Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Announces its
2012/13 Season – JAAP!

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JAAP! 2012/13 Season
A milestone for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has been reached with the appointment in January 2012 of Jaap van Zweden, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, as the Orchestra's 8th Music Director. The Maestro's distinctive stamp on his inaugural season has been highly anticipated and today (15 May), at the Season Subscriptions Launch held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, home to the Orchestra, the 2012/13 line-up is finally unveiled.

Eponymously titled 'JAAP!', the HKPO's 39th professional season will feature 65 exciting concerts of orchestral, choral and instrumental music from across the classical repertoire. The Orchestra and Maestro van Zweden will be joined by an international roster of 50 stellar guest artists and groups.

'My inaugural season with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra offered me an opportunity to capitalise on the strengths, finesse and agility of a terrific orchestra and to set out my vision for an orchestra in a vibrant Asian city in the 21st century. The idea of building on my relationships with my colleagues on and off stage, our audiences in and outside the concert hall, and the city that houses this fine ensemble is a major thread that weaves through my six programmes and the rest of the season.' Jaap van Zweden

Essentially Jaap
The HKPO will salute the arrival of its new Music Director in 'Welcome, Jaap! A National Day Celebration' (28 & 29 September 2012). To begin his tenure he has chosen two dynamic young musicians – violinist Ning Feng in the iconic Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto - and Conrad Tao – who has composed a fanfare specially for the occasion. Completing the programme is Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. The van Zweden era begins.

The other three programmes in the Jaap Essentials Series include Brahms’ A German Requiem with Soprano Lyubov Petrova and the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Elgar's Sea Pictures with mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn, and the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the dazzling young violinist Nicola Benedetti.

Van Zweden will also conduct Mahler's Titan Symphony (No.1) and Mozart's 21stPiano Concerto with Conrad Tao. To make great music part of everyone life, van Zweden will invite the listening public to vote on their favourite works to be conducted in Jaap @ 9 o'clock in the all-new Swire Denim Series concerts.

International Line-up of Stellar Artists
All the stars shine brightly in the new season. The roll-call of outstanding artists in van Zweden's inaugural season includes phenomenal pianists Yundi - in Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1 in the Season Opening concerts(7 & 8 September 2012) - and Lang Lang - in a one-night only recital – as well as the incomparable violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter - in a double-bill of Dvořák's Violin Concerto and Currier's Time Machines for Violin and Orchestra - and the legendary Vladimir Ashkenazy who will conduct the HKPO in a programme of Richard Strauss and Sibelius with soprano Camilla Tilling.

Other leading artists include Polish conductor Antoni Wit in a programme of Franck, Beethoven and Saint-Saëns with pianist Ingrid Fliter, pianist Melvyn Tan joining conductor Lawrence Renes in Mozart's 22ndPiano Concerto, organ legend Simon Preston, joined by former HKPO Music Director David Atherton in works by Poulenc and Saint-Saëns, and cello maestro Steven Isserlis conducted by Jahja Ling in Dvořák's rare gem Cello Concerto in A. Beloved English pianist Stephen Hough returns to play the two Liszt Piano Concertos, led by Mark Wigglesworth who is by now no stranger to the Hong Kong audience after his performances with the HKPO this season and at the Hong Kong Arts Festival 2012. A favourite among HKPO fans, Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski will close the 4-year Rachmaninov cycle with the composer's Fourth Piano Concerto.

The new season will also see a number of rising stars who have taken the classical world by storm, such as the charismatic guitarist Milos Karadaglic in Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, conducted by another new talent Joana Carneiro, both making their HKPO debuts. The beautiful violinist Karen Gomyo will return to play Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, while HKPO's very own Concertmaster Igor Yuzefovich will join forces with conductor Jun Märkl in the first programme of 2013.

Other notables include conductors Hugh Wolff and Gerard Korsten. Oleg Caetani will celebrate the centenary of Stravinsky's The Rite of Springin a recreation of the original programme. All in the Masterworks Series and Swire Maestro Series. All not to be missed.

New This Season – Swire Denim and Swire Sunday Family Series
'We are pleased to be the Principal Patron of the orchestra once again. Swire is committed to helping bring the magic of live musical performance to as wide an audience as possible. The new Swire Denim and Swire Family Sunday series are all about drawing new and younger audiences into classical music. Providing Hong Kong’s busy workforce, as well as families and younger children with timely opportunities to discover the orchestra, these two exciting new series also aim to make classical music more accessible. They are very much a part of our vision of breaking down barriers to bring cultural enrichment into the lives of people.' Christopher Pratt, Chairman, Swire Pacific Ltd

Furthering the Orchestra's work to attract new audiences to our concert season, the two new series are both approximately 70 minutes long, with no interval but plenty of engaging activities on and off stage. With the 6 concerts in the Swire Denim Series all starting at 9pm, and the 2 SwireSunday Family concerts at 3pm, these casual and fun series are designed to fit your lifestyle. No rush. Full of enjoyment.

In the Swire Denim Series, famed cellist Wang Jian and conductor Julian Wachner will take you on a journey to explore Baroque music on 'shuffle' at Baroque @ 9 o'clock. Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct a programme to be voted by the listening public at Jaap @ 9 o'clock, while Jazz legend James Morrison will play the biggest hits of Lalo Schifrin includingMission Impossible.

