Hit the proper notes: Why a visit to Hamburg is crucial for music lovers

When John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the lyrics because of their legendary song, Magical Mystery Tour, it’s very likely these were inspired by their own early musical experiences in Hamburg. The German city was the venue of the initial Beatles concerts back 1960.

The sun has just set and I am sitting on Beatles-Platz, next to glittering metal sculptures of the Fab Four, surrounded by the gaudy neon lights of Hamburg’s nightlife quarter, the Reeperbahn. A brief walk away, most of the gritty clubs where the young Liverpudlians played their first gigs are incredibly still going strong today, such as the Indra and Kaiserkeller, where young start-up bands dream to check out in the footsteps of their heroes. HOWEVER THE Beatles’ legacy is just the end of Hamburg’s musical iceberg.

I have already been drawn back several times to the intriguing maritime city, which proudly calls itself a free of charge Hanseatic port - more Scandinavian than Germanic. There can be few destinations in Europe that provide so much with regards to music, be it classical concerts and operas, jazz or punk and rock, plus there’s a pulsating techno and house clubbing scene that's fast surpassing the more famous venues of Berlin. And during the day, I am still ­discovering new places, be it exhibition venues, a bargain-filled flea market, the easy joys of “kaffee und kuchen” in a gilded baroque cafe, or the surprising restaurant scene here. Otherwise I’m simply wandering along the banks of the Elbe as giant container ships and cruise liners slowly chug along to moor at the busy port.

To start digging right down to the roots of Hamburg’s musical heritage, the first stop of my mystery tour may be the Composers Quarter, a quiet neighbourhood where several grand mansions have been transformed into intimate museums focused on famous composers linked to the city, including Brahms, Mendelssohn, Telemann and Mahler. My guide, Guido Neumann, explains that “many great musicians were attracted to live and work in Hamburg by the patronage of the port’s rich merchants, who also founded Europe’s first public opera house way back in 1678. Then in the 1850s, a shipping magnate bankrolled our grand Laeiszhalle concert hall, but only if it had been named after him.”

Neumann directs me to near by St Michael’s church by noon, where in fact the soaring gothic interiors are filled up with melodic organ music through the daily free concert. Hamburg is again attracting classical music-lovers from across the globe since the opening three years ago of its state-of-the-art Elbphilharmonie. The futuristic glass and metal building, which cost a staggering €870 million (Dh3.6 billion), dominates the town skyline from its docklands location in the Unesco World Heritage-listed Speicherstadt neighbourhood, its towering reflection shimmering in the Elbe river. Industry experts agree that the acoustics of the fantastic Hall are unmatched all over the world.

I've seen two very different concerts here - a philharmonic orchestra playing Beethoven and the seminal German industrial rock band, Einsturzende Neubauten. Both were quite simply unique experiences, from taking the endless escalators up to the top of the building, to joining the crowds gaping at awesome views over Hamburg, then sitting in the immense circular auditorium whose steep sides encircle the musicians who perform right in the center of 2,000 spectators.

Weekends in this German city are always jam-packed with things you can do. While the so-called Art Mile is dominated by blockbuster shows at the monumental Kunsthalle, with 2020 devoted to famous brands Goya, Tiepolo and Max Beckmann, I head to the more alternative, challenging exhibitions at the Deichtorhallen, two covered grocery stores from the 1900s where the immense open spaces are reserved for cutting-edge modern day art, installations and photography. Even though Hamburg is frankly not a top shopping destination, I am happy looking for bargains in the Flohschanze, a brilliant Saturday flea market in hip Schanze, the old meatpacking district, where in fact the ancient abattoirs are squatted by hundreds of stalls selling vintage fashion, rare vinyls and expensive antiques alongside €1 bric-a-brac.

If the weather permits, it takes simply a few rays of sunlight to send Hamburgers outside. A popular spot for picnics, boating or simply sitting from cafe terraces is the calm Alster lake, right in the heart of the town. From the first days of summer, the most used spots are hidden sandy beaches along the Elbe, kicking off at Strand Pauli, an urban beach resort where people party before early hours, then walk over to the raucous 5am Sunday Fish Market, with live stone bands and dancing in the historical auction hall.

When The Beatles were playing in Hamburg 60 years back, their world revolved around the sleazy Reeperbahn, main drag of the ­notorious seamen’s neighbourhood of St Pauli. As Lennon ­famously said: “I was created in Liverpool but I was raised in Hamburg.” I’m not sure what he would think today, as I realise, while wandering the busy streets of St Pauli, which are filled up with fashionable hipsters, that this is now the latest part of town, with gourmet bistros and vegan diners and in-vogue boutiques.

Fortunately, the bohemian edge is still here, with numerous live music venues, and also a mega festival of 450 concerts in September. I have a look at a screaming goth-rock band from Norway in the legendary ­Molotow club, followed by a packed 1970s-themed roller disco in Mojo, before catching up with ­Stefanie Hempel, a ukulele-­playing St Pauli local who runs the definitive Hamburg Beatles tour. Listening to her strum memorable songs such as for example Love Me Do and Please Please Me outside clubs where they were first performed quickly touches everyone’s ­emotions, and most of us soon join in the singing. This is a memorable evening, and like most of my trips to Hamburg, an experience that enthrals.