Table of Contents
- 0.1 Seven concerts with Boulez works
- 0.2 „Music and Dance“ von John Cage
- 0.3 Concert “Wozzeck” with the Elbphilharmoniker
- 1 What are the specific elements of Pierre Boulez’s compositions that contribute to his lasting impact on classical music, and how have they influenced contemporary composers today?
Intendant Christoph Lieben-Seutter presents the program of the Hamburg International Music Festival 2025 with a focus on Boulez – including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra returning to the Elbphilharmonie.
The International Music Festival 2025 from May 1st to June 5th, 2025 traditionally closes the season in the Elbphilharmonie and has the general motto “Future”, as director Christoph Lieben-Seutter explained when presenting the program. As for the motto, he formulated the beautiful sentence “that the future in classical music is more of a retrospective thing.” The focus is on the French composer Pierre Boulez (1925-2016), a great innovator of classical music who “did not feature prominently in the times of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg,” says the director. Now he will not only be celebrated here on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2025.
Seven concerts with Boulez works
Boulez’s importance should not be underestimated; he was Leonard Bernstein’s successor at the New York Philharmonic, led a ring of the century in Bayreuth and later often worked with the Vienna Philharmonic. As a composer he was a revolutionary; in France, according to Lieben-Seutter, he determined the discourse, “saying what was allowed to be and what wasn’t.” With the Ensemble intercontemporain, Boulez founded the first orchestra dedicated exclusively to contemporary music. But he was not only “the godfather of Parisian musical life,” after all, there is also the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin. Many artists internationally are still indebted to him today.
The focus on Boulez therefore includes seven major works, with two more following in the regular Elbphilharmonie program. Right at the start on May 1st, the Philharmonic State Orchestra under the direction of Kent Nagano will play the work “Répons” with live electronics and musicians distributed throughout the hall, before the “Pastorale” by Ludwig van Beethoven is played after the break. Pianist Tamara Stefanovich will contribute another Boulez piece with the Piano Sonata No. 2 on May 8th. The Vienna Philharmonic will play Boulez’s “Messgesquisse” as one of five works at their concert on May 24th under the direction of Thomas Adeès with Igor Levit on the piano.
„Music and Dance“ von John Cage
The chamber cantata “Le marteau sans maitre” (“The hammer without a master”) will be heard at an evening with the mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska under the direction of Alphonse Cemin (May 31). Anyone who prefers Boulez’s “Rituel” can experience it at the performance of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle on June 1st. The London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Antonio Pappano offers “Livre pour cordes” and “Mémoriale / … exlosante-fixe … origenel” alongside Berlioz (June 4). The Londoners will perform their second evening (June 5th) with works by Richard Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Composer John Cage (1912-1992) will also be honored at the music festival. The evening “Music and Dance” for piano prepared with screws, erasers and other objects between the strings and dance is presented by Bertrand Chamayou on the piano and the dancer Elodie Sicard (May 9th, Small Hall). The work “Koyaanisqatsi” will be performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble (May 12). The composers Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) and Wolfgang Rihm (1952-2024) should not be missed. Her pieces will be performed on June 3rd (Small Hall of the Elbphilharmonie) and 4th June (resonanzraum St. Pauli).
Concert “Wozzeck” with the Elbphilharmoniker
In addition to the London Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra will perform at the International Music Festival under the direction of Pablo Heras-Casado (May 31) and Alan Gilbert (May 8/9/11 with Leif Ove Andsnes on piano) as well as with a concert version by Alban Berg’s opera “Wozzek” (May 23rd / 25th). The Budapest Festival Orchestra is visiting under the direction of Iván Fischer (May 27th), the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is coming with its leader Paavo Järvi (May 11th) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is returning to the Elbphilharmonie after seven years, where it is staying Jaap van Zweden will first perform the 6th Symphony (May 17th), then Gustav Mahler’s 7th Symphony (May 18th). The Saxon Staatskapelle Dresden returns with works by Shostakovich and Bruckner (May 21st).
Further exciting evenings are promised by an experimental opera evening on Kampnagel, where “The Rise” by Eva Reiter will be shown (May 21st/22nd) and “Become Ocean” by John Luther Adams, performed by the Basel Sinfonietta (May 10th). Two jazz concerts complement the classical program. The Art Ensemble of Chicago will perform in the large hall of the Elbphilharmonie on May 14th, while the Tin Men and the Telephone troupe will humorously create pieces from everyday noises such as politicians’ speeches, tennis matches or animal noises with music. Ticket sales have started.
Further offers from the music festival can be found at www.elbphilharmonie.de
What are the specific elements of Pierre Boulez’s compositions that contribute to his lasting impact on classical music, and how have they influenced contemporary composers today?
1. As the guests discuss the Hamburg International Music Festival’s program for 2025, they highlight the focus on Pierre Boulez and his influence on classical music. Can you elaborate on Boulez’s significance within the world of classical music, and what makes his works so impactful?
2. The festival will also feature a performance of John Cage’s “Music and Dance,” which showcases unconventional instruments like erasers and screws. How does this reflect the overall theme of innovation within the festival? Additionally, what role does dance play in this particular piece, and how does it enhance the audience’s experience?
3. The London Symphony Orchestra will be performing at the festival with works by Wolfgang Rihm and Karlheinz Stockhausen, both contemporary German composers. Can you speak to the importance of featuring living composers alongside classical masters in today’s music landscape?
4. The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra will perform a concert version of Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck,” an opera that deals with societal issues and the human condition. What draws the festival organizers to presenting this particular piece, and how does it resonate with the festival’s overall theme of “Future”?
5. The festival features a range of ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. What does it mean for the festival to bring together such diverse musical styles and traditions under one roof? Are there any challenges or opportunities in this multidisciplinary approach?
