Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra
The Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra has been making music in Hamburg for more than 175 years (officially founded on 9 November 1828). Today the orchestra, run by the city of Hamburg, plays at almost all the opera and ballet evenings and also gives the philharmonic concerts held in the Laeiszhalle.
The breadth of styles covered by the 130 full-time musicians has no equal in Germany. In August 2005 Australian conductor Simone Young became Hamburg’s principal musical director. As well as modern composers, such as Oliver Messiaen, Tristan Murail, Henri Dutilleux, Tan Dun and Brett Dean, major works from the classic-romantic repertoire can also be enjoyed.
Annual tours and guest performances enhance the reputation of the orchestra abroad, too. In this way, in February 2003, the orchestra toured Belgium, France, Greece, Austria and from one end of Germany to the other, and was the guest at numerous, renowned festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the MusikTriennale in Cologne, and the BBC Proms in August 2004. In June 2005 the orchestra performed Alban Berg’s works Lulu and Wozzeck at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam as part of a guest performance of the Hamburg State Opera.
