Epic orchestral concerts and delicate chamber music, enthralling composers, exhilarating conductors and virtuosic soloists in various different portrait series, with several festivals thrown in too – the concert season in the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle is once again bursting at the seams and has something to appeal to every taste, right through to jazz and pop. With some special highlights to spice up proceedings, including Afrofuturism, the music of the Sufis, the versatility of the mandolin and the celebrated singer Angélique Kidjo.

No, the Elbphilharmonie is not an opera house. But the venue does have plenty to offer opera enthusiasts, and that in the genre’s purest form. The advantage of concert performances – purely musical productions – is that you can concentrate entirely on the music. The programme ranges from Händels »Alcina« and »Tolomeo« to Philip Glass' »Einstein on the Beach«.

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 contemporary music can be experienced again this season – from trios to large orchestral concerts.

In the halls of the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle, it’s not only the major symphonic repertoire that comes into its own. The full beauty of early music is also revealed here – another incentive for high-quality original sound ensembles and top soloists from around the world to come to Hamburg.

Experience the great voices of our age: lieder singers and opera stars such as Cecilia Bartoli, Bejun Mehta and Fatma Said present varied aria programmes and intimate recitals – always supported by the most experienced lieder accompanists and first-class ensembles.

Beatrice Rana has been exalted by the »Süddeutsche Zeitung« newspaper not only to the rank of maestro, but above and beyond to that of »sovereign of the piano«. Just what is required for such a demanding programme of Chopin and Beethoven that the Italian pianist presents in Hamburg. As ever, a number of the world’s most illustrious pianists are drawn to the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle, including Mitsuko Uchida, Hélène Grimaud, Leif Ove Andsnes and the ingenious, self-willed Russian Grigory Sokolov.

The recital halls in the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle are both perfect for chamber music and song recitals. In the intimate ambience of the recital halls, audiences get even closer to the artists and can follow the interaction on stage particularly well.

These artists have what it takes to become the big names of tomorrow. The most accomplished of them can be experienced in the new »Fast Lane« series in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall, powering their way to the top, as it were. The 2021 vintage of »Rising Stars«, dashed by the pandemic, now finally gets the opportunity to perform in concert. The »Teatime Classics« series presents hand-picked young award winners in the Laeiszhalle Recital Hall.

The Elbphilharmonie organ, perfectly integrated into the Grand Hall both visually and acoustically, has long since established itself as a permanent fixture on the tour calendar of international concert organists. Five of them are taking their place at the keyboards this season, led by the titular organist Iveta Apkalna who brings music from her Latvian homeland with her.

There is a traditionally strong presence of prominent names in the US jazz world at the Elbphilharmonie. From the overdue house debut of the pianist Kenny Barron, to the reunion of four grandees who formed a short-lived supergroup in the mid-90s, to the groove guitar big shot John Scofield who fillets some gems of roots rock with the cutlery of jazz together with the »Yankee Go Home« quartet. Ravi Coltrane honours the music of his parents and the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra makes an appearance, while Wynton Marsalis honours us with his return.

The world is sound: the acts performing in the »Around the World« series go to work with a fresh, contemporary approach to tradition. In contrast, the ensembles performing in the »World Classical Music« series have all devoted themselves to the respective classical traditions of their countries.

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 series »ePhil« at the Elbphilharmonie.