Mahler’s Symphonies of Death and Resurrection with Jaap van Zweden
Mahler $200: Symphony no. 9 (26 & 27 Apr) *
JAAP!: JAAP｜Mahler 2 (17 & 18 May)
24 APR 2019
Hong Kong
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Meggy Cheng
Director of Marketing
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: meggy.cheng@hkphil.org
Flora Fung
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: flora.fung@hkphil.org
[24 April 2019, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) continues its Mahler cycle with two mighty Symphonies - Symphony no. 9, a hymn to death on 26 & 27 April, and Symphony no. 2, Resurrection on 17 & 18 May.Both will be directed by the “Great Mahler Interpreter”, the orchestra’s Music Director Jaap van Zweden, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Single tickets for these last two Mahler programmes in the HK Phil’s 2018/19 season are now available at URBTIX. Don't miss them!
“Magical, masterful Mahler from the five-star Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden”
--- South China Morning Post
Mahler $200: Symphony no. 9 (26 & 27 Apr) *
Mahler’s last completed symphony, the Ninth, is a breath-taking piece depicting the composer’s farewell to life.
“[Mahler Symphony no. 9] is terrifying, and paralyzing, as the strands of sound disintegrate ... in ceasing, we lose it all. But in letting go, we have gained everything”
--- Leonard Bernstein
The slow unconventional first movement echoes the gentle yet irregular “Mahler’s Heartbeat”. The Symphony follows the ups and downs of existence, and dissolves into the last movement which signifies Mahler’s goodbye to the world.
Rounding up the orchestra’s 45th anniversary special project, Mahler $200, all seats for the Ninth are available at a uniform price of HK$200. Don’t miss the opportunity to go on a journey with the HK Phil and Maestro Jaap van Zweden, revealing Mahler’s earnest search for love, hope and the meaning of life in his most deeply personal Symphony.
Mahler $200: Symphony no. 9 will be held on 26 & 27 Apr (Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced: HK$200 are available atURBTIX. 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. 7 to Mahler Symphony no. 9. 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 working days before the concert date(s) (i.e. on or before 10 April 2019) 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.
JAAP!: JAAP｜Mahler 2 (17 & 18 May)
“A symphony must be like a world - it must contain everything.”
--- Gustav Mahler.
Symphony no. 2, Resurrection,is the first symphony in which Mahler combines the power of orchestra, soloists and chorus. Narrating a story on the question of existence, the work begins with the obsession of death, striking into a death shriek in the apocalyptic third movement, the return to faith in the fourth movement, and a finale portraying the Day of Judgement with the final resurrection proclaimed by the chorus. Regardless of religious connotations, the symphony is an expression of the innate hope which all humankind shares.
On the evening of resurrection, the HK Phil, its Music Direcor Jaap van Zweden, together with rising-star soprano Ying Fang, virtuoso mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, the 2017 Concertgebouw Prize awardee Netherlands Radio Choir and our very own Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus bring Mahler’s gigantic Second Symphony to life.
The concert opens with two of Bruckner’s sacred motets - hors d'oeuvres to Mahler’s quest of faith.
This concert is sponsored by Chow Sang Sang.
JAAP!: JAAP｜Mahler 2 will be held on 17 & 18 May (Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced: HK$680, $580, $480, $380 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.
Artists (Mahler $200: Symphony no. 9)
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: SYMPHONY NO. 9
26 & 27 | 4 | 2019
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$200 for all seats
Tickets are now available at URBTIX.
For ages 6 and above
Artists
| Jaap van Zweden | conductor |
Click the thumbnails to download press images
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Jaap van Zweden | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra |
Programme
| MAHLER | Symphony no. 9 |
Artists (JAAP!: JAAP | Mahler 2)
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.
Ying Fang, soprano [full biography]
Soprano Ying Fang’s 2017-2018 season launches with a house debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Additional opera highlights of the season include a return to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Noémie in Massenet’s Cendrillon in a new production directed by Laurent Pelly, performances as Morgana in Handel’s Alcina with Washington National Opera, and a house debut at Vancouver Opera as Adina in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. She was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano [full biography]
Karen regularly sings with the Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, Rotterdam and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, Dresden Staatskapelle, London Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra working with conductors including Donald Runnicles, Yannick Nézet-Séquin, Bernard Haitink, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniele Gatti, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Daniel Harding, Robin Ticciati and Edward Gardner. In July 2018 Karen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Netherlands Radio Choir [full biography]
The more than sixty-strong Netherlands Radio Choir is the only professional concert choir of this scale in the Netherlands. The Netherlands Radio Choir performs frequently with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017 the Netherlands Radio Choir – together with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – was awarded the Concertgebouw Prize.
Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus [full biography]
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus was established in 1980. Over the years, it has collaborated with the HK Phil to perform a range of different works. In 2013, the Chorus undertook a new recruitment drive, and over 450 singers were attracted to attend the auditions. The first performance by the newly reformed Chorus was Handel’s Messiah. Since then, the Chorus has performed with the HK Phil in major works by composers such as, Britten, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn and Mahler under renowned conductors including Lorin Maazel, Nicholas McGegan, Brett Weymark and Jaap van Zweden amongst others.
JAAP!: JAAP｜MAHLER 2
17 & 18 | 5 | 2019
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$680 $580 $480 $380
Tickets are now available at URBTIX.
For ages 6 and above
This concert is sponsored by Chow Sang Sang.
Artists
conductor | |
soprano | |
mezzo-soprano | |
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Click the thumbnails to download press images [Or hold Ctrl then click to open the file]
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Jaap van Zweden | Ying Fang | Karen Cargill |
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Netherlands Radio Choir | Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus | Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra |
Programme
BRUCKNER | "Christus factus est" |
BRUCKNER | "Ave Maria" |
MAHLER | Symphony no. 2, Resurrection |
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. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually.
Jaap van Zweden, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, has been the orchestra’s Music Director since the 2012/13 concert season, a position he will continue to hold until at least 2022. Maestro van Zweden is the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season.
Yu Long has been Principal Guest Conductor since the 2015/16 season.
Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil has attained new heights of artistic excellence, garnering international critical acclaim.
Following on from the success of the European tour which included a filmed concert from Vienna’s Musikverein, the HK Phil has toured extensively within the mainland China. In 2017, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, and with support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, the orchestra performed in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and at the Sydney Opera House.
Jaap, the HK Phil, a superb cast of soloists and a chorus successfully completed an epic four-year journey through Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” in January 2018. The concert performances and live Naxos recordings have been enthusiastically received by audiences and praised by critics at home and abroad. The recording of Götterdämmerung was released in November 2018.
Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Joshua Bell, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Matthias Goerne, Stephen Hough, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Ning Feng and Yuja Wang.
The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings on the Naxos label featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions. Its acclaimed education and community engagement programmes in schools, hospital and outdoor space, bring music into the hearts of tens of thousands of children and families every year.
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 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 in 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 Charities Trust and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of core classical repertoire and innovative popular programming, extensive education and community programmes, and collaborations with, among others, Opera Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Ballet.
Originally called the Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974. The HK Phil is a charitable organisation.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and is Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.