A Stellar Cast of 200 in Brahms’ German Requiem: Jaap van Zweden to
Lead the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Soprano Lyubov Petrova,
Baritone Stephan Genz & 100 Choristers from Two Leading Australian
Choruses on 30 November & 1 December

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[30 October 2012 – Hong Kong]The Hong Kong Philharmonic (HK Phil), under the direction of Music DirectorJaap van Zwedenin his second inaugural programme, will perform the quintessential choral masterpiece - Brahms’ German Requiem – in Jaap Essential: “Brahms Requiem” on 30 November & 1 December. The monumental work will also feature a stellar vocal cast - Russian sopranoLyubov Petrova, German baritoneStephan Genzand two leading choruses from Australia – The West Australian Symphony Orchestra ChorusandTasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus, both of which will present their débuts in Hong Kong. These two performances will be the first presentation of this great work by the orchestra in decades.
 

Hailed as one of Brahms’s greatest works, A German Requiem, a work of comfort for the living, was inspired by the loss of two important people in his life – the composer Robert Schumann in 1856 and Brahms’s mother in 1865. Weaving together biblical texts which Brahms himself chose, A German Requiem displays his mastery of choral, vocal and symphonic music, and is now treasured as one of the greatest German Romantic works for chorus.

Jaap Essential: “Brahms Requiem” will be held on 30 November & 1 December (Fri & Sat), 8pm, in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced: HK$480 $320 $220$160 are now available at URBTIX. Free pre-concert talks will be given on both nights, at 7:15pm, also at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. For enquiries, please visit www.hkphil.org or contact 2721 2030.
 

The opening concert is sponsored by Franck Muller.
 

Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full biography]
Amsterdam-born Jaap van Zweden is one of today’s most sought-after conductors. Named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year for 2012, he has been Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic since 2012/13 season. His sold-out inaugural concerts with the orchestra in September 2012 have received great critical acclaim.
 

Maestro van Zweden is currently Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Honorary Conductor of the Radio Chamber Philharmonic. Appointed at age nineteen as the youngest Concertmaster ever of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, he began his conducting career in 1995, successively holding the positions of Chief Conductor at the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (1996-2000), Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague (2000-2005) and Chief Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2011).
 

Prestigious orchestras he works with regularly include the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Munich Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Orchestre National de France, and the London Philharmonic. Maestro van Zweden has conducted at major international festivals including the BBC Proms, and the Tanglewood and Aspen Festivals. His recent subscription débuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony have garnered overwhelming critical acclaim.
 

Lyubov Petrova, soprano [full biography]
Winner of the 1999 International Elena Obraztsova Young Opera Singers Competition and the 1998 International Rimsky-Korsakov Competition for Opera Singers, Russian soprano Lyubov Petrova trained at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and on the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Programme in New York.
 

She has performed regularly on the world’s most esteemed stages, including the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Teatro Real, Madrid, Los Angeles Opera, Paris Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Houston Grand Opera, the Palau de les Arts, Valencia, Dallas Opera, The Dutch Opera and Austin Lyric Opera.
 

Some of her past roles include Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), the title role of Massenet’s Manon, Gilda (Rigoletto), Elvira (I Puritani), Violetta (La Traviata) and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare). Last season, Petrova sang the title role of Roméo et Juliette at Dallas Opera and for her début at The Dutch Opera. She also sang the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at Pittsburgh Opera and at Opera Lyra Ottawa.
 

Stephan Genz, baritone [full biography]
The German baritone Stephan Genz was born in Erfurt in 1973 and received his first musical training as a chorister of St. Thomas´s, Leipzig.  Following vocal studies with Hans-Joachim Beyer at the conservatory of Leipzig, he worked with Mitsuko Shirai and Hartmut Höll at the conservatory of Karlsruhe as well as with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. 


Since then he has appeared at such leading opera houses as the Berlin Staatsoper, Hamburg Staatsoper, Paris (Bastille,Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Chatelet), Teatro alla Scala Milano, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro La Fenice Venice, Strasbourg, Cologne and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. 


