In 2025, the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra celebrates 80 years of existence. The ensemble was founded in 1945 as the symphony orchestra of the North-west Germany Radio. It was set up in the spirit of intellectual and cultural reconstruction after the Second World War. From 1956 to 2016, it evolved under the name NDR Symphony Orchestra. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt is the first conductor who shaped the artistic profile of the orchestra for more than a quarter of a century. He was followed by Günter Wand, Christoph Eschenbach, Christoph von Dohnányi, Thomas Hengelbrock. Since the 2019-2020 season, Alan Gilbert has been the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra's main conductor.

The maestro will be at the rostrum on October 16^th and 17^th - two evenings preceding the ensemble's Asian Tour, which Maestro Gilbert will lead together with the renowned American violinist Joshua Bell. ''A dream team'' alike critics and enthusiasts have named them, ready to captivate Asian audiences with a diverse program first presented at the Elbphilharmonie.

After his 2023-2024 residency, during which he conquered Hamburg's audiences with the tone of his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius and his impeccable technique, Joshua Bell returns to the Elbphilharmonie to perform Camille Saint-Saëns's - Violin Concerto No. 3. It's a deeply romantic and passional work, rarely heard nowadays, which had its premiere in Hamburg, 145 years ago; on October 15^th, 1800, performed by the virtuous violinist Pablo de Sarasate.

The second half of the program pays homage to the Viennese Classical Era in Sergei Prokofiev's refulgent, ironic and humorous Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 "Classical". The concert is framed by two extremely colourful works that, although stylistically different, represent the summit of orchestral expressivity and virtuosity. Richard Strauss's Don Juan is a sonorous portrait of the legendary seducer, challenging the young composer to craft dazzling, imaginative orchestral effects. In turn, Igor Stravinsky kindled a very different kind of fireworks in his ballet The Firebird. Encompassing blinding orchestral colours and captivating rhythms, this fairy tale of good triumphing over evil became a musical model for generations of composers.

Radio România Muzical gives you the opportunity to enjoy this remarkable concert broadcast live from the Elbphilharmonie on Friday, October 17^th, 2025, at 9 PM, as part of the program European Stage.