Internationally Acclaimed Soloists Light Up the Stage with Exciting Programmes Conducted by HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden 
Swire Maestro Series: Jaap | Mahler 1 (18 & 19 November)
Jaap | Jan Vogler Plays Elgar (2 & 3 December)
Jaap | Shostakovich 5 (9 & 10 December)
Jaap | Niu Niu Plays Tchaikovsky (16 & 17 December)

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[9 November 2022, Hong Kong]From November to December 2022, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HIK Phil) will present a superb line-up of programmes led by HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden. Four virtuoso artists – HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang, cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Akiko Suwanai and pianist Niu Niu – will join Jaap at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets are now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET.

Swire Maestro Series: Jaap | Mahler 1 (18 & 19 November)

Together with the HK Phil and Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the audience embarks on a truly epic musical adventure as HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang steps into the spotlight for the world premiere of John Borstlap’s second violin concerto. Jing performs on a 1757 G.B. Guadagnini “Ex-Brodsky” violin, loaned generously by an anonymous benefactor. Nicknamed “Titan”, Mahler’s First Symphony takes us further on a musical journey – from its opening which the composer described as “like the sound of nature” to its heroic finale.

Swire Maestro Series: Jaap | Mahler 1 will be held on 18 & 19 November 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Jaap | Jan Vogler Plays Elgar (2 & 3 December)

The landscape is a constant inspiration for English composers. The concert opens with Britten’s Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes, a beautiful depiction of the sea in all its moods. Elgar retreated to the countryside, and wrote a cello concerto filled with the poetry of autumn. Celebrated Jan Vogler is its interpreter in these performances. There is a complete change of scene, as Jaap van Zweden conducts Shostakovich’s witty but powerful Ninth Symphony to conclude the programme.

Jaap | Jan Vogler Plays Elgar will be held on 2 & 3 December 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Jaap | Shostakovich 5 (9 & 10 December)

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony was a matter of life and death for the composer, and every note blazes with conviction; it’s one of 20th century music’s most unforgettable experiences. World-acclaimed violinist Akiko Suwanai is featured in Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto, a brilliant work filled with lush, lyrical romanticism and strikingly original harmonies. The concert opens with the world premiere of A Wise Man by rising Hong Kong composer, Simon Yip Sai-man. It was commissioned by the HK Phil under the second edition of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong Composers Scheme.  

Jaap | Shostakovich 5 will be held on 9 & 10 December 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Niu Niu Plays Tchaikovsky (16 & 17 December)

Renowned pianist Niu Niu and Jaap van Zweden join forces in two of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved masterpieces in this concert: the shattering Sixth Symphony and the romantic First Piano Concerto. Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto stands as one of the most popular pieces of classical music. The second half of the concert is devoted to Tchaikovsky’s last work, the Pathétique Symphony. Its deep, passionate emotion has captivated audiences ever since its premiere.

Niu Niu Plays Tchaikovsky will be held on 16 & 17 December 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists

Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full description]

Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. Currently Music Director of the HK Phil, he is also Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and Conductor Laureate of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with leading orchestras such as, in Europe, the Orchestre de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, and, in the US, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Jing Wang, violin [full description]

Critically acclaimed Canadian violinist Jing Wang is one of the most versatile and dynamic violinists of his generation. Since his solo recital debut in Marseilles, France at the age of six, Jing has garnered prizes in top international competitions, including the 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 of four countries including France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium. As part of the award, his first CD album including works by Beethoven, Ravel and Gershwin was released in Europe. He has been Concertmaster of the HK Phil since 2013. 

Jan Vogler, cello [full description]

Jan Vogler’s distinguished career has brought him together with renowned conductors and internationally acclaimed orchestras around the world, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His great ability allowed him to explore the sound boundaries of the cello and to establish an intensive dialogue with contemporary composers and artists. The New York Times praised his “soulful, richly hued playing” and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung granted him the ability “to make his cello speak like a singing voice”.

Akiko Suwanai, violin [full description]

Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai has established herself as one of the most sought-after artists of her generation. Since winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990, she has enjoyed a flourishing career, engaging at the highest-level performing chamber music and with orchestras and conductors internationally. Highlights of her 2022/23 Season include appearances at the Stresa Festival with Basel Symphony and weeks with Duisburg Symphoniker/Bellincampi and NSO Taiwan/Markl showcasing her wide repertoire with concertos by Mozart, Korngold, Takemitsu and Ravel. 

Niu Niu, piano [full description]

Niu Niu is the stage name of Zhang Shengliang. He signed to EMI Classics at the age of nine, making him the youngest pianist ever signed to an international classical label. Since then, he has released eight albums. Released in 2021, his latest album Fate & Hope includes his debut composition Hope. As part of the campaign in support of the album, he embarked on a world tour in the 2021/22 Season. He dubbed the piano part in NHK’s animated version of Piano no Mori (Forest of Piano), broadcast by Netflix worldwide.

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SWIRE MAESTRO SERIES: JAAP | MAHLER 1

18 & 19 | 11 | 2022

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $300

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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JAAP | JAN VOGLER PLAYS ELGAR

2 & 3 | 12 | 2022

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $300

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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JAAP | SHOSTAKOVICH 5

9 & 10 | 12 | 2022

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $300

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

*New commission from the HK Phil under The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong Composers Scheme.

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NIU NIU PLAYS TCHAIKOVSKY

16 & 17 | 12 | 2022

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $300

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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