Hamburger Pianosommer

Hamburg Piano Summer

Four pianists - one concert - the Hamburg Piano Summer! The four piano virtuosos Sebastian Knauer, Martin Tingvall, Joja Wendt and Axel Zwingenberger inspire at a joint concert.

Different musical backgrounds come together in an original program. Each pianist is given their own space, while unusual pairs also come together at the piano time and again: The classical virtuoso plays with the boogie woogie master, the jazz pianist leads the way to the blues with colorful harmonies and together they create an improvisation. Sometimes the piano is played four-handed - and with two grand pianos on stage, eight-handed! - sometimes the pianists take turns during the piece and leave the piano bench free for the next one. A concert experience full of surprises and musical colors.

The four pianists:

Sebastian Knauer is a sought-after interpreter of classical music and a virtuoso with a resolute stage presence. He has established himself as one of the few Germans with the highest technical finesse and musicality despite the enormous competition in the international concert business. He was awarded the Echo Klassik in 2017.

Martin Tingvall, a native Swede and three-time Echo Jazz award winner, has composed hits for Tatort or the comeback of Udo Lindenberg with great success and has made a name for himself with his captivating melodic and energetic jazz style, with which he elicits unheard colors from his instrument.

Joja Wendt started out as a lover of old jazz music and has continuously expanded his repertoire to include many other musical styles. He has achieved his great international success with dazzling technique, virtuoso interpretations and not least as a charismatic presenter of his very own music. He has been awarded the Louis Armstrong Prize, among others.

Axel Zwingenberger has been a highly specialized world market leader in boogie-woogie for several decades. He stands for music born from the keyboard. With enormous drive and a flair for creating atmosphere, he represents the pinnacle of the European boogie-woogie renaissance.

The piano is a man-made marvel: whether classical or jazz, world music or boogie-woogie, whether melody, harmony, bass, rhythm or all at the same time - the piano is orchestra and rock band, accompanist and soloist, a multi-talented instrument with 88 keys. For centuries, the piano has been attracting people to concerts with its countless possibilities - and above all with the power of the great pianists who have elicited new timbres from their instrument time and again, making it the most successful solo concert instrument in music history.