Change of Artist – Swedish cellist Jakob Koranyi to replace Jing Zhao (27 & 28 May)

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[20 May 2016, Hong Kong]    The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) announces that cellist Jing Zhao has to withdraw from her advertised performances in 1001 Nights – Scheherazadefor health reasons. In her place we are pleased to present Swedish cellist Jakob Koranyi. The advertised programme remains unchanged.

Jakob Koranyi is performing with the HK Phil and Maestro Yan Pascal Tortelier this weekend (21 & 22 May) in Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto no. 1. Mr. Koranyi has graciously agreed to stay in Hong Kong and perform Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto with guest conductor David Atherton. Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no. 1 was written for legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and is considered one of the most difficult concert works for the instrument.

We take this opportunity to thank our public for their understanding. Kindly contact our ticketing office at 2721 2332 or cs@hkphil.org for enquiries.

Classics: 1001 Nights - Scheherazade will be held on 27 & 28 May(Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Ticket prices: HK$480, HK$380, $280, $180 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit www.hkphil.org.

Artists
David Atherton, conductor [full biography]
David Atherton is one of the most distinguished conductors of our era. Atherton was Music Director of the HK Phil from 1989 to 2000 and was awarded the OBE upon his retirement. He was also the youngest conductor in the history of the BBC Proms and subsequently appeared there in 30 continuous seasons. His recordings were awarded with many Grammy Award nominations, the Grand Prix de Disque and the coveted International Record Critics’ Award.

Jakob Koranyi, cello [full biography]
The Swedish cellist Jakob Koranyi was a Rising Star of the European Concert Hall Organisation in 2011/12 and was awarded the Norwegian Soloist Prize in the same season. Following the release of his critically acclaimed recital CD Jakob Koranyi, cello, he was labelled ‘a force to be reckoned with’ by The Strand Magazine.

Classics: 1001 Nights – Scheherazade
27 & 28 | 5 | 2016
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$480 $380 $280 $180
Tickets are now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Artists

Click the thumbnail to download photos
David Atherton Photo Credit: Cheung Chi Wai/HK Phil	Jakob Koranyi Photo Credit: Anna-Lena Ahlstrm
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Photo Credit: Cheung Chi Wai/HK Phil

Programme

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. The Orchestra presents more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season and attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually.

Jaap van Zweden, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, is the Orchestra’s Music Director, a position he has held since the 2012/13 concert season. Maestro van Zweden was recently announced as the next Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. This appointment will not affect his tenure with the HK Phil; his commitment to the HK Phil extends at least to the summer of 2019.

Yu Long was appointed for an initial three-year term in the 2015/16 season as Principal Guest Conductor.

Under Maestro van Zweden, the HK Phil is undertaking a variety of initiatives including a four-year project to perform and record the complete Ring of the Nibelung (Richard Wagner). The Orchestra is in the second of this four-year journey, performing one opera annually in concert. The performances are being recorded live for the Naxos label and mark the first performances by a Hong Kong or mainland Chinese orchestra of the entire Ring cycle.

Also under van Zweden, the orchestra undertook a highly successful five-country, seven-city tour of Europe in the 2014/15 season, with concerts in London, Vienna, Zurich, Eindhoven, Birmingham, Berlin and Amsterdam. Performances were met with enthusiasm and universally positive reviews. The concert in Vienna’s Musikverein was filmed for broadcast on TV.

Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ning Feng, Matthias Goerne, Lang Lang, Yu Long, Yundi Li, the late Lorin Maazel, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yuja Wang.

The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions, on the Naxos label. Its acclaimed community engagement programme brings music to tens of thousands of children annually. A recording was issued free to schoolchildren throughout Hong Kong of Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony.

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 also 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 of 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 and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of classical music concerts, pops concerts, an extensive education programme, and collaborations for staged opera with Opera Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The Orchestra’s history stretches back to 1895, when it was formed as the Sino-British Orchestra. It was re-named in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974.

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

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