HK Phil’s Two Weeks of Immortal Piano Classics with Music Director Jaap van Zweden, Khatia Buniatishvili and Rachel Cheung
Classics: JAAP｜Khatia Buniatishvili (3 & 4 May)
JAAP!: JAAP｜Rachel Cheung (10 & 11 May)
30 APR 2019
Hong Kong
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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[30 April 2019, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) and Music Director Jaap van Zweden are excited to bring two award-winning pianists, Khatia Buniatishvili (3 & 4 May) and Rachel Cheung (10 & 11 May), to the stage of the Hong Kong Cultural Centrein two glorious concerts over two consecutive weeks.
Classics: JAAP｜Khatia Buniatishvili (3 & 4 May)
“[Jaap van Zweden] is now the leading interpreter of Bruckner’s symphonies”
--- BBC Music Magazine
Following on from their well-received performance of Bruckner’s Symphony no. 8 in the 2017/18 season, Music Director Jaap van Zweden leads the HK Phil in Bruckner’s glorious Symphony no. 7. The concert opens with Mozart’s tempestuous Piano Concerto no. 20, played by the two-time ECHO Klassik prize-winner, Khatia Buniatishvili.
“The Georgian pianist [Khatia Buniatishvili] has an imposing technique at her disposal and, when she puts her mind to it, the ability to produce moments of insight and refined sensibility.
--- The Guardian
Mozart composed his Piano Concerto no. 20 at the same time as he was putting the finishing touches to his opera Le nozze di Figaro. He was at the peak of his powers, and the Concerto’s sophisticated form and dramatic gestures make it an incomparable work. Khatia Buniatishvili is the sensational pianist making waves around the globe. Her lucid playing that pulls at the heartstrings is perfect for this throbbing concerto.
Bruckner’s Symphony no. 7 is considered to be one of his greatest successes. Composed in the times of upheaval, it reflects his inner strength and is also a tribute to his idol, Wagner, making reference to Das Rheingold and Tristan und Isolde. Maestro Jaap van Zweden and the HK Phil conclude the evening with this spectacular symphony.
Classics: JAAP｜Khatia Buniatishvili will be held on 3 & 4 May (Fri & Sat), 8PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced: HK$680, 580, 480, 380 are available atURBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.
JAAP!: JAAP｜Rachel Cheung (10 & 11 May 2019)
Maestro Jaap van Zweden and the HK Phil join hands with another award-winning pianist, Rachel Cheung, in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. In the same programme, the orchestra will perform two premieres by local composer Wong Chun-wai and eminent American composer John Corigliano.
“She crafts each piece she plays as a sculptor or a painter creates a work of art. Cheung is the complete package: skill, technique, artistry.”
--- Culture Spot LA
For Ravel, the piano was not merely a musical instrument but a musical palette full of delicacy. His Piano Concerto in G combines orchestra and piano in a subtle blend of delicate pastel shades. Hong Kong pianist Rachel Cheung, the finalist and Audience Award winner at the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, showcases her poetic musicianship and compelling music-making in the work.
Opening the concert is the world premiere of a new HK Phil commissioned work, Labyrinth Collapses, by local composer Wong Chun-wai, the first Chinese composer to win First Prize at the Coups de Vents International Composition Competition for Wind Orchestra. The work combines contemporary musical language and Late Romanticism in a deep reflection of human nature and society.
“My Symphony no. 1 was generated by feelings of loss, anger, and frustration.”
--- John Corigliano
Closing the concert is the Hong Kong premiere of American composer John Corigliano’s incredibly moving Symphony no. 1. Corigliano is best-known for his original Oscar-winning score to the film The Red Violin. His First Symphony marks things that he would like to memorialise in music, “those he has lost, and reflect on those he is losing”.
This concert is sponsored by the Foundation for Amazing Potentials.
JAAP!: JAAP｜Rachel Cheung will be held on 10 & 11 May (Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced: HK$480, $380, $280, $180 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.
Artists (Classics: JAAP｜Khatia Buniatishvili)
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full biography]
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. The 2018/19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2012 – his seventh season with the HK Phil in 2018/19 season, the orchestra’s 45th professional season. He is also the Conductor Laureate of Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he has just completed a ten-year tenure at its helm. Born in Amsterdam, Jaap van Zweden was the youngest ever Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He began his conducting career in 1995 and in 2012 was named Musical America's Conductor of the Year.
