Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Announces 2022/23 Season Programmes

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is thrilled to announce 20 mainstage programmes and a selection of chamber music concerts for the second phase of its 2022/23 Season from January to July 2023. An array of virtuoso guest conductors and a stellar line-up of artists will be featured in stunning performances. Tickets will be available on URBTIX from 14 December 2022 (Wednesday) at 10AM. Let's continue to sing an Ode to Life!

Highlights

Highlights of the 2022/23 Season Programmes (January - July 2023) include concerts led by HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden and other eminent conductors including Anja Bihlmaier, Stéphane Denève, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Tarmo Peltokoski, Vasily Petrenko and Krzysztof Urbański. Acclaimed soloists include violinists Ray Chen, Ning Feng and Leonidas Kavakos; horn players from The German Horn Sound; organist Olivier Latry; pianists Boris Giltburg, Chiyan Wong, Zee Zee and Zhang Haochen; vocalists Valentina Farcas, Thomas E. Bauer and more.

HK Phil principals and musicians including Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum, Jarod Vermette, Paul Luxenberg, Lorenzo Iosco, Lin Jiang, Russell Bonifede will perform as soloists.

The HK Phil will present the world premiere of The Metaverse Symphony by Hong Kong composer Elliot Leung and will collaborate with HK singer-songwriter Ivana Wong to also premiere her new orchestral works.

Chamber music will be presented in different venues across Hong Kong partnering with West Kowloon Cultural District's Freespace, Tea House Theatre and Hong Kong Palace Museum, as well as The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and HKU MUSE.

Music Director Jaap van Zweden

• HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden and the HK Phil will embark together on their first complete cycle of Brahms' four symphonies - the songful and sunlit Second symphony and the brooding, tragic Fourth (20 January 2023); then the romantic Third followed by the gripping First symphony (27 January 2023).

• Jaap will also conduct Bach's St Matthew Passion, a universal work that people of all religions can enjoy. These performances assemble world-class soloists tenor Nicholas Phan, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, soprano Amanda Forsythe, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Paul Appleby and bass-baritone Apollo Wong, together with State Choir Latvija, The Hong Kong Children's Choir and HK Phil Chorus to perform this masterpiece (3 & 4 February 2023).

• Don't miss Jaap leading HK Phil's first performances of Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie with its super-sized orchestra, dash of Hindu philosophy, star pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and ondes martenot - an electronic instrument straight out of science fiction (10 & 11 February 2023).

Principal Guest Conductor Yu Long

• HK Phil Principal Guest Conductor Yu Long will conduct Rachmaninov's powerful Symphonic Dances and sweeping Third Piano Concerto with Van Cliburn competition winner Zhang Haochen. The performance on 26 May is sponsored by CMB Wing Lung Bank (26 & 27 May 2023).

Other renowned Conductors and Soloists

• Opening the second half of the 2022/23 season, renowned conductor Vasily Petrenko, currently Royal Philharmonic Orchestra music director, will mark his HK Phil debut with two programmes in two weeks:

• Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben, Elgar's Cockaigne Overture, and Sibelius' Violin Concerto with Ning Feng (6 & 7 January 2023). In his next programme (Swire Maestro Series), Petrenko collaborates with pianist Boris Giltburg in Prokofiev's glittering Third Piano Concerto, followed by Rachmaninov's epic and passionate Second Symphony (13 & 14 January 2023).

• Guest conductor Christoph Eschenbach brings Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, one of the composer's most popular works, to the Hong Kong audience. Opening these Swire Maestro Series concerts, superstar violinist Ray Chen plays Mendelssohn's sparklingly tuneful Violin Concerto (31 March & 1 April 2023).

• Eminent Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi presents a heroic celebration of Finland's native wonders with Sibelius' Fifth Symphony, which is a noble counterpart to Liszt's tempestuous Second Piano Concerto, played by the fabulous pianist Zee Zee (7 & 8 April 2023).

• Prompted by the death of his mother and inspired by the music of Bach, Brahms' A German Requiem draws its text from the German-language Bible translated by Martin Luther. Renowned German Chorusmaster Ralf Otto conducts the HK Phil Chorus for this masterpiece, joined by soprano Valentina Farcas and baritone Thomas E. Bauer (21 & 22 April 2023).

• Dvořák's symphony "From the New World" sounds as stirring and melodious today as when it was first heard 130 years ago. Guest conductor Krzysztof Urbański brings an energy that is all his own, and joins Hong Kong-born pianist Chiyan Wong in Busoni's Indian Fantasy (28 & 29 April 2023).

• For Schumann, the horn was the most romantic of all instruments. The four brilliant players of The German Horn Sound, alongside HK Phil's principal and co-principal horn players, weave the special magic in two extraordinary showpieces for four horns and orchestra. German conductor Anja Bihlmaier opens these concerts with Wagner's spectacular Flying Dutchman overture (2 & 3 June 2023).

• French conductor Stéphane Denève takes the HK Phil on a fantastic French journey, performing Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony, an electrifying showcase for the Hong King Cultural Centre's magnificent 8,000-pipe organ. Notre-Dame Cathedral organist Olivier Latry is also featured in Poulenc's Organ Concerto on this Swire Maestro Series concert (9 & 10 June 2023).

