Maxim Vengerov Plays Butterfly Lovers
Yu Long's first concerts with the HK Phil as Principal Guest Conductor
presenting Tchaikovsky's Pathétique (18 & 19 December)

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[24 November 2015, Hong Kong]

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is thrilled to welcome superstar violinist Maxim Vengerov on 18 & 19 December in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, for performance of a Chinese classic, the ButterflyLovers Concerto. This also marks the debut appearance of Yu Long with the orchestra in his new role of Principal Guest Conductor. He will also be directing Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony.

The first half of the concert is full of Chinese charm, starting with Chen Qigang’s Instants d’un Opéra Pékin. Chen’s first experience of Peking Opera was during his childhood, and when he became a composer he tried to combine the elements in Peking Opera and western composition. Instants d’un Opéra Pékin is Chen’s evocation of Peking Opera for orchestra. 

Next in the concert, Maxim Vengerov will be the soloist in the Butterfly Lovers, one of the most famous of all Chinese orchestral compositions created in 1958 by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. It portrays the story of the two lovers “Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai”. Hear how the Russian-Israeli violinist Maxim Vengerov interprets this classic Chinese work, well known to most Chinese music-lovers.

The second half of the concert is devoted to Tchaikovsky’s last work, the Pathétique Symphony. He described it as “the best thing I ever composed or shall compose”. Tchaikovsky never explained the story of each movement in his Symphony no. 6, but the audience’s mystified reception of the work made him named the piece “Pathétique”, and its deep, passionate emotion has captivated audiences ever since.

Swire Maestro Series: Maxim Vengerov will be held on 18 & 19 December(Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.Tickets priced: HK$680, $480, $380, $280 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit www.hkphil.org.

Perrier-Jouët is the Champagne Partner of the programme.

Free Pre-concert talks are available on both concert nights:

Artists
Yu Long, principal guest conductor [full biography]
Yu Long was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015. He is also the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra. Yu was appointed Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of France for his role in strengthening China’s cultural connections with other nations around the world.

Maxim Vengerov, violin [full biography]
Maxim Vengerov is the winner of many prestigious awards including the Grammies and Gramophone Artist of the Year. He has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic.

Swire Maestro Series: Maxim Vengerov
18 & 19 | 12 | 2015
FRI & SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$680 $480 $380 $280
Tickets are now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Click the thumbnail to download photos
Yu Long		Maxim Vengerov Photo Credit: B Ealovega		The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Photo Credit: Cheung Chi Wai/HK Phil

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) has recently returned from an extremely successful five-country, seven-city tour of Europe, with concerts in London, Vienna, Zurich, Eindhoven, Birmingham, Berlin and Amsterdam. Most concerts were sold out, there were standing ovations, and the reviews were universally positive. The concert in Vienna’s Musikverein was filmed for broadcast on TV. With a history stretching back to 1895, when it was formed as the Sino-British Orchestra, the HK Phil was re-named in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974.

Thanks to significant subsidy from the Hong Kong Government and long-term funding from Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of classical music concerts, pops concerts, an extensive education programme, and collaborations for staged opera with Opera Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ning Feng, Matthias Goerne, Lang Lang, Yu Long, Yundi Li, the late Lorin Maazel, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yuja Wang and Edo de Waart, the HK Phil’s previous Music Director.

The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions, on the Naxos label. Its acclaimed community engagement programme brings music to ten of thousands of children annually. A recording was issued free to schoolchildren throughout Hong Kong of Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony.

This season is Jaap van Zweden’s fourth as Music Director of the HK Phil. With him, the orchestra is undertaking major expansion and new projects, including the first-ever performances by a Hong Kong or mainland Chinese orchestra of Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung. The four operas are being performed, one a year, in concert and recorded live for the Naxos label.

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 also 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 of the world.

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