Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra -
Maestro Jaap van Zweden’s conducting début in Mainland China
earned High Acclaim and Tumultuous Applause

Download HERE
 

[25 March 2014, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) completed its Mainland China tour under the baton of its Music Director, Jaap van Zweden, on 12 March 2014. The tour, which began on 6 March, also marked the conducting début of Jaap van Zweden in the Mainland.

“The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is no doubt one of Asia's best… Under the baton of music director Jaap van Zweden… outstanding interpretation of Beethoven...”
- Wang Jiyan, renowned critic

“The most beautiful Beethoven’s Violin Concerto on the Beijing stage in recent years.”
- Beijing China Web (jinghua.cn)

Celebrating its 40th professional season this year, HK Phil’s tour took in Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen and Guangzhou with performances of an all-Beethoven programme - Egmont Overture, Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony - featuring violinist Simone Lamsma, winner of the 2005 China International Violin Competition.

Jaap van Zweden said, “I would like to thank the audience in these cities whose great applause made us feel warmly at home. Touring is a very important step to the HK Phil, because if we want an international sound, we have to go international.”

The Hon C Y Leung, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said at the welcome reception for the concert at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, “The HKSAR Government and I strongly support the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the overall arts and culture industry of Hong Kong.” The HK Phil concert in Beijing was sponsored by the Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. HK Phil would also like to thank the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Shanghai and Guangdong for their kind support for the tour. The Swire Group Charitable Trust has been the Principal Patron of the HK Phil since 2006.

HK Phil’s Mainland Tour 2014 Press Photos Download:
/f/press_release/5941/HK%20Phil%20China%20Tour%202014_Photo%20and%20Index.zip

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is the city’s largest and busiest musical organisation and is a vital part of Hong Kong’s cultural life. This season it celebrates its 40th professional season, but its roots stretch back well over a century. The HK Phil has now evolved into 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 attracting over 200,000 music lovers. Featuring an enviable roster of international conductors and soloists, the HK Phil performs a broad variety of music, 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 in the last year.

The Swire Group Charitable Trust has been the Principal Patron of the HK Phil since 2006. Swire’s enlightened support, the most generous in the orchestra’s history, continues to enable the orchestra to reach towards high artistic goals.

The HK Phil’s members come from every corner of the globe, with a 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 commenced a multi-CD recording project for Naxos, featuring works by Chinese composers.

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

# # #