CANCELLED: Elbphilharmonie Visions

Nowhere is 21st century music as much at home as in a 21st century concert hall. The Elbphilharmonie put this simple realisation into practice from the outset: works by contemporary composers  are performed fairly often, and receive an enthusiastic reception. Now there is a new ten-day festival devoted solely to contemporary music , which will take place every two years: Elbphilharmonie Visions. Most of the concerts will be given by the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under its chief conductor Alan Gilbert, with reinforcement coming from other ARD radio orchestras and top-level guests.

Alan Gilbert, the initiator of the new festival, wants to take contemporary music out of the corner and place it at the centre of concert life: »Everything that is composed today anywhere in the world reflects the society we live in«, he affirms. »In this way, the Hamburg public gets the chance to hear many pieces of music in the space of a few days that have been premiered in cities around the world, and that we regard as especially important. A kind of snapshot of today's musical world.«

The festival programme concentrates on works composed since the year 2000, and does away with outdated prejudices: »A lot of people think that contemporary music doesn't really speak to them. But the fact is, there is such a wide range of styles nowadays that you really can't generalise here«, says Gilbert.

»Music is as rich and varied as humanity itself.« And that also applies to the works of Lisa Streich. The 35-year-old Swedish composer is the first prizewinner of the Claussen-Simon Composition Prize awarded by the foundation of the same name. The award involves a commission to write a work that has its first performance at the festival's closing concert – and thus brings Elbphilharmonie Visions right into the here and now.