He has given concerts and recitals in the United States, South America, Canada, and most countries in Europe, including a highly successful debut-recital at London´s Wigmore Hall.  This led to invitations for recitals in Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Frankfurt (Alte Oper), Philharmonie Köln, Brussels (Opera Royal de la Monnaie), Paris (Chatelet, Champs-Elysees, Louvre), the Schubertiade Feldkirch/Hohenems/Schwarzenberg, the Edinburgh Festival, Maggio Musicale Firenze, Festival Verbier, Aix-en-Provence, Russia and Japan. 


Stephan Genz has published numerous CD-recordings which have won important prizes such as “Timbre de Platine” and “Diapason d`Or”. For his recording of Beethoven Lieder he received the “Gramophone Award” and the “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik”. For Deutsche Grammophone he recorded Harlekin in “Ariadne auf Naxos” under Sinopoli. Under the direction of Georges Pretre he recorded Olivier in “Capriccio” by Richard Strauss. Stephan Genz was awarded the “Brahms-Preis” of Schleswig-Holstein. The Belgium music critics elected him the “Young Artist of the Year”.
 

West Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus, chorus [full biography]
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus was formed in 1988, and it is made up of 180 choristers who represent the finest form of community music making, bringing together singers from all walks of life.
The Chorus is a highly skilled ensemble of auditioned singers from Perth and surrounding areas of Australia, who give their time voluntarily. They regularly feature in the West Australian Symphony Orchestra annual concert season, and have developed a reputation for excellence in music ranging from the Baroque to contemporary repertoire.

In 2005, West Australian Symphony Orchestra appointed Chorus Director Marilyn Phillips, who is respected as one of Australia's leading choral directors. Marilyn was Head of Music with West Australian Opera from 1995 to 2005. She is an elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, and was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to Australian opera.

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus, chorus [full biography]
Founded in 1992, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus is an auditioned group of 75 voices. June Tyzack has been Chorusmaster since 2001 and she is supported by Assistant Chorusmaster Andrew Bainbridge and Répétiteur Karen Smithies.
 

The TSO Chorus was first founded to present concert performances of Opera, and in its first five years performed La Traviata, La Bohème, Madam Butterfly, Carmen and La Cenerentola. Since then the repertoire has broadened to include the requiems of Mozart, Fauré, Brahms, and Sculthorpe, the masses of Haydn, Puccini and Schubert, and symphonies by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Vaughan Williams.

Jaap Essentials: Brahms Requiem
30 | 11 | & 1 | 12 | 2012
FRI & SAT 8PM
HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$480 $320 $220 $160
Available at URBTIX from now
 

Opening Concert is sponsored by Franck Muller

Click the thumbnail to download photos

Ticketing Information
Credit Card Booking
(852) 2111 5999
Online Booking
www.urbtix.hk

For programme enquiry, please call HK Phil at
(852) 2721 2030

HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

The Hong Kong Philharmonic is a vital part of Hong Kong’s cultural life, as the city’s largest and busiest musical organisation. In 2013/14 the HK Phil will celebrate its 40th professional season, but its roots are well over a century old. The HK Phil has now evolved to become an orchestral powerhouse in the region, and an acclaimed cultural centrepiece of Asia’s World City.

The HK Phil is formed on the belief that a great city deserves a great orchestra. Annually it presents over 150 concerts for 200,000 music lovers. Featuring an enviable roster of international and local artists, with many concerts presented free, among them the annual Swire Symphony Under The Stars. Through its acclaimed education programme, over 40,000 young people learned about orchestral music last year.

The HK Phil’s members come from every corner of the globe, joining its strong core of Hong Kong musicians. In September 2012, Jaap van Zweden became the orchestra’s Music Director. Future years will see an ambitious series of new projects, with major international tours, renewed local partnerships, and large-scale concert events. The HK Phil has recently commenced a multi-CD recording project for Naxos, featuring works by Chinese composers.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic
The Hong Kong Philharmonic is a Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre

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