HK Phil’s 45th Anniversary Special Project - Mahler $200: Symphony no. 7
Continuing the HK Phil’s Mahler Cycle conducted by Jaap van Zweden (16 & 17 November 2018)

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[2 November 2018, Hong Kong] The 2018/19 season marks the 45th professional season of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil). Our Music Director Jaap van Zweden, acclaimed as “A Great Mahler Interpreter” by D Magazine, continues the Mahler cycle with a project dedicated to this celebratory season - Mahler $200, at which all seats for the Mahler symphonies no. 7 and no. 9 are available at a uniform price of HK$200. Members of the audience can sit somewhere new to enjoy a different acoustical and visual experience.

Kicking off this special project is Mahler Symphony no. 7. For a long time treated as the “Cinderella” of his symphonic output - the neglected and sadly misunderstood member, but now one of the most enthusiastically discussed of Mahler’s nine completed symphonies, Jaap’s performance of this challenging work promises to reach right into the heart of this most unexpected of Mahler symphonies.

“[Mahler Symphony no. 7] Its beginning is still very dark, but at the end of the Seventh Symphony, the bright light is coming in, also the positive feeling is coming in into his life again.”
--- Jaap van Zweden

Mahler started work on his Symphony no. 7 in 1904, which was a good year for him personally and professionally. He completed it in 1905 and continued making minor alterations until its premiere in 1908. Unfortunately, the years 1905 to 1908 witnessed a dramatic change in Mahler’s fortunes. He lost his position at the Vienna Court Opera, his status in the musical community in Vienna; his first daughter died from scarlet fever; and he also experienced his own heart problems. All of which might explain why the original optimism and cheerfulness of the Symphony were subsequently tempered by the small but significant revisions Mahler made in the years leading up to its premiere.  

“…if you dig into movement by movement, you see that [Mahler Symphony no. 7] there is some absolutely beauty to discover in this piece.”
--- Jaap van Zweden  

Mahler’s Seventh is a challenging but fascinating symphony. His orchestral imagination ran riot in it, and he included instruments that seldom feature in the orchestra - tenor horn (a relative of the euphonium), mandolin, guitar, cowbells and deep-pitched bells; and producing surprising colours and sound effects from familiar instruments in the orchestra. All these help make Mahler’s Symphony no. 7 an irresistible experience in the concert hall.

We look forward to sharing this wonderful event with you - HK Phil’s Mahler cycle with free choice of seats at a uniform price at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.

Mahler $200: Mahler Symphony no. 7 will be held on 16 & 17 November 2018 (Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets price: HK$200 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Note: Change of programme
At the request of the conductor, the repertoire of the concerts will be changed from Mahler Symphony no. 9 to Mahler Symphony no. 7. Ticket-holders may continue to use their tickets for admission according to the date printed on the tickets for the updated programme.

For ticketing assistance, please contact the HK Phil Ticketing Office at least TEN days before the concert date(s) (i.e. on or before 2 November 2018) from Mon to Fri (10:00am -12:30pm, 2:00pm-6:00pm), excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, at 2721 0132 / 2721 2332 or ticketing@hkphil.org.

Artist
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full biography]
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. The 2018/19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2012 – his seventh season with the HK Phil in 2018/19 season, the orchestra’s 45th professional season. He is also the Conductor Laureate of Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he has just completed a ten-year tenure at its helm. Born in Amsterdam, Jaap van Zweden was the youngest ever Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He began his conducting career in 1995 and in 2012 was named Musical America's Conductor of the Year.

MAHLER $200: Mahler symphony no. 7
16 & 17 | 11 | 2018
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$200
Tickets are now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Artists

Jaap van Zweden

conductor

Click the thumbnails to download press images

Jaap van Zweden Photo Credit: Cheung Chi-wai/HK Phil	The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Photo Credit: Keith Hiro/HK Phil

Programme

MAHLER

Symphony no. 7^

^Change of programme
At the request of the conductor, the repertoire of the concerts will be changed from Mahler Symphony no. 9 to Mahler Symphony no. 7.