Philharmonic
Hamburg’s State Orchestra makes its debut in Carnegie Hall
The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is still playing here in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie – soon it will be New York. photo
© Christian Charisius/dpa
The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra is due to perform in the most legendary of all concert halls. But the show is about more than music.
The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano, will make its debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall on April 22nd. “It is probably the most important event in the history of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra that takes place outside of its hometown: the debut in the most legendary of all concert halls, Carnegie Hall in New York,” said the state orchestra.
Chief conductor Kent Nagano will lead a concert that will bring together cellist Jan Vogler, 90 musicians from the state orchestra and 100 young choral singers between the ages of eleven and 27 from Hamburg, Germany and New York.
Connection between Germany and the USA
The program also takes up the connecting idea by combining the Hamburg composer Johannes Brahms (Schicksalslied for choir and orchestra) and the world’s most important German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (8th symphony) with a contemporary US composer living in New York:
Sean Shepherd’s work “On a Clear Day”, which is being premiered here, is based on a cycle of poems by the Hamburg-based poet Ulla Hahn. Shepherd’s composition for cello, choirs and orchestra was commissioned by the Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Dresden Music Festival.
“We are proud that the State Orchestra will perform in this famous concert hall as the musical ambassador of the cultural city of Hamburg,” said Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD). The clever program spans the arc from the great tradition of the cultural city of Hamburg to the modern and also focuses on the connection between Germany and the USA.
Kent Nagano said: “The two port cities of Hamburg and New York can look back on a long period of diverse connections. With this concert we want to set a clear signal for the revival of the connections.”