Kent Nagano

2025 is a special year for the conductor Kent Nagano – his 10 year long tenure at the Staatsoper Hamburg is coming to an end this summer with some major productions still outstanding.

On 18 May, the opera Die dunkle Seite des Mondes by Unsuk Chin celebrates its world premiere in Hamburg, staged by the theatre company Dead Centre and under the musical direction of Kent Nagano. The word is comissioned by the State Opera Hamburg with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation. The recording of the premiere will be broadcast on 24 May at 20:03 on the respective cultural channels of the public broadcasters (NDR Kultur, rbb Kultur, hr2, SWR Kultur, WDR 3). More information here.

Synopsis: Dr. Kieron, a brilliant physicist, revered and feared by his colleagues, dives into the shady demimonde at night, in a restless search for human happiness. In his sleep, he is haunted by dreams in which he encounters mysterious recurring beings, mysterious numbers and symbols. With the soul healer Master Astaroth, he hopes to find solutions to the mysteries of his life, with fatal consequences ...

On 24 May, the opera Die Illusionen des William Mallory by Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier will celebrate its world premiere at Curio Haus Hamburg, staged by Georges Delnon and conducted by Kent Nagano. The libretto was written by Inge Klopefer. More information here.

Synopsis: At the zenith of his career as a board member of a major corporation, disaster suddenly befalls the former working-class son William Mallory. He crashes over a scandal and no longer understands the world. With suicidal thoughts, he fables on the couch with his psychiatrist about the stages of his rise. An opera as a chamber play that begins quietly, only to soon unroll the great themes of life - a parable about rise and fall, identity and betrayal, appearance and fate. In the end, Mallory realizes that his own illusions have brought him down. In the end, he no longer even knows whether it was an illusion that he once began his rise as a good man.

In June 2025, the second recording in the Brahms series with the Philharmonic State Orchestra under the musical direction of Kent Nagano will be released on BIS Records with the live recording of Symphonies 3 and 4 by Johannes Brahms. The live recording of A German Requiem, which received international acclaim, was released in February. More information on bis.se (BIS Records).

In June, Kent Nagano and the members of Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg will collaborate with legendary Noh actor, Akihiro Yamamoto and his theatre members.  The production called “Spirit of the Moon” is a collaboration work of new Noh play based on a story of Japanese folk tale “Moon Rabbit” and music of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire conducted by Kent Nagano. Performances will take place on 20 and 21 June at the Konzerthaus Blaibach and 23 June at the Muffathalle in Munich.

On 14 June, the Wagner Cycles, a project of the Dresdner Musikfestspiele under the artistic direction of Jan Vogler and Kent Nagano will present Richard Wagner's Siegfried at the Kulturpalast in Dresden. The project is dedicated to Richard Wagner's monumental opera tetralogy in a unique fusion of musicology and historical performance practice. Performances have already taken place this year in Prague, Paris and Cologne. A performance at the Lucerne Festival will follow on 12 September. Find out more about The Wagner Cycles here.

The final Philharmonic concerts on 29 and 30 June at the Elbphilharmonie mark the end of Kent Nagano's ten-year tenure as General Music Director and combine two central aspects of his concert dramaturgy for Hamburg: the connection to tradition, in particular to Johannes Brahms, and the sounds of our present with the world premiere of Alex Nante's symphony Anahata for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra which is commissioned by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra. 

After a concert at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival with the Philharmonic State Orchestra and pianist Rafal Blechacz on 4 July, Kent Nagano will travel to Asia with the orchestra - concerts will take place in Taipei on 15 and 16 July and Kaohsiung on 18 July, among others. Soloist is pianist Maria João Pires.

Starting in the 2025/26 season, Kent Nagano will take on the role of Principal Artistic Partner with the Filarmonica Toscanini. "They bring a spirit and enthusiasm, a freshness and remarkable quality to how they think and how they make music. Somehow, the value system between us seemed to align right from the beginning. That’s why I’m very much looking forward to this collaboration starting next season.", says Kent Nagano. 

Starting in September 2026, he will be the next Chief conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE) in Madrid.