• For the truly spectacular season finale, the HK Phil welcomes the superb young Finnish Maestro Tarmo Peltokoski. The concert opens with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto played by the incomparable Leonidas Kavakos, and concludes with Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony, a true 20th century thriller (30 June & 1 July 2023).

• For the truly spectacular season finale, rising young Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski will conclude the 2022/23 Season with Shostakovich's Tenth Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto played by the incomparable Leonidas Kavakos (30 June & 1 July 2023).

Beyond Classical

• Celebrating John Williams: A programme dedicated to the greatest of all film-composers - John Williams. The concerts includes music from Jaws, Schindler's List, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, E.T., Jurassic Park and Star Wars. Conducted by Benjamin Northey, this Swire Denim Series programme also features HK Phil Principal Tuba Paul Luxenburg in the third movement of Williams' Tuba Concerto (25 & 26 February 2023).

• Music for the Kids: Merregnon: Land of Silence tells the symphonic fairy tale of orphan Miru, who embarks on an adventure to discover why her land is cloaked in mysterious silence. Performed through music, narration and illustrations, it presents the wonder of orchestral sounds connecting audiences of all ages. These Swire Denim Series concerts are conducted by Lorenzo Iosco with presenter Vivek Mahbubani (17 & 18 March 2023).
• Movie-in-Concert: The film that gave the world one of its greatest movie heroes, Indiana Jones, is back and better than ever before. Relive the magic of Raiders of the Lost Ark on the silver screen with John Williams' epic score performed live by a full symphony orchestra under the baton of Benjamin Northey. The evening performances on 14 & 15 April are sponsored by Centurion (14 & 15 April 2023).
• The First Art Tech Programme: To extend the horizon of creativity in arts with innovative technology, the HK Phil launches its first Art Tech programme - the world premiere of The Metaverse Symphony by Hong Kong composer Elliot Leung. Co-commissioned by the HK Phil and Asia Society Hong Kong Center, it is the world's first symphonic work to be performed in both a concert hall and The Sandbox metaverse (5 & 6 May 2023).

• HK Phil x Ivana Wong: Hong Kong singer-songwriter Ivana Wong has been working on her Total Art project "the missing something". Coming to the third chapter, "I'm not sure what to go with coffee: Iceland, that piano, or your portrait?" features her new orchestral work performed live by the HK Phil. Ivana takes a double role as composer and artist to embark on her poetic, musical journey. The opening night concert on 12 May is title sponsored by United Overseas Bank (12 & 13 May 2023).

• Joe Hisaishi Returns! Beloved Japanese composer-conductor Joe Hisaishi returns to Hong Kong to perform his music, including his Second Symphony, Woman, and the ever-popular Princess Mononoke Symphonic Suite, featuring soprano Louise Kwong. Cathay is the title sponsor. Details to be announced in May 2023.

Music Making for the Community

• Swire Community Concert: The HK Phil's community concerts present all-time favourite classics to music lovers free of charge. In this lively performance, Jaap van Zweden and the HK Phil show the audience how great composers can whirl you around the world: From knights and princesses of medieval Germany to Tan Dun's concerto originating from video game music, this concert is an adventure for all ages. Starring fabulous HK Phil Trumpet Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum & Principal Trombone Jarod Vermette, it will be an adventure for the ears (28 January 2023). The Swire Community Concert is title sponsored by Swire.

Chamber Music Series

• HK Phil @ Freespace: A jazz chamber music concert highlighting the music of Ella Fitzgerald, along with other jazz greats, will come to Freespace at the West Kowloon Cultural District. Vocalist Talie Monin joins HK Phil musicians (10 & 11 April 2023). A concert uniquely pairing works by eminent Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür and emerging Hong Kong composer Olivier Cong. A composition masterclass, at which Tüür will talk about the craft of composition and what inspires his works, will precede the concert (30 May 2023).

• HK Phil @ Tea House: Two unforgettable "East-meets-West" concerts, namely "Spirited Strings" (9 January 2023).and "Musical Postcards" (20 February 2023), will be held at the West Kowloon Cultural District's Tea House Theatre. Each features an extraordinary curation of Chinese and Western music.

• HK Phil @ HKPM: The HK Phil partners with the Hong Kong Palace Museum to present fun, educational free concerts for the Dim Sum Series of HKPM SHOWTIME!, offering interactive performances with unique perspectives and fascinating dialogues (15 January, 30 April & 25 June 2023).

• HK Phil @ HKU MUSE: The HK Phil and HKU MUSE are pleased to continue their Orchestral Spotlights series, bringing the HK Phil's double bass (5 March 2023) and horn (4 June 2023) sections to the fore at The University of Hong Kong's Grand Hall.

• HK Phil @ HKUST: An ongoing collaboration with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Shaw Auditorium presents HK Phil musicians in two diverse programmes - contemporary brass and percussion music (5 February 2023), and chamber music with renowned soprano Valentina Farcas (23 April 2023).