Epic orchestral concerts and fine chamber music, brilliant artists, plus several festivals and thematic focuses – the concert season at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle is once again bursting at the seams and has something for every taste, from early music to jazz and electronics. Composers Helmut Lachenmann, Arvo Pärt and Hans Werner Henze, three of the most important musical pioneers and revolutionaries of the 20th century, take centre stage on the occasion of their milestone birthdays. Many artists make multiple appearances in Hamburg or, like Brad Mehldau, curate their own spotlights for the programme. The already extensive world music series will be supplemented by festivals featuring overtone singing from the northern hemisphere and the music of Catalonia.

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Even without an orchestra pit, stage design and large props, opera is fun: the often opulent, emotionally charged music really comes into its own in the fantastic acoustics of the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall. This can be experienced this season from one of the very first operas to Mozart’s »Magic Flute« and »Elektra« by Richard Strauss. Large-scale vocal works featuring choirs and soloists are of course also part of the programme, including Leonard Bernstein’s »Mass« with Omer Meir Wellber, the new General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera, and Verdi’s theatrical Requiem performed by the Zurich Opera Orchestra.

The lively and diverse contemporary music scene has figured prominently in the Elbphilharmonie’s event calendar from the very beginning. And the full spectrum of new music can be experienced again this season – including in birthday concerts for three important composers. But there is also a lot to discover beyond Arvo Pärt, Helmut Lachenmann and Hans Werner Henze!

Early music in all its splendour: this is where the Renaissance and Baroque come into their own. With Monteverdi’s »Orfeo« and Handel’s »Giulio Cesare«, the programme features two opera highlights with a star-studded cast including Jakub Józef Orliński and Sabine Devieilhe. Top-class tenor Ian Bostridge can also be heard in a concert of Monteverdi, Castelli and D’India titled »Lamento«. Luminary Jordi Savall brings along music from his native Catalonia and recorder player Dorothee Oberlinger travels to Italy with the audience for a festive, good-humoured Christmas programme.

Experience the great voices of our time: lieder singers and opera stars such as Cecilia Bartoli, Julian Prégardien, Rolando Villazón and Magdalena Kožená present varied aria programmes and intimate recitals – always supported on stage by the most experienced lieder accompanists and first-class ensembles.

10 fingers and 88 keys – that’s all you need for a piano recital. This season will be virtuosic and emotional with »master pianists« such as Jan Lisiecki, Víkingur Ólafsson and Khatia Buniatishvili. The »Pianomania« series is dedicated this season entirely to the theme of »mazurkas« and to how the Polish folk dance became the most beautiful art music thanks to composers like Frédéric Chopin – performed by young stars such as Sophie Pacini and Roman Borisov.

The recital halls at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle are both perfect for chamber music and song recitals. In the intimate ambience, audiences get even closer to the artists and can follow the interaction on stage particularly well. The Laeiszhalle brings together genuine all-star formations that are rarely experienced in this way elsewhere – also taking part is resident artist Kian Soltani, who always finds a gap in his busy schedule for chamber music with equally famous friends.

These artists have what it takes to become the big names of tomorrow. Every year, the major European concert halls select the most exciting young musicians for the »Rising Stars« and send them on tour. Some of the artists in the »FAST LANE« series started out at the Elbphilharmonie and are now all on the fast track to a great career – but also eagerly return to Hamburg. The »Teatime Classics« presents hand-picked young prize-winners in the Laeiszhalle Recital Hall.

It is not called the »King of All Instruments« for nothing: the more than 4,000 pipes of the Elbphilharmonie organ are an entire orchestra; a cosmos of sound in itself. The instrument, which fits perfectly into the Grand Hall both visually and acoustically, has long since established itself as a permanent fixture in the touring calendar of international concert organists. This season, titular organist Iveta Apkalna dedicates a concert to Arvo Pärt and congratulates »her« instrument on its birthday. Mari Fukomoto takes off into space and, of course, works by great organists such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Liszt and Max Reger also feature on the programme.

The »Jazz Bass« focus will undoubtedly be groovy with stellar bassists such as Henri Texier and Meshell Ndegeocello. Performing in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall are an all-star quartet led by saxophonist Charles Lloyd, harpist Brandee Younger returns and trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, who dedicates a programme to singer Umm Kulthum. In the more traditional »Jazz Piano« series at the Laeiszhalle, keyboard virtuosos such as John Medeski and Pablo Held present their dexterity and improvisation skills. And Brad Mehldau, one of the most exciting jazz pianists and composers of our time, is given carte blanche for a »Reflektor« festival.

The acts in the »Around the World« series, for which Spanish singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Salvador Sobral and rembetiko legend George Dalaras are among those coming to Hamburg, take their own fresh, contemporary approach to tradition. The ensembles in »World Classical Music«, on the other hand, focus entirely on the classical music tradition of their respective countries. A festival in November is dedicated to the musical traditions of Catalonia, from the Middle Ages to folk festivals, and in March, it’s off to the far north – to the Arctic Circle.

Pop and electronica also belong in a 21st-century concert hall. Hot Hamburg artists are given a stage in the »Made in Hamburg« series. Sound magicians, synthesizer gods and modular tinkerers continue to perform in the »ePhil« series at the Elbphilharmonie.

The Elbphilharmonie has something to offer everyone – even the young: the »Twinkle Concerts« present imaginative productions from all over Europe. The »Klangzeit« series is aimed at people with dementia and their families. Everyone is invited to sing throughout the concert hall building at »Die Elbphilharmonie singt«. And the Elbphilharmonie also puts on a range of events in cultural centres around the city.