1 & 2 May Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie   
Eröffnung Internationales Musikfest Hamburg
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Boulez: Répons
Beethoven: Sinfonie Nr. 6 in F-Dur, op. 68 (Pastorale)

18 May Hamburg, Hamburgische Staatsoper  Uraufführung
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Unsuk Chin: Die Dunkle Seite des Mondes
Oper in zwei Akten und zehn Bildern
Nach einer fiktiven Geschichte der Komponistin, inspiriert von der Beziehung zwischen Wolfgang Pauli und Carl Gustav Jung
Inszenierung: Dead Centre
(weitere Termine am 21.05., 27.05., 31.05., 05.06.)

24 May Hamburg, Curio-Haus  Uraufführung
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Rodolphe Bruneau-Boulmier: Die Illusionen des William Mallory
Aufstieg und Fall eines Underdogs in Anlehnung an eine wahre Begebenheit
Eine Oper in drei Bildern
Inszenierung: Georges Delnon
Text von Inge Kloepfer
(weitere Termine am 25.05., 28.05., 01.06.)

29 May Hamburg, Hamburgische Staatsoper 
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Richard Wagner: Tristan & Isolde
Inszenierung: Ruth Berghaus
(weitere Termine am 09. & 15.06.)

14 June Dresden, Kulturpalast   
Dresdner Festspielorchester & Concerto Köln  
The Wagner Cycles
Richard Wagner: Siegfried

20 & 21 June Blaibach, Konzerthaus Blaibach
Akihiro Yamamoto
Mitglieder des Yamamoto No Theaters, Mitglieder des Philharmonischen Staatsorchesters Hamburg
Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire
23 June München, Muffathalle
Akihiro Yamamoto
Mitglieder des Yamamoto No Theaters, Mitglieder des Philharmonischen Staatsorchesters Hamburg
Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot Lunaire

29 & 30 June Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Audi Jugendchorakademie
Johannes Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 e-­Moll op. 98
Alex Nante: Symphonie „Anahata“ für Sopran, Bariton, Chor und Orchester (Uraufführung) - Ein Auftragswerk des Philharmonischen Staatsorchesters Hamburg

4 July Festspiele MeckPom, Stolpe an der Peene
Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg
Rafal Blechacz, Klavier
Beethoven: Konzert Nr. 3 c-Moll für Klavier und Orchester op. 37
Brahms: Sinfonie Nr. 4 e-Moll op. 98

Asia tour with the Philharmonic State Orchestra

7 July Shanghai, Shanghai Symphony Hall
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 in c Moll, Op. 37
Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 in e Moll, Op. 98

9 & 10 July Bejing, National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 in c Moll, Op. 37
Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 in e Moll, Op. 98

12 & 13 July Shenzen, Shenzhen Concert Hall
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 in c Moll, Op. 37
Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 in e Moll, Op. 98

15 & 16 July Taipei, National Theater & Concert Hall Taipei
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 in c Moll, Op. 37
Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 in e Moll, Op. 98

18 July Kaohsiung
Beethoven: Klavierkonzert Nr. 3 in c Moll, Op. 37
Brahms: Symphonie Nr. 4 in e Moll, Op. 98

23 July Herrenchiemsee Festspiele, Prien
Orchester der Klangverwaltung
Mendelsohn: Klavierkonzert No. 1 g-Moll
Mendelsohn: Die Hebriden Overture, Op. 26
Brahms: Symphinie Nr. 2 in D Dur, op. 73
Mari Kodama, Klavier

25 July Herrenchiemsee Festspiele, Prien
Orchester der Klangverwaltung
Schubert: Symphonie Nr. 7 in h-Moll, „Unvollendete“
Mozart: Messe in c-Moll

27 July Herrenchiemsee Festspiele, Prien
Orchester der Klangverwaltung
Bach: Messe in H Moll
1 & 2 August Launadiere, Kanada
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

22 August Ravello Festival
Dresdner Philharmonie
Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder
Wagner: Overtüre des Parsifal
Mendelssohn: Symphonie Nr. 5 in D Dur, op. 107