Martha Argerich returns to Hamburg with an eighth festival of Beethoven, jazz and Japanese Nō theatre
The Argentine-Swiss pianist, 85, has once again gathered world-class musicians for a ten-day event that pairs all ten Beethoven violin sonatas with Japanese Nō theatre and contemporary jazz.
The return to the Laeiszhalle
The Martha Argerich Festival returns to Hamburg for its eighth edition on Saturday, 20 June. The ten-day programme, running until 30 June, will unfold mainly in the Laeiszhalle, with additional evenings at the Elbphilharmonie and the Mojo Club on the Reeperbahn. Argerich, described by the organisers Symphoniker Hamburg as the "Königin am Klavier", has invited a roster of international soloists to perform alongside her.
I am happy to be able to return to Hamburg and the wonderful Laeiszhalle, a concert hall that holds a special place in my heart. I am especially looking forward to the Beethoven violin sonatas with Maxim Vengerov. Only in this special festival context is a realisation of the sonatas in dialogue with other works and cultures possible.
Beethoven meets Nō theatre and jazz
The centrepiece of the festival is a complete cycle of Beethoven’s ten violin sonatas, which Argerich will perform with star violinist Maxim Vengerov over five concert evenings. The project is subsequently scheduled to travel to Paris and New York. In Hamburg, the sonatas will be placed in conversation with traditional Japanese Nō theatre, a performing art recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, as well as with contemporary jazz and other musical perspectives. Organisers describe the juxtaposition as an interdisciplinary format designed to open new contexts for the classical works.
Opening and closing highlights
The festival opens on Saturday with an "Opening Night" in the Great Hall of the Laeiszhalle. Argerich will be joined by opera singer Michael Volle and cellist Mischa Maisky, whom the festival notes as one of the most significant cellists of our time. The closing concert on 30 June pairs works by Beethoven with new jazz inspired by Gustav Mahler’s "Das Lied von der Erde". Across the ten days, the programme blends classical recitals, far-eastern theatre and music culture, and modern jazz, with several concerts explicitly designed as borderless formats.
A career of decades
Martha Argerich, born in Argentina and now a Swiss citizen, has performed with the world’s leading orchestras for decades and has received numerous awards. She began playing the piano at the age of three and remains known for her temperamental style. The Hamburg festival, now in its eighth year, is built around her personal invitations and reflects the range of her musical interests.
