The HK Phil's 50th Anniversary Tour Dazzles Singapore and Europe Highlighting Jaap van Zweden, Alexandre Kantorow and 
a New Work by Daniel Lo 
 Two Pre-Tour Concerts to be held in Hong Kong on 16 & 17 Feb

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: 
Dennis Wu
Director of Marketing 
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: dennis.wu@hkphil.org 

Emily Hui
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: emily.hui@hkphil.org

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[31 January 2024, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season with a major tour to Singapore and eight cultural capitals across six European countries in February and March 2024. Led by its Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the tour presents an exquisite programme featuring the First Symphonies by Brahms and Mahler, as well as the Ninth Symphony by Shostakovich. Pianist Alexandre Kantorow, winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, will perform Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody and Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. The concerts will open with Hong Kong composer Daniel Lo’s new work, Asterismal Dance, commissioned to celebrate the HK Phil’s 50th anniversary.

The orchestra’s forthcoming international performances will be held in Singapore (Esplanade) on 20 Feb, Dresden, Germany (Kulturpalast) on 24 Feb,  Zürich, Switzerland (Tonhalle) on 26 Feb, Toulouse, France (Halle aux Grains)on 28 Feb, Aix-En-Provence, France (Grand Théâtre de Provence) on 29 Feb, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (De Doelen) on 2 Mar, Basel, Switzerland (Stadtcasino) on 3 Mar, Rome, Italy (Sala Santa Cecilia) on 5 Mar, and Brussels, Belgium (Bozar) at the opening concert of the Klara Festival on 8 Mar. The tour is supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Singapore, Berlin, and Brussels of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. PARKROYAL on Beach Road is the Hotel Partner in Singapore, and Kerry Logistics is the Official Logistics Partner in Europe.

Alexandre Kantorow, winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, has made history as the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this prestigious accolade. In 2019, at the age of 22, he was the first French pianist to claim the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, where he also claimed the Grand Prix, an award bestowed three times only in the competition’s history. He has been invited to perform worldwide at the highest level, and is applauded for his innate poetic charm, luminous clarity, and stunning virtuosity.

Daniel Lo is one of the most active composers in Hong Kong, showcasing versatility across a wide range of genres, encompassing orchestral compositions and sound installations. Asterismal Dance, commissioned by the HK Phil to celebrate its 50th anniversary, will be given its Singapore and Europe premieres during the tour. It is a scherzo fantastique brimming with eager and energetic rhythm. The composition departs from the common forms of classical music, and unfolds a series of distinct, nonlinear musical characteristics. These materials traverse different instrumental sections of the orchestra, resembling scattered stars in the sky. As the music progresses, the musical materials constantly conjure up different forms, varying, expanding and overlapping in numerous ways, intertwining into a dance as complex as the galaxy.

As one of Asia’s foremost classical orchestras, the HK Phil celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2023/24 Season, embarking on an exhilarating journey to over 18 cities in Mainland China, Asia, and Europe, on a mission to share the beauty of music and forge connections with audiences worldwide.

Prior to the Singapore and Europe tour, Hong Kong audiences can experience all programmes in the “Swire Maestro Series: Jaap & Alexandre Kantorow I & II” concerts on 16 & 17 Feb (Fri & Sat) at 8pm in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Kantorow will make his HK Phil debut on 16 Feb, while Asterismal Dance will receive its world premiere on 17 Feb. Tickets priced at HK$680, $540, $400, $260, and $50 (Friday only) are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full description]
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. Currently Music Director of the HK Phil, he is also Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He has appeared as guest conductor with leading orchestras such as, in Europe, the Orchestre de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, and, in the US, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Alexandre Kantorow, piano [full description]
Alexandre Kantorow is the winner of the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, the youngest pianist and the first French artist to receive this accolade. In 2019, at the age of 22, he was the first French pianist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition, also receiving the Grand Prix, previously awarded only three times in the competition’s history. Now in demand at the highest level worldwide, he is applauded for his innate poetic charm, luminous clarity, and stunning virtuosity.

Daniel Lo, composer [full description]
Daniel Lo Ting-cheung is one of the most active composers in Hong Kong. One of his current compositional interests is to seek ways to integrate music with literature. Recent works inspired by contemporary writers include a chamber opera Women Like Us (2020/2023), a chamber opera A Woman Such as Myself (2018) , a multimedia music theatre The Happy Family (2021), a song cycle Songs of Virotopia (2022), a semi-staged cantata The Banquet at el Bulli (2020), and a choral work Mary’s Chalk Circle (2017) for narration, unaccompanied choir and video.

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SWIRE MAESTRO SERIES: JAAP & ALEXANDRE KANTOROW I
16 | 2 | 2024
FRI 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$680 $540 $400 $260 $50
Tickets now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Programme

SWIRE MAESTRO SERIES: JAAP & ALEXANDRE KANTOROW II
17 | 2 | 2024
SAT 8PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$680 $540 $400 $260
Tickets now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above

Programme

Artists

SINGAPORE AND EUROPE TOUR

Singapore
20 | 2 | 2024
TUE 7:30PM
Esplanade Concert Hall - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore
SGD110  SGD85 SGD60 SGD45
www.esplanade.com/whats-on/festivals-and-series/series/classics/jaap-van-zweden-conducts-hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra-with-alexandre-kantorow

Dresden
24 | 2 | 2024
SAT 7:30PM
Kulturpalast Dresden Concert Hall, Germany
€79 €63 €49 €32 €22
www.musikfestspiele.com/en/program/events?tx_events_pi1%5Baction%5D=show&tx_events_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=Event&tx_events_pi1%5Bdate%5D=141&tx_events_pi1%5Bevent%5D=132&cHash=2ac23fe042070ab373a3c7fbd1feea0d

Zürich
26 | 2 | 2024
MON 7:30pm
Tonhalle Zürich Concert Hall, Switzerland
CHF125 CHF105 CHF85 CHF60 CHF40
www.tonhalle-orchester.ch/en/concerts/kalender/beethoven-brahms-1753951/tz/

Toulouse
28 | 2 | 2024
WED 8PM
Halle aux Grains, Toulouse, France
€92 €70 €64 €46 €30 €20
www.grandsinterpretes.com/concert/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra/

Aix-En-Provence
29 | 2 | 2024
THU 8PM
Grand Théâtre de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France
€46 €42 €37 €33
www.lestheatres.net/fr/a/4257-hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra

Rotterdam
2 | 3 | 2024
SAT 8:15PM
De Doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
€91 €78 €67 €48
www.dedoelen.nl/en/agenda/20539/rachmaninov-and-mahler-s-first/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra-jaap-van-zweden-and-alexandre-kantorow

Basel
3 | 3 | 2024
SUN 7:30PM
Stadtcasino, Basel, Switzerland
CHF155 CHF135 CHF105 CHF70 CHF45
www.stadtcasino-basel.ch/en/program/events/hong_kong_philharm/

Rome
5 | 3 | 2024
TUE 8:30PM
Sala Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy
€52 €42 €34 €30 €28 €19
santacecilia.it/concerto/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra-jaap-van-zweden/?replica=945

Brussels
8 | 3 | 2024
FRI 8PM
Bozer, Brussels, Belgium
€98 €72 €52 €26
www.bozar.be/en/calendar/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra-van-zweden-kantorow