HK Phil Presents Brahms and Dvořák
with Long Yu and Manfred Honeck This Fall

3 OCT 2024

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[3 October 2024, Hong Kong] In October and November, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) will present two programmes featuring masterpieces by Brahms and Dvořák. Led by HK Phil Principal Guest Conductor Maestro Long Yu and guest conductor Manfred Honeck, the concerts will feature HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang, Principal Cello Richard Bamping, and world-class cellist Camille Thomas. “Long Yu | Brahms Double Concerto” will be held on 17 October 2024, followed by “Manfred Honeck | Dvořák 8” on 1 & 2 November 2024, both at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets are now available on URBTIX.

Long Yu | Brahms Double Concerto (17 October)

HK Phil Principal Guest Conductor Long Yu will present Brahms’ powerful and virtuosic Double Concerto with the orchestra’s Concertmaster Jing Wang and Principal Cello Richard Bamping. The concert continues with Brahms’ Piano Quartet no. 1, orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg.

Dedicated to his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, Brahms’ Double Concerto in A minor reveals the romantic and expressive side of the composer. Influenced by the masters of the past, the concerto’s structure shows his great respect for Bach’s glorious Double Concerto in D minor for two violins, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. The concert concludes with Brahms’ Piano Quartet no. 1, in a version orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg. This work demonstrates Brahms’ musical maturity, exploring new possibilities within chamber music forms. Schoenberg, the Second Viennese School pioneer yet an admirer of Brahms, offers a delicate orchestration that pays the highest tribute to the composer.

Long Yu | Brahms Double Concerto will be held on 17 October 2024 (Thu) at 8PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$420, $320, $260, $180 and $50 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

This concert is one of the “Expo Programmes” of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo

Manfred Honeck | Dvořák 8 (1 & 2 November)

Led by Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck, the concerts feature works by Dvořák and the Hong Kong premiere of Fazıl Say’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Never Give Up.

The concert starts with Rusalka Fantasy. Originally based on Dvořák’s ninth opera, Rusalka, this orchestral fantasy was arranged by the conductor Manfred Honeck and Tomáš Ille. The piece has captured the dramatic shifts throughout the opera, which included the famous aria, “Song to the Moon”.

Following right after the fantasy will witness the Hong Kong premiere of Fazıl Say’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Never Give Up. As described by the composer, the piece is an “outcry for freedom and peace” in response to terror attacks in Turkey and Europe. The concerto is written specifically for Franco-Belgian star cellist Camille Thomas, who has won numerous prizes in international competitions and gave its world premiere performance in Paris in April 2018.

The concert wraps up with Dvořák’s light and lively Eighth Symphony. Composed in 1889, the work reflects the composer’s joyful mood and his admiration for natural beauty. This exuberant, lyrical masterpiece is infused with Bohemian sonority, revealing his fondness for Czech and Slavonic folk music.

Manfred Honeck | Dvořák 8 will be held on 1 & 2 November (Fri & Sat) at 8PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $540, $400, $260 and $50 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists

Long Yu, conductor [full description]

Hailed by The New York Times as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene”, the conductor and impresario Long Yu has devoted his illustrious career to steering China’s growing connection to classical music. Maestro Yu currently holds the top position in the country’s most prominent orchestras: Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, and Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, co-director of Shanghai’s Music in the Summer Air festival, and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival. He is currently Vice President of the China Musicians Association and Chairman of its League of China Orchestras.

Jing Wang, violin [full description]

Jing Wang, Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, is one of the most versatile and dynamic violinists of his generation. Since making his solo recital debut in Marseilles, France, at the age of six, Wang has won numerous awards in top international competitions, including first prize at the 2007 Irving M. Klein International Strings Competition. In 2003, he was awarded the “Young Soloist of the Year” by Les Radios Francophones Publiques, a broadcast network spanning France, Canada, Switzerland, and Belgium.

Richard Bamping, cello [full description]

Richard Bamping has been the Principal Cellist of the HK Phil since 1993. He has performed with many of the finest musicians of recent history—Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Leonidas Kavakos, Mstislav Rostropovich, Carlo Maria Guilini, Valery Gergiev, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, Sir Colin Davis and Claudio Abbado, to name but a few.

Manfred Honeck, conductor [full description]

Manfred Honeck has firmly established himself as one of the world’s leading conductors, renowned for his distinctive interpretations and arrangements of a wide range of repertoire. He has entered his 16th season as Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Together, they have continued a legacy of music-making that includes several Grammy nominations and a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. Celebrated in Pittsburgh and abroad, Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra serve as cultural ambassadors for the city as one of the most frequently toured American orchestras.

Camille Thomas, cello [full description]

Optimism, vitality and joyful exuberance are elements of Camille Thomas’s rich and compelling personality. The young Franco-Belgian cellist, who signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon in April 2017, understands art’s power to bring people together, to unite individuals from diverse cultures, countries and backgrounds. Her charismatic artistry is driven by a passion for life and a desire to inspire others to open their hearts to the wonder and emotion of classical music. Voice of Hope, her second DG album, was set for international release on 6 June 2020. At its heart is the world premiere recording of Fazıl Say’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra “Never Give Up”.

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Long Yu | Brahms Double Concerto

17 | 10 | 2024 THU 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$420 $340 $260 $180 $50

Tickets now available at URBTIX For ages 6 and above

Artists