Beethoven, Liszt, Fauré, Mozart and Ravel in One Programme with Conductor Christoph Koncz, Pianist Chiyan Wong and Hong Kong Ballet 
Mozart en pointe | Chiyan Wong’s Ravel (30 April & 1 May 2021) 
Short film Amadeus (a cyberpunk dream) with Hong Kong Ballet – Coming Soon!

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[22 April 2021, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) welcomes Austrian conductor Christoph Koncz for his HK Phil debut in shimmering performances on 30 April and 1 May in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. The programme features acclaimed pianist Chiyan Wong, as well as Hong Kong Ballet in a special appearance.

Mozart en pointe | Chiyan Wong’s Ravel (30 April & 1 May 2021)

Praised by Gramophone for his “dazzling virtuosity” and “sincerity of purpose”, Hong Kong-born pianist Chiyan Wong will perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, a work influenced by jazz and Basque folk music.

Seven dancers from Hong Kong Ballet will join the HK Phil in selected movements from Mozart’sEine kleine Nachtmusik, and Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande, with original choreography by Hong Kong Ballet’s Artistic Director Septime Webre and the great George Balanchine respectively. The beautiful balletic realisation of the Romanza (Gavotte), and the Minuet from Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, and the Fileuse and the Sicilienne from Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande promises to be a truly magical experience.

Highly versatile musician Christoph Koncz will open the concert conducting Beethoven’s dramatic Leonore Overture no. 3. Written for Fidelio, the piece tells a love story amidst political chicanery and deadly, dark deeds. The concert continues with Liszt’s symphonic poem Les préludes, a work also connected to the theme of love.

Mozart en pointe | Chiyan Wong’s Ravel will be presented on 30 April & 1 May 2021 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets are HK$480, $380 and $280 and are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Short film Amadeus (a cyberpunk dream) with Hong Kong Ballet Coming Soon!

Ballet + Classical Music + Cyberpunk! The HK Phil and Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) join hands to present a new short film, Amadeus (a cyberpunk dream), which depicts Mozart’s futuristic journey from the extravagant classical era to a psychedelic urbanscape in frenetic Hong Kong. Featuring Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik (2nd and 3rd movements) performed by the HK Phil, with whimsical choreography from HKB’s Artistic Director Septime Webre, the film takes you on an outrageous out-of-this-world adventure together with the HK Phil musicians and HKB dancers.

The video will be published on the HK Phil’s and HKB’s social media platforms next week. Stay tuned!

Artists (Mozart en pointe | Chiyan Wong’s Ravel)        
Christoph Koncz, conductor [full description]
Christoph Koncz is rapidly establishing himself internationally as a conductor having already enjoyed success as a violin soloist, chamber musician and a principal of the Wiener Philharmoniker. In March 2019 he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss am Rhein, having guest conducted the orchestra the previous summer. He also enjoys a very close relationship with the renowned French period-instrument ensemble Les Musiciens du Louvre, where Marc Minkowski recently appointed him Principal Guest Conductor.

Chiyan Wong, piano [full description]
UK-based pianist Chiyan Wong has been astonishing audiences with the sincerity and authority of his playing. He is a broad and thoughtful musician with a special interest in the music of Franz Liszt and Ferruccio Busoni. Wong was recently awarded a prestigious prize as one of the most promising young artists to appear at the International Mozarteum Summer Academy and subsequently performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2017.

Hong Kong Ballet dancers [full description]
In Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande Suite excerpts:
Amber Lewis and Ruiqi Yang
In Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik excerpts:
Chen Zhiyao, Garry Corpuz, Luis Cabrera, Albert Gordon and Lin Chang-yuan Kyle

George Balanchine, choreographer [full description]
George Balanchine was one of the 20th century’s foremost choreographers. St Petersburg-born Balanchine had both the music and dance of Russia in his blood. Extensive musical training put him on equal grounds in communicating with great composers and enabled him to reduce orchestral scores on the piano, which is an invaluable aid in translating music into dance. Balanchine’s style has been described as neo-classical, de-emphasising plot in ballets and preferring to let “dance be the star of the show”. In his lifetime, he created 465 works.

Septime Webre, choreographer [full description]
Septime Webre is an internationally recognised ballet director, choreographer, educator and advocate. He joined Hong Kong Ballet as its Artistic Director in July 2017 after serving as Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet from 1999 to 2016, and as Artistic Director for the American Repertory Ballet in Princeton from 1993 to 1999.

Mozart en Pointe | Chiyan Wong’s Ravel
30 | 4 | 2021 & 1 | 5 | 2021
FRI & SAT 8 PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
$480 $380 $280
Tickets now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Artists

Click the thumbnails to download press images [Or hold Ctrl then click to open the file]

Christoph Koncz Photo Credit: Andreas Hechenberger	Chiyan Wong Photo Credit: Scott Lau	Hong Kong Ballet dancers Photo Credit: Dancers (from left): Garry Corpuz, Chen Zhiyao | Photography: Conrad Dy-Liacco | Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet
George Balanchine	Septime Webre Photo Credit: Worldwide Dancer Project |  Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet	Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Photo Credit: Cheung Chi-Wai/HK Phil

Programme

* Variations from Emeralds, Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust; Staged by Diana White; Costume Design by Barbara Karinska; Lighting Design: Ruby Yau 
^ Choreography by Septime Webre; Costume Design by Yoki Lai; Lighting Design: Ruby Yau