The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra have announced their 2015/16 Season “A Celebration of Masters” following their recent return from a successful five-country seven-city tour of Europe in celebration of their 40 year anniversary.The tour included concerts in London, Vienna, Zurich, Eindhoven, Birmingham, Berlin and Amsterdam, which were all met with a resounding success with one British reviewer describing the orchestra’s rendition of Antonín Dvořák’s “From the New World 9th Symphony”, conducted by Music Director Jaap van Zweden, as being “a very brash and dark interpretation of the famous symphony played with great attack.”This season will be Dutch-born Zweden’s third as Music Director of the HK Phil. Zweden has risen to high critical acclaim over the past decade, since his appointment at age 19 as concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam.As part of the announcement of this season’s offerings from the HK Phil, Jaap van Zweden stated, “the great journey we began last season will continue.” The season, which begins on 4 September 2015, will include the music Maestro conducting “Swire Symphony Under the Stars”, the orchestra’s biggest annual outdoor symphonic event. The performance will take place at Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront on 21 November 2015. A complete cycle of Beethonven’s symphonies will also be included in the new season which Zweden announced in a press release he is “delighted” about.Under the Dutch Music Director’s leadership the orchestra undertaking major expansion and new projects, including the first-ever performances by a Hong Kong or mainland Chinese orchestra of Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung”. The four operas are being performed, one a year, in concert and recorded live for the classical music label Naxos.Jaap van Zweden also announced in the press release “I am delighted that Yu Long accepted my invitation to become our Principal Guest Conductor for three years, beginning this season.” Yu Long, the Music Director of the China Philharmonic, will conduct the “Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto”, “Thus Spake Zarathustra” and, “Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C.”Many international masters will be making an appearance during the 2015/16 season as the title “Celebration of Masters” suggests. These include German Christoph Eschenbach who will conduct the HK Phil for the first time (23 & 24 October 2015,) and Russian conductor and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy who will be closing the season in July 2016 together with the 25 year old, award-winning Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov.View the slideshow to see ARTINFO’s pick of upcoming highlights from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2015/16 season.
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