Looking for a fun way to spend Sunday afternoon with the whole family? The new Swire Sunday Family Series is the perfect way to share the magic of the orchestra through participation, instrument introduction and our all-new zoo! Wang Jian, Julian Wachner and James Morrison will return to perform at Baroque for Family and Jazz for Family.

Holiday, Pops & More...
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's imaginative and popular festive and family programmes will be taken one step further this season. Music lovers will be able to enjoy two mixed-media musical experiences across time and space in Antarctic Journey, with conductor David Atherton and the beloved Hong Kong Children’s Choir in Vaughan Williams' Sinfonia Antarctica which sets the musical backdrop to the true tale of Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole. In collaboration with the Hong Kong Space Museum, Holst's epic suite, The Planets, will be remembered as a mesmerising concert-going experience with visuals of the heavenly bodies projected right in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall!

Everyone's favourite entertainer Harry Wong will return this season in two family programmes for Halloween and Christmas which promise to sell out quickly. Also selling out quickly are our annual Classic Broadway in January, the Viennese New Year concerts as well as the choral masterpiece you will love to hear over Easter in 2013, Handel's Messiah, which will feature conductor Brett Weymark and the soon-to-be-formed Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus.

Other New Initiatives
Aiming to groom a home-grown chorus that will perform with the Orchestra on a regular basis, the Orchestra will re-form the HKPO Chorus with Messiah in March 2013 as their first collaboration. Auditions are open to all and will take place in October 2012. More information will be available shortly. Check the Orchestra's website for the latest update or you may email directly to chorus@hkpo.com.

The HKPO is proud to announce the release of its latest commercial CD of works composed and conducted by Tan Dun. It's the first of the Orchestra's recording project which features Chinese composer conducting their own works. The Tan Dun CD will be released internationally in October 2012 on the Naxos label and is sponsored by AIA.

Outreach and Education
With a wide range of learning and outreach programmes complementing the main concert series, the HKPO aims to bring the enjoyment of classical music to all parts of the city, and develop audiences through a variety of events and performances. Each season over 120,000 people are touched by our music, free of admission.

The largest music education initiative in Hong Kong, Creative Notes, will reach another 50,000 students over the season. Swire Symphony under the Stars, the biggest annual outdoor symphonic concert, will take place on 9 November 2012 and isexpected to attract over 15,000 music lovers. More lives will be touched through other outreach activities, such as ArtisTree and our University Tour. The Orchestra also collaborates with a range of other performing arts organisations which includes a production ofLa Traviata for Opera Hong Kong this fall. Music lovers can also enjoy the excellent performances of the HKPO through the radio and TV broadcasts by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) which connect the HKPO with audiences worldwide.

Notes to Editors
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's 2012/13 season 'JAAP!' commences on 7 September 2012.

* Sunwah and Wing Lung Bank are sponsors of the opening and 29 September performances respectively

15 May JAAP! – 2012/13 Season Launch Press Photos

01. Welcoming Speech by Mr Y.S. Liu (Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

02. Mr Michael MacLeod, Ms Shirley Choi (Senior Marketing Manager, Hong Kong Cultural Centre) and
Mr Y.S. Liu unveiling the new Chinese name of Maestro Jaap van Zweden at the ceremony
(Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

03. Group photo after the inaugural ceremony (Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

04. Speech by Mr Michael MacLeod (Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

05. Over 70 orchestra players suddenly appear at Press Launch in a 'flash mob' performance in Ravel’s
Bolero. The audience are so excited to capture the fascinating moments (Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

06. Our players enjoyed the 'flash mob' performance very much! (From left to right: violin player Mao
Hua, Concermaster Igor Yuzefovich, Second Associate Concertmaster Wang Sze-hang and
Co-Principal Second Violin Zhao Yingna) (Photo by Jesse Clockwork)

07. Over 70 HKPO players 'blast up' the vast Foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre
(Photo by Cheung Chi-wai)

 

HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) is one of Asia's leading orchestras. Enriching Hong Kong's cultural life for over a century, the Orchestra has grown into a formidable ensemble of Chinese and international talents, attracting world-class artists to collaborate on its stage. The HKPO annually touches the lives of over 200,000 music lovers through more than 150 performances. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Edo de Waart, the HKPO has scaled new heights of musical excellence, and will continue to do so under the artistic leadership of Jaap van Zweden, the Orchestra's Music Director from the 2012/13 season.

The HKPO stays in tune with our city by presenting the Orchestra in unexpected venues and bringing the excitement of the concert experience to every home through radio and television broadcasts including the largest symphonic event of the year, Swire Symphony under the Stars, at Happy Valley. The Orchestra runs a comprehensive schools education programme, HSBC Insurance Creative Notes, bringing the joy of classical music to primary, secondary and special school kids. The Orchestra also collaborates regularly with other performing arts organisations such as Opera Hong Kong in addition to its crossover series with Western and Chinese pop artists.

The Orchestra also builds its reputation and raises its artistic standards by touring. In September 2010, de Waart and the HKPO returned to China, performing at the Expo 2010 Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing to critical acclaim.

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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