Elbphilharmonie Hamburg as a stage for world politics: political leaders meet at Hamburg’s new landmark as part of G20 summit

This year’s G20 summit of heads of state and government takes place in the north German port city of Hamburg on 7 and 8 July. In addition to venues at the Hamburg Messe exhibition grounds in the heart of the city, Hamburg’s new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, which opened in January 2017, will play an important role. In the context of the summit, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited the heads of state and government, as well as the representatives of the international organisations and guest countries to attend a concert in the Elbphilharmonie on the first night of the G20 summit.

Following its spectacular opening in January, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg will once again be the focus of international attention on the night of 7 July. Germany’s new cultural beacon, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, has been chosen by Chancellor Merkel, a classical music-lover, as the venue to host the G20 participants for an informal gathering in this unique concert hall situated between the port and city centre. Guests will include US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, China’s President Xi Jinping, the UK’s Prime Minister Theresa May, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission and UN Secretary-General António Guterres – as well as all other participating political leaders, their partners, and a number of other invited guests. All the dignitaries will attend a concert by the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra under the baton of the American conductor Kent Nagano, the orchestra’s General Music Director. The concert will be followed by a dinner for the political leaders and their partners in the Elbphilharmonie’s Recital Hall.

The programme will include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, featuring the soloists Christiane Karg (soprano), Okka von der Damerau (mezzo-soprano), Klaus Florian Vogt (tenor) and Franz-Josef Selig (bass). Together with the members of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra and the Choir of the Hamburg State Opera, the artists will invite G20’s international guests to experience the unique atmosphere and celebrated acoustics of the Grand Hall – the centrepiece of the Elbphlilharmonie. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the final movement of his Symphony No. 9, which was also played during the Elbphilharmonie’s opening concerts on 11 and 12 January 2017, was adopted in 1985 as the official Anthem of Europe by the European Community, as it celebrates shared values, and unity in diversity.

By including the Elbphilharmonie in the social programme of the G20 summit, Germany’s Federal Government and the City of Hamburg are sending a powerful cultural message, which places the Elbphilharmonie as a modern cultural beacon, a democratic space, and as a ‘house for everyone.’

The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg – Hamburg’s new landmark

The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg is situated right on the River Elbe, at the tip of the HafenCity district and in the immediate vicinity of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Speicherstadt with Kontorhaus district and Chilehaus”. The Elbphilharmonie serves as a focal point at the interface of the city and port and as the new landmark of Hamburg – the music capital of the north. Rising to a height of 110 metres, the spectacular wave-like glass façade seems to be almost floating above the Kaispeicher, the historic red-brick base of the building structure. Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, the Elbphilharmonie comprises three concert halls, one large music education area, several bistros and cafés, a hotel, as well as the Plaza, a public viewing platform at a height of 37 metres. In the course of the first six months, more than 2.5 million visitors enjoyed the stunning panoramic view over the city and the port. The opening of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg on 11 and 12 January 2017 attracted great international attention, and in the first season alone, nearly 500,000 people attended some 300 high-calibre concerts from various genres. To learn more about the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, please visit www.elbphilharmonie.de/.

Media service:

• Further information for media representatives on Hamburg as the venue for the G20 summit: www.marketing.hamburg.de/g20.html

• Comprehensive Hamburg-related media services at http://www.mediarelations.hamburg.de/; pictures and footage for editorial use at http://www.mediaserver.hamburg.de/.

• Press material and pictures relating to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: www.elbphilharmonie.de/en/press