English Baroque Soloists / Monteverdi Choir / Christophe Rousset
Christmas music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Johann Sebastian Bach – Please note the change of artist
Baroque Christmas Lights
Please note the change of artist: The Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists announced the stepping down of conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner in July after 60 years of collaboration. In Gardiner’s place, the French baroque specialist Christophe Rousset now conducts this concert.
The French conductor and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset is passionate about French Baroque music and is a renowned Bach interpreter. He describes his collaboration with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra (MCO), which has been setting standards in period performance for 60 years, as an honour: »From an early age, I have been a great fan of [MCO] and its founding conductor. Having the chance to work with this wonderful ›instrument‹ at my fingertips is a great privilege.« Together, they bring the most beautiful baroque music to the stage in the hictorically informed performance practice.
The »Messe de Minuit« by Marc-Antoine Charpentier with ten old French Christmas carols follows the country’s tradition of celebrating the good news with dancing vigour and great cheerfulness. With the two following Bach cantatas, composed for the Christmas season in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, the ensembles return to their core repertoire. They performed all 200 cantatas by the baroque master within a year – nothing if not a mammoth project!
Sir John Eliot Gardiner performs with his newly founded ensembles in the Elbphilharmonie on 7 December. Anyone wishing to switch from 14 to 7 December due to the change in line-up can return tickets already purchased.
Performers
English Baroque Soloists
Monteverdi Choir
Hilary Cronin soprano
Keri Fuge soprano
Rebecca Leggett mezzo-soprano
Edward Ross tenor
Ruairi Bowen tenor
Florian Störtz bass baritone
Christophe Rousset
Programme
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Noëls sur les instruments H 531
Messe de minuit à 4 voix, flûtes et violons, pour Noël H 9
Noëls sur les instruments H 534
– Interval –
Johann Sebastian Bach
Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 36
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110
Promoter: HamburgMusik
Location
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Elbphilharmonie
Großer Saal
Heart of the Elbphilharmonie: the Grand Hall seats 2,100 guests in the »vineyard« style. The stage for artists and orchestras is situated at the centre of the concert hall and is surrounded by terraced seating.
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Arrival time
The Elbphilharmonie is a special building situated in a special place. Allow for plenty of time for getting to the Elbphilharmonie and the way to the concert area. We suggest visitors arrive at the Elbphilharmonie Plaza not later than 30 minutes before the start of the concert or event. Late seating is not guaranteed and latecomers may not be admitted to the concert hall.
Concert tickets for the Grand and Recital Halls authorise a visit to the Plaza from two hours before the start of the concert or event. Visitors to the Kaistudios require a separate Plaza ticket to visit the Plaza.
Admission times:
Events without pre-concert talk:
Grand Hall Foyer: 60 minutes before the start of the event
Grand Hall: 30 minutes before the start of the eventEvents with pre-concert talk:
Grand Hall Foyer: 90 minutes before the start of the event
Grand Hall: 15 minutes before the start of the talkIf a pre-concert talk is offered for this event, it is noted above under PROGRAMME.
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Getting here
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Platz der Deutschen Einheit
20457 HamburgThe Elbphilharmonie can be easily reached by bus, underground, bicycle and ferry.
The nearest stops include:
Underground line U3: Baumwall
Underground line U4: Überseequartier
Bus 2, 111: Am Kaiserkai (Elbphilharmonie)
Bus 6: Auf dem Sande (Speicherstadt)
Ferry 72 (from Landungsbrücken pier): »Elbphilharmonie« pier
StadtRAD (bicycle sharing system) stations: U Baumwall (Elbphilharmonie) and Am Kaiserkai / Großer GrasbrookMultistorey car park in the Elbphilharmonie (open 24/7, 435 parking spaces):
Please note that visitors to the Elbphilharmonie should use the entrance marked »Elbphilharmonie«. The entrance »Elbphilharmonie Hotel« is reserved for »The Westin Hamburg« hotel guests.Please find more information about prices and advance booking of the discounted flat rate on this page: arrival by car
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Finding your seat
All visitors enter the building via the main entrance; access to the concert hall is via the »Plaza«, the viewing platform on the 8th floor of the Elbphilharmonie. The Plaza can be reached from the entrance area via the long escalator. Your tickets will be checked twice, at the access control in the entrance area and on the Plaza in front of the staircase to the Great Hall.
The hall entrances are on floors 12, 13, 15 and 16.
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Cloakroom
The cloakrooms are located on the 11th floor (fee: € 2). Jackets and handbags may be taken into the hall.
Walking-stick umbrellas, bags sized A3 (42 x 30 cm) or above, luggage and other bulky items must be stored in the lockers (largest size 27 x 87 x 47 cm) located in the corridor leading to the ticket shop on the ground floor (on the right-hand side of the entrance area).
Strollers and prams can be left with the admissions personnel on the Plaza. Wheeled walkers can be handed in at the hall entrances.
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Toilet Facilities
The central toilet facility is located on the 13th floor of the Grand Hall Foyer. Further facilities can be found on floors 11, 12 and 15.
Fully accessible toilets are located on floors 12 (north side) and 13 (right-hand side of the large bar). Our front-of-house staff is happy to assist you in this regard.
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Photography and video recordings
It is forbidden to take photographs or record videos during a concert or event. Video recordings and photography are permitted for private purposes only on the Plaza and in the foyers as well as before the start or following an event in the concert hall, provided that you respect the privacy of other visitors and do not interfere with regular business operations. Employees may not be photographed or filmed.
Photography, audio or video recordings of concerts and events are strictly prohibited.
Event-related video recordings or photographs for editorial or commercial purposes must be authorised by the Press Office of the Elbphilharmonie.
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Accessibility
All halls and spaces are accessible for visitors with disabilities. More information at www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/accessibility.
Lifts to the Plaza are located in the tunnel on the right-hand side of the Tube (long escalator). From the Plaza, access to the Grand and Recital Hall foyers is via lifts, also located to the right. Please note: cloakrooms for visitors to the Grand Hall are only located on the 11th floor. From there, the upper floors can be accessed via further lifts.
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Coughing, clapping, chatting – Tips for your concert visit
A concert at the Elbphilharmonie is a unique experience for both audience and artists. Guests and musicians alike rave about the precise acoustics in the Grand Hall. You can hear every note, even from the highest balcony.
Unfortunately, the opposite is also true: even presumably quiet noises from the audience are clearly audible in the entire hall. We therefore ask our visitors to take the following recommendations into consideration: Tips for your concert visit

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