Hong Kong Philharmonic’s Latest Recording of Three Seminal Works Composed and Conducted by Tan Dun
Recording Sponsored by AIA Hong Kong
Released Now on Naxos and Available in Stores in Hong Kong and Worldwide

Download HERE
 

[22 October 2012 – Hong Kong]–The Hong Kong Philharmonic’s latest CD recording of music written and conducted by the renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun has been released by the Naxos label.  The disc features three of his major orchestral works: Symphonic Poem on Three Notes (2012), OrchestralTheatre (1990) and Concerto for Orchestra (2012). 
 

This CD is to be the first in a multi-CD recording project between the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Naxos, featuring works composed by Chinese composers, who also conduct for the recording.  Released in the US and UK on 24th and 25th September respectively, it is now available at all major music retail outlets in Hong Kong and worldwide, and can also be purchased and downloaded on major music online sites.
For more info, please go to: http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570608
 

The recording was made possible with the generous support of AIA Hong Kong.
 

Tan and the Hong Kong Philharmonic recorded the works in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall between 27th and 29th February this year, with the Naxos team led by Grammy-winning producer Tim Handley who produced and engineered the disc.
 

One of the premier classical music ensembles in Asia, the HK Phil has earned high praise for its ever-growing discography, specializing in contemporary compositions by composers such as Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, Kurt Weill, and Stravinsky. Tan last conducted and recorded with the Hong Kong Philharmonic in his own work Heaven Earth Mankind (Symphony 1997) which commemorated the handover of Hong Kong to China.
 

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 organization. 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, the HK Phil performs a broad variety of music, with many concerts presented free, among them the annual Symphony Under the Stars. Through its acclaimed education program, 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.
 

Tan Dun, composer
 

The conceptual and multifaceted composer/conductor Tan Dun has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene with a creative repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical, multimedia, Eastern and Western musical systems. Central to his body of work, Tan Dun has composed distinct series of works which reflect his individual compositional concepts and personal ideas — among them a series which brings his childhood memories of shamanistic ritual into symphonic performances; works which incorporate elements from the natural world; and multimedia concerti. Opera has a significant role in Tan Dun's creative output of the past decade, mostly recently with the premiere of The First Emperor by the Metropolitan Opera in December 2006 with a title role created for Plácido Domingo.
 

In 2008, Tan composed Internet Symphony No. 1: "Eroica" commissioned by Google/YouTube as the focal point for the world’s first collaborative online orchestra. Recent works include Piano Concerto: The Fire for Lang Lang and the New York Philharmonic; Violin Concerto: The Love, for soloist Cho-Liang Lin, and Earth Concerto for Ceramic Percussion and Orchestra. Of his many works for film, Tan Dun’s score for Ang Lee's film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, received an Oscar Award for best original score.
 

Music

Symphonic Poem on Three Notes (2012)
Tan was invited to compose this work by the Teatro Real Opera in Madrid as a surprise gift for the 70th birthday of Plácido Domingo. Tan said, “When first imagining the piece, I thought it very celebratory to use Plácido’s name as part of the music – when you rap his name ‘Plácido’ it sounds like LA SI DO. I used the notes LA SI DO/A-B-C to form the musical theme of this symphonic poem”.
 

Orchestral Theatre (1990)
Orchestral Theatre was commissioned by the BBC Scottish Symphony.  Originally it included a xun solo, but the version recorded by the Hong Kong Philharmonic is for orchestra only. The piece is centred on ritual and the composer’s childhood memories of ritual. He has placed a “voice stamp” – “Hei Zo Hei”. Tan explains; “These words have no meaning, but the words are not empty. They represent my belief that music can be everything and anything – dream, ritual, life…”
 

Concerto for Orchestra (2012)
Commissioned by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concerto for Orchestra was written with his opera Marco Polo in mind, and represents the imaginary sound of what Tan describes as “the orchestra of the future”. It consists of four movements: Light of Timespace, Scent of Bazaar, The Raga of Desert and a final movement associating with the Forbidden City.

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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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