During his extraordinary career as the world’s most prominent trumpet soloist, Håkan Hardenberger has not only pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved with the instrument, he has inspired countless composers and musicians to expand their horizons and explore unknown musical territories with him. His quest for excellence and innovation continues to this day and he champions the finest works written for the trumpet by performing them with stunning virtuosity and sheer dedication to music.
Hardenberger performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Wiener Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the London, Boston, and NHK Symphony Orchestras.
Orchestral colours coalesce around the soloist Håkan Hardenberger, who played with silky eloquence. As if waking from an unsettled dream, I found its mood lingered after the final note.
The 2026/27 season sees Hardenberger premiere two new trumpet concertos by Unsuk Chin and Karen Tanaka. He opens the season with the world premiere of Tanaka’s concerto with his hometown orchestra, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins. The work is then performed by its co-commissioning orchestras, including the Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier under Eva Ollikainen followed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Emilia Hoving.
The new year begins with the world premiere of Chin’s Trumpet Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under Eva Ollikainen. He subsequently performs the work with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Ollikainen and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Ingo Metzmacher. Further performances with fellow co-commissioners, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, are programmed for the 2027/28 season.
Throughout this performance the ear never tired: thanks not only to the quality of Hardenberger’s playing, his phenomenal breath control and range of dynamics as well as the tonal richness on display, but also the growing assurance that each step in the musical argument would always lead into tantalising new territory for the listener.
Hardenberger also performs Chin’s concerto with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, before joining Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig for works by Haydn and Pärt as part of the Bach Festival. This season, he also looks forward to returning to Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ryan Bancroft, as part of The Betsy Jolas composer festival. He will perform Jolas’s ‘Histoires Vraies’, celebrating the composer’s 100th Birthday. Further highlights include returns to Bruckner Orchester Linz, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Göteborgs Symfoniker and Further highlights include leading the Aarhus Symfoniorkester and Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Play-direct programmes.
Hardenberger enjoys collaborating with some of the most renowned conductors, including Alain Altinoglu, Ryan Bancroft, Martyn Brabbins, Fabien Gabel, Alan Gilbert, Daniel Harding, Ingo Metzmacher, Andris Nelsons, Eva Ollikainen, Sakari Oramo, Sir Simon Rattle, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Dima Slobodeniouk, John Storgårds and Jörg Widmann.
Many works written for Håkan Hardenberger stand as cornerstones of what has become a vast repertoire thanks to his tireless commitment. These have included pieces by Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Brett Dean, Helen Grime, HK Gruber, Hans Werner Henze, Betsy Jolas, György Ligeti, Olga Neuwirth, Tōru Takemitsu, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Rolf Wallin, and Jörg Widmann.
Hardenberger performs frequently with guitarist Mats Bergström, percussionist Colin Currie and pianist Roland Pöntinen. With the latter they had added to his discography on BIS with featuring pieces by Gruber, Enescu, Chopin, Storm, Pöntinen and Turnage who wrote ‘Autumn Aubade’ especially for the album.