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano [full biography]
Born in 1987 in Batumi (Georgia) French-Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili gave her first concert with Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra when she was six. Following her belief that humanity is at the centre of all art, Buniatishvili is involved in numerous social rights projects such as the DLDwomen13 Conference (2013) in Munich, To Russia with Love” (2013) a concert in Berlin to speak out against the violation of human rights in Russia, “Charity Concert in Kiev” (2015) for wounded persons in the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone, the United Nations Climate Change Conference - Marrakech Climate Show, and the United Nation’s 70th Anniversary Humanitarian Concert (2015) in Geneva to benefit Syrian refugees.
CLASSICS: JAAP｜KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI
3 & 4 | 5 | 2019
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$680 $580 $480 $380
Tickets are now available at URBTIX.
For aged 6 and above
Artists
conductor | |
piano |
Click the thumbnails to download press photos
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Jaap van Zweden | Khatia Buniatishvili | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra |
Artists (JAAP!: JAAP｜Rachel Cheung)
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full biography]
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. The 2018/19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2012 – his seventh season with the HK Phil in 2018/19 season, the orchestra’s 45th professional season. He is also the Conductor Laureate of Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he has just completed a ten-year tenure at its helm. Born in Amsterdam, Jaap van Zweden was the youngest ever Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He began his conducting career in 1995 and in 2012 was named Musical America's Conductor of the Year.
Rachel Cheung, piano [full biography]
Young Steinway Artist Rachel Cheung has received top honours at numerous prestigious competitions worldwide, most recently in June 2017 she became the winner of the Audience Award and a finalist at the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. She was also a prizewinner at the 16th Leeds, the 28th Alessandro Casagrande and the 67th Geneva international piano competitions.
JAAP!: JAAP｜RACHEL CHEUNG
10 & 11 | 5 | 2019
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$480 $380 $280 $180
Tickets are now available at URBTIX.
For aged 6 and above
This concert is sponsored by the Foundation for Amazing Potentials.
Artists
conductor | |
piano | |
composer |
Click the thumbnails to download press photos
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Jaap van Zweden | Wong Chun-wai |
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Rachel Cheung | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra |
Programme
WONG Chun-wai | Labyrinth Collapses (World premiere) |
RAVEL | Piano Concerto in G |
John CORIGLIANO | Symphony no. 1 (HK premiere) |
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden
Principal Guest Conductor: Yu Long
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognised as Asia’s foremost classical orchestra. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually.
Jaap van Zweden, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, has been the orchestra’s Music Director since the 2012/13 concert season, a position he will continue to hold until at least 2022. Maestro van Zweden is the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season.
Yu Long has been Principal Guest Conductor since the 2015/16 season.
Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil has attained new heights of artistic excellence, garnering international critical acclaim.
Following on from the success of the European tour which included a filmed concert from Vienna’s Musikverein, the HK Phil has toured extensively within the mainland China. In 2017, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, and with support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, the orchestra performed in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and at the Sydney Opera House.
Jaap, the HK Phil, a superb cast of soloists and a chorus successfully completed an epic four-year journey through Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” in January 2018. The concert performances and live Naxos recordings have been enthusiastically received by audiences and praised by critics at home and abroad. The recording of Götterdämmerung was released in November 2018.
Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Joshua Bell, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Matthias Goerne, Stephen Hough, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Ning Feng and Yuja Wang.
The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings on the Naxos label featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions. Its acclaimed education and community engagement programmes in schools, hospital and outdoor space, bring music into the hearts of tens of thousands of children and families every year.
The Swire Group has been the Principal Patron of the HK Phil since 2006. Through this sponsorship, which is the largest in the orchestra’s history, Swire endeavours to promote artistic excellence, foster access to classical music and stimulate cultural participation in Hong Kong, and to enhance Hong Kong’s reputation as one of the great cities in the world.
Thanks to a significant subsidy from the Hong Kong Government and long-term funding from Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of core classical repertoire and innovative popular programming, extensive education and community programmes, and collaborations with, among others, Opera Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Ballet.
Originally called the Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974. The HK Phil is a charitable organisation.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and is Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.