Dramaturgie
Ralf Waldschmidt
Dramaturgy
Birthplace:
Hanau on the Main, Germany
Studies:
Studied German, English and Theatre Studies at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt on the Main; received his doctorate (Dr. phil.) with a thesis on Richard Wagner's “Parsifal” (1987)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera
leading Dramaturge at the Hamburg State Opera since the 2021/22 season
Career stages:
Intendant of the Osnabrück Theatre (2011–2021), opera director at the Augsburg Theatre (2007–2011), chief dramaturge and deputy to the general director at the Bremen Theatre, dramaturge at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden (1999–2003), Engagements as head dramaturge and member of the artistic management at the Staatstheater Darmstadt and the Freiburg Theatre, dramaturge at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus and the Nationaltheater Mannheim (1987–1992), assistant director and dramaturge at the Saarländisches Staatstheater Saarbrücken and the Frankfurt Opera
Cooperations:
Ruth Berghaus, Jürgen Flimm, Nicolas Brieger, Bruno Klimek, Harry Kupfer, Urs Troller, Rosamund Gilmore, Urs Schaub, Peter Mussbach, Percy Adlon, Alexander May, Barrie Kosky, Yona Kim, Reinhild Hoffmann und Dirigenten wie Friedemann Layer, Marc Albrecht, Michael Gielen, Daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jordan, Lawrence Renes, Stefan Klingele, Sebastian Weigle, Dirk Kaftan, Andreas Hotz, Daniel Inbal, et al.
Händel
Gustav Peter Wöhler
Actor
Birthplace:
Bielefeld, Germany
Studies:
Westphalian Drama School Bochum
Prizes:
2013 German Audiobook Award Best Performer for Many Thanks for Life
Stages:
Munich Kammerspiele, Schauspielhaus Bochum, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Schloßparktheater Berlin, Kiel Opera, Salzburg Festival, Nibelungen Festival Worms, St. Pauli Theater, Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg State Opera, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Peter Zadek, Doris Dörrie, Fatih Akin, Werner Herzog, Jessica Hausner, et al.
Find further information about Gustav Peter Wöhler here.
Johann Christoph Schmidt
Andreas Seifert
Actor
Birthplace:
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Studies:
1982-86 Hanover University of Music and Drama
Important roles:
Jester (King lear), Edmond (One long day's journey into the night), Roelle (Purgatory in Ingolstadt), Lucky (Waiting for Godot), Harpagon (The Miser), Richard 3rd (Richard the 3rd).
Stages:
Staatstheater Stuttgart, Schauspiel Frankfurt, Theater am Turm, Frankfurt, Schauspiel Bonn, Volkstheater Wien, Theater Bremen, Berliner Ensemble, Volksbühne Berlin, Ernst Deutsch Theater, Theater Heidelberg.
Cooperation with directors:
Michael Gruner, Einar Schleef, Robert Wilson, Bilabel, Claus Peymann, Kriegenburg, Bachmann, Peter Stein, Jan Lauwers, Manfred Karge, Johann Kresnik, Elias Perrig, Katharina Thalbach
photo: Annemone Take
Alter Ego
Gabriele Rossmanith
Soprano
Birthplace:
Stuttgart, Germany
Studies:
Violin studies at the Musikhochschule Trossingen, vocal studies with Sylvia Geszty at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart; Ks. Brigitte Eisenfeld (Studium)
Prizes:
1st Prize Mozartfestwettbewerb (1985), honored by the Hamburg Senate with the title of “Hamburger Kammersängerin” (2011)
Relation to the Hamburg State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera from 1988 to 2022 and Artistic Director of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera since season 2020/21
Important parts:
Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites), Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande), Despina (Così fan tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Ännchen (Der Freischütz), Micaëla (Carmen), Morgana (Alcina), Oscar (Un Ballo in Maschera), Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Nedda (I Pagliacci), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Anne Truelove (The Rake’s Progress), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Musetta (La Bohème), Sophie/Marianne Leitmetzerin (Der Rosenkavalier), Woglinde/Wellgunde (Das Rheingold), Ortlinde (Die Walküre), Hanna Glawari (Die lustige Witwe), Clorinda (La Cenerentola), Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos), Blumenmädchen (Parsifal), Fortuna/Giunone (Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria), Vierte Magd (Elektra), szenischer Liederabend (Schumann und Schönberg), et al.
