To mark its 20th anniversary, the Morgenland Festival Osnabrück, together with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor/USA, has commissioned a double concerto for cello, kamancheh and orchestra from the Iranian virtuoso and composer Kayhan Kalhor.

Yo-Yo Ma, one of the outstanding musical personalities of our time, will perform the work with Kayhan Kalhor and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra under the direction of its chief conductor Alan Gilbert on June 29, 2025 in the OsnabrückHalle, opening the upcoming Morgenland Festival Osnabrück. The world premiere will take place two days earlier, on June 27, 2025, at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

Kayhan Kalhor writes about his composition “Venus in the Mirror”:
“This concerto for cello, kamancheh (Persian knee violin) and orchestra is an ode to peace and a celebration of 25 years of friendship with Yo-Yo Ma. The piece was written to convey a sense of calm in difficult times and to reflect on the beauty that lies hidden in the balance of being human.”

The Kamancheh knee violin is still widely used in Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is one of the oldest string instruments in existence. The Iranian virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor is one of the most famous soloists on the instrument. He has been instrumental in bringing Persian music to the international music scene, has worked with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Brooklyn Rider Quartet and can be heard in Francis Ford Coppola's film 'Youth without Youth'. Kalhor is a founding member of the Silk Road Ensemble, where he worked with Yo-Yo Ma for many years.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma became famous as a child. In 1962, John F. Kennedy invited him to the White House. Ma was seven years old at the time. At the age of eight, he played with Leonard Bernstein on US television. In the 60 years that followed, Yo-Yo Ma enjoyed an indescribable career. His more than 100 albums earned him 18 Grammys.
In 2000, Yo-Yo Ma founded the Silk Road Ensemble, an ensemble that brings together musicians from all over the world. Yo-Yo Ma's commitment goes far beyond music. He is one of the great humanists of our time.

The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra has been Northern Germany's musical ambassador to the world for over 75 years. As the resident orchestra of the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, its programs significantly shape the artistic profile of its home venue on the Elbe.
The orchestra was founded directly after the end of the Second World War on the initiative of the British military government and in the conviction that culture is indispensable for social renewal and that music and culture make encounters and dialog possible again.

The American conductor Alan Gilbert has been the orchestra's chief conductor since 2019. Gilbert was chief conductor of the New York Philharmonic from 2009 to June 2017.