Programme
BEETHOVENSymphony no. 4Listen
RUZICKAAulodie for Oboe and OrchestraListen
MOZARTFour arias from The Magic Flute (arranged for oboe)
STRAUSSTill Eulenspiegel’s Merry PranksListen

Mozart and Oboe—a marriage made in Heaven! Enjoy famous Mozart arias from The Magic Flute re-interpreted by eminent oboist François Leleux alongside the fun of Strauss, the joy of Beethoven and a work by conductor Peter Ruzicka evoking the sounds of ancient Greece.

Programme
MOZARTThe Magic Flute Overture
MOZARTPiano Concerto no. 23
MOZARTSymphony no. 39

Let the genius of Mozart lighten your heart and soul in this shimmering all-Mozart programme. You’ll be drawn into Mozart’s fanciful imagination with The Magic Flute Overture, and thrilled by the drama of the majestic Symphony no. 39. Renowned Israeli pianist Inon Barnatan, the first and current Artist-in-Association of the New York Philharmonic (“a complete artist: a wonderful pianist, a probing intellect, passionately committed” Alan Gilbert, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic), plays a sunny, most lyrical masterpiece from Mozart’s Viennese period.

Programme
MENDELSSOHNA Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture
MENDELSSOHNPiano Concerto no. 1
MAHLERSymphony no. 4

Concluding for this season the HK Phil’s two-year traversal of Mahler’s symphonies, Maestro Yu Long leads the composer’s sunniest and most approachable: the Fourth, whose ethereal last movement describes a child’s vision of heavenly life—overflowing bowls of tasty food, 11,000 maidens dancing, singing angels joining in the jubilation, and St. Cecilia and her kindred musicians—radiantly portrayed by soprano Rao Lan (“Her voice is phenomenal in size, nuances and coloration” Süddeutsche Post). Sharing the programme is the amazing 13-year-old Serena Wang in Mendelssohn’s bravura Piano Concerto no. 1. The concert is opened by an overture of dancing fairies and romantic lovers, all beautifully crafted in Mendelssohn’s dream of midsummer.

Experience the magic, melancholy, and mystery of Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony—“Winter Dreams”—as you travel through a snowy Russian landscape. Lawrence Foster also leads the HK Phil and violinist Akiko Suwanai, the youngest-ever winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition, in Walton’s concerto—evoking his love for Italy in the lyricism of the solo violin and the shimmering, sensual sonorities of the orchestral accompaniment. In the intriguingly titled opener, Hong Kong-born composer Raymond Yiu portrays vibrant London through a series of colourful orchestral tableaux.

Programme
YIU Raymond – The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured
WALTON – Violin Concerto
TCHAIKOVSKY – Symphony no. 1, Winter Dreams

Yu Long, the HK Phil’s Principal Guest Conductor, is an ambassador for contemporary Chinese music and will conduct the second programme, opening with Five Elements by renowned Chinese composer Chen Qigang. He will then partner with Zhang Haochen, winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, to enrapture the audience with Rachmaninov’s lyrical Piano Concerto no. 1.

Brahms’s legendary Violin Concerto was intended as a showcase for the talents of his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim. Famed for its lyrical melodies and rich orchestration, this masterpiece has long been cherished by virtuoso violinists. We eagerly anticipate Concertmaster Jing Wang’s interpