Sir Simon Rattle

The »El Sistema« initiative, Venezuela’s large-scale programme of music sponsorship, has been a fixture in national and international musical life for nearly 50 years now. The youth orchestras in particular have made a name for themselves under the baton of renowned conductors – the best-known example is the orchestra named after freedom fighter Simón Bolívar with its principal conductor Gustavo Dudamel, which, strictly speaking, is no longer a youth orchestra. Now Hamburg welcomes the follow-up ensemble with highly talented and motivated young people, star conductor Sir Simon Rattle and Gustav Mahler’s popular Symphony No. 1.