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Historic triumph of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg 24 February 2026

February 22, 2026 will be written in golden letters in the history of Greek orchestras. The Elbphilharmonie is both a monument of modern architecture and one of the most important concert halls on the planet, so the first concert of a Greek orchestra there was already a milestone. All the more so as the Hamburg audience filled the hall to capacity, making it a sold out venue (approximately 2100 listeners), and gave our orchestra a universal and lasting standing ovation at the end of the concert!
The program was similar to that of the other historic appearance of the TSSO, last September at the Musikverein in Vienna, starting with the Greek-filled 'Dodecanese Suite No. 1' by Yannis Konstantinidis, which brought a Mediterranean flavor to the European North, through the colorful traditional dances of the Dodecanese. The evening continued with the Austrian cello virtuoso Jeremias Fliedl, who this time performed the particularly expressive 'Cello Concerto No. 1' by Camille Saint-Saëns, receiving the audience's apotheosis. Dr. Nikos Xanthoulis presented (for the first time) to the enthusiastic Hamburg audience the ancient Greek lyra, explaining the ways of reconstructing the instrument, citing historical evidence and demonstrating its technical capabilities. Then, along with the TSSO, he performed the ‘Ballad of Ephesus’ by the famous Turkish composer and pianist Fazıl Say, a work written after a relevant commission by the TSSO.
The program concluded with the unique beauty of the ‘Ninth Symphony’ by Dmitry Shostakovich, under the musical direction of one of the leading conductors of our time and Shostakovich’s personal collaborator, Thomas Sanderling. To the catholic apotheosis of the audience at the end, the orchestra responded with an encore, performing the composition of its concertmaster, Antonis Sousamoglou, ‘Feast in Vlasti’.
The concert was organized following an invitation by the German production company Concerts Pamplona GmbH, whose concert series regularly feature some of the world’s greatest orchestras.

The event was honored with their presence by the Greek Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Alexandros Papaioannou, the Greek Consul General in Hamburg, Mr. Ioannis Vikelides, as well as the musician, Ms. Iro Della, a member of the first TSSO when it was founded in 1959 as S.O.V.E..

      

      

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