Experience culture. Poetry Slam in Hamburg

MJ - Das Michael Jackson Musical

MJ - The Michael Jackson Musical provides insights into the background of the "Dangerous" world tour in 1992. Not only are some of the most famous and best-selling songs in music history presented, but also the superstar's unique moves and unmistakable sound. The musical also offers rare insights into the team spirit and creative power that made Michael Jackson a legend.

Since February 2022, Michael Jackson's extraordinary artistic talent and charisma has been celebrated in a musical on Broadway. This outstanding work has won four Tony Awards, received a Grammy Award nomination for its cast album, and has already sold nearly one million tickets. With more than 25 of his biggest hits, including "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Bad", "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller", MJ - The Michael Jackson Musical will be shown at Hamburger Stage Theater an der Elbe from December 2024 .

Nature Film Wednesday/European Nature Film Award: The Monk Vulture

With a wingspan of three meters, the monk vulture is the largest bird of prey circling the skies of Old Europe. It is also one of the largest birds on our entire planet.

This majestic creature, which was threatened with extinction in the 20th century, is no longer found on most of the European continent. A few individuals still live in Greece and on several Mediterranean islands, but most survivors have found refuge in the forested areas of the Iberian Peninsula's interior.

And here, in a remote part of wild Iberia, our story unfolds.

Our protagonists are two monk vultures who work tirelessly to ensure the survival of their only chick. But all the efforts of these two parents may not be enough. It is the forest and the laws of nature that will ultimately decide whether the little vulture lives or dies.

Let's accompany this unique family. Their story is anything but smooth, full of struggle, but also tenderness... They are surrounded by a unique natural landscape teeming with life, where all inhabitants fight for their own survival every day.

Is shown in

English

*****

This film is one of 50 productions selected for the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA) and is eligible for the Audience Award, which will be presented in February 2026. Cinema-goers will have the opportunity to rate the film on site.

*****

About the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA)

The EWFA is the first nature film competition to exclusively honor documentaries about European flora and fauna. Presented by the German Wildlife Foundation, there are a total of six award categories. A total of 245 films have already been submitted for the first competition in 2025. A jury of experts from the fields of nature conservation, media, science, and culture selected the winners in the categories of wildlife, biodiversity, nature conservation, and storytelling. But cinema-goers also have the opportunity to rate the films. They voted for the best short film and will decide on the audience award, which will be presented for the first time in 2026.

Naturefilm-Wednessday / European Wildlife Film Awards: Birdsong

Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, County Cork, has made it his mission to record the sounds of all 200 bird species in Ireland. He often travels with his partner Alba to some of the most beautiful and remote places in the country to capture the elusive species and soundscapes: the bustling seabird colony of Skellig Michael, a native woodland area free from road noise in the Burren, the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island, a lonely nest in the Donegal highlands. Along the way, we meet Seán, whose hypersensitivity to sound has proven to be both a struggle and a strength. Seán's journey is both inspiring and cautionary, illustrating the beauty and importance of sound and what listening can tell us about the state of our natural world.

Shown in

English

*****

This film is one of 50 productions selected for the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA) and is eligible for the Audience Award, which will be presented in February 2026. Cinema-goers will have the opportunity to rate the film on site.

“Birdsong” won the award in the “Best Story” category at the EWFA 2025.

*****

About the European Wildlife Film Awards (EWFA)

The EWFA is the first nature film competition to exclusively honor documentaries about European flora and fauna. Presented by the German Wildlife Foundation, there are a total of six award categories. A total of 245 films were submitted for the first competition in 2025. A jury of experts from the fields of nature conservation, media, science, and culture selected the winners in the categories of wildlife, biodiversity, nature conservation, and storytelling. But cinema-goers also have the opportunity to rate the films. They voted for the best short film and will decide on the audience award, which will be presented for the first time in 2026.

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Alisa Weilerstein / Alan Gilbert

Alisa Weilerstein is »reminiscent of an earlier era of classical performers,« the New York Times once wrote, »she is not content to serve as a vessel for the composer’s wishes, but takes a piece completely into herself and makes it her own.« And the American star cellist does not limit herself to the standard repertoire! For her return to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the baton of principal conductor Alan Gilbert, Weilerstein is now taking on a piece that few people have probably ever heard in a concert hall: Benjamin Britten’s Symphony for Cello and Orchestra. As the title suggests, solo and orchestra are closely interwoven in this four-movement work. Together, they find the musical path from darkness to light: composed in 1963 for the famous Mstislav Rostropovich, Britten reflects on the horrors of the Second World War in his concertante symphony, but also spreads hope in the finale. »The best thing ever composed for cello,« Rostropovich said simply and movingly.
The conciliatory thread from the end of the Cello Symphony is picked up after the interval by the seemingly unreservedly cheerful orchestral symphony: with its relaxed mood and songlike, lyrical themes, Johannes Brahms’ Second Symphony in D major is often referred to as the composer’s »Pastoral«. What a contrast to his painstakingly wrought First Symphony! Yet despite its charm, this work – masterfully developed from a single motivic seed – is anything but »harmless«: Brahms himself joked only half-seriously that the score should be published »with a mourning border«, referring to his »lovely monster« – a warning not to take even the cheerful too lightly…

PERFORMERS

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester orchestra

Alisa Weilerstein violoncello

Alan Gilbert conductor

PROGRAM

Benjamin Britten
Sinfonie für Violoncello und Orchester op. 68

- Interval -

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Alisa Weilerstein / Alan Gilbert

PERFORMERS

NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester orchestra

Alisa Weilerstein violoncello

Alan Gilbert conductor

PROGRAM

Benjamin Britten
Sinfonie für Violoncello und Orchester op. 68

- Interval -

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

NDR Family Concert

Sailor songs, craftsmen songs, animal songs, evening songs: the NDR Vokalensemble has brought along a large stack of sheet music and is looking forward to welcoming singers of all ages to join in.

PERFORMERS

NDR Vokalensemble choir

Christina Dean moderation

PROGRAM

Andreas N. Tarkmann
Volkslieder für Chor und Klavier zu vier Händen

Robert Sund
Der betrunkene Matrose

Robert Sund
La Cucaracha