Stages:
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (1985-88), guest engagements in Munich, Antwerp, Brussels, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Glyndebourne Festival, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Willy Decker, Christof Loy, Guy Joosten, Harry Kupfer, Bob Wilson, Marco Arturo Marelli, Peter Konwitschny, Renaud Doucet, Achim Freyer, Calixto Bieito, John Dew, Vera Nemirova, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Horst Stein, Christian Thielemann, Donald Runnicles, Michel Plasson, Sir Antonio Pappano, Robin Ticciatti, Silvio Varviso, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Ivor Bolton, Kirill Petrenko, Gerd Albrecht, Ingo Metzmacher, Simone Young, Kent Nagano, et al.
Find further information about Gabriele Rossmanith here.
photo: Jörn Kipping
Sopran
Celine Mun
Soprano
Studies:
Yonsei University and MDW (University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna), operatic training in the Hannover Staatsoper's program organised by Yonsei University in 2013 and 2016
Masterclasses:
With KS Krassimira Stoyanova and KS Daniela Fally
Prizes:
Thierry Mermod Prize of the Verbier Festival, 1st prize of 5th Premiere Opera Foundation International Vocal Competition in New York, 1st prize of 4th France Music Competition in Paris, 3rd prize of 20th Ada Sari competition in Poland, 3rd prize of 11th Lyrical Competition Salvatore Licitra in Milano, 3rd prize of 12th International Singing Competition IMMLING in Germany
Important parts:
Blumenmädchen (Parsifal), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Musetta (La Bohème), Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte), et al.
Stages:
Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Wien
photo: Sukhwan Noh
Alt
Ida Aldrian
mezzo-soprano
Birthplace:
Bruck an der Mur, Austria
Studies:
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Leopold Spitzer and Karlheinz Hanser; studies for Stage Performance (Opera and Musical Drama), Art Song and Oratorio with KS Marjana Lipovšek with honors; member of International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera (2012/13–2013/14)
Master class:
With Ann Murray, Bernarda Fink, Reri Grist, Peter Kooij, Andrew Watts, Thomas Hampson, Wicus Slabbert, Alan Titus, Brigitte Fassbaender, et al.
Prizes:
Dr.-Wilhelm-Oberdörffer-Preis of Stiftung zur Förderung der Hamburgischen Staatsoper (2014), prize winner of the jury ranking at international singing competition „Stella Maris“ (2014)
Relation to the State Opera:
Ensemble member of the Hamburg State Opera since the season 2019/20
Important parts:
Wellgunde (Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung), Siegrune and Rossweiße (Die Walküre), Blumenmädchen and Stimme aus der Höhe (Parsifal ), 2. Maid (Daphne), Feodor (Boris Godunov), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Isabella (L'Italiana in Algeri), Adalgisa (Norma), Idamante (Idomeneo), Third Lady (The Magic Flute), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Penelope (Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria), Mercedes (Carmen), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Laura (Luisa Miller), Flora and Annina (La Traviata), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Meg Page (Falstaff), Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos), Orlofski (Die Fledermaus), et al.
Stages:
Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Kölner Philharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Wien, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Grafenegg Festival, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Barocktage Melk, Styriarte, International Brucknerfest Linz, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, et al.
Cooperation with directors:
Andreas Homoki, Georg Schmiedleitner, Laura Scozzi, Mariame Clément, Verena Stoiber, Peter Konwitschny, Stéphane Braunschweig, David Bösch, et al.
Cooperation with conductors:
Simone Young, Kent Nagano, Martin Haselböck, Marcus Bosch, Yutaka Sado, Pablo Heras-Casado, Christopher Moulds, Cornelius Meister, Fabio Luisi, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Simon Gaudenz, et al.
Find further information about Ida Aldrian here.
photo: Christoph Ziegler
Tenor
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
Bass
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
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
