The Symphoniker Hamburg Orchestra wowed its audience in Jeddah at Hayy Jameel’s community courtyard, Saha, last week.
The performers at the 90-minute open-air concert — Susanne Barner, Marc Renner, Elmar Honig, Christian Ganzhorn, Peter Gulyka, Katharina Ivanova and Mihaly Andras — captivated people with beautiful traditional and contemporary pieces that highlighted the culture of Germany.
Established in 1957, Symphoniker Hamburg has always been an orchestra for the people of Hamburg and the ensemble’s aim was to let the world discover the city’s musical life.
Dr. Eltje Aderhold, Germany’s consul general to the Kingdom, said: “Since Jeddah has lots to offer in terms of techno music, festivals and all other kinds of wonderful events, we felt the need to bring classical German music to Jeddah and introduce it to the people. Hamburg symphonic was our first choice as it is one of the prestigious orchestras consisting of top level musicians and composers in Germany and all around Europe.
“This is the first time Symphoniker Hamburg Orchestra performed in Saudi Arabia. It’s an honor and a privilege to host it in Hayy Jameel where art and artists are celebrated.”
Sara Al-Omran, the deputy director at Art Jameel, told Arab News that the musical performance was part of the second year of Hayy’s winter season program of music under the stars.
“With this program we aim to provide a platform for emerging Saudi musicians while allowing the Jeddah public to experience a diverse musical program, from contemporary and experimental sounds to classical music, from Saudi Arabia and worldwide,” she said.
“We are excited to host this concert at our central outdoor courtyard. It’s been a pleasure collaborating with the Symphoniker Hamburg. The musicians we have with us tonight typically perform in major concert halls and we’re excited to have them performed in a more intimate setting this evening,” Al-Omran added.
Antonia Carver, director at Art Jameel and Jameel Arts Centre, said: “At Hayy Jameel, we are really about offering audiences of Jeddah the broadest possible access to arts that includes about everything classical music, fashion, design, visual arts and cinemas.
“Our main aim is to have access to some of the highest quality musicians in Europe and bring them to Jeddah in this very open-ended setting that has no age restrictions while allowing them to enjoy music together.
“In all our past and current events at Hayy Jameel, we have noticed that Jeddah has such an appreciation toward the art … and the thirst to discover new art forms is clearly seen among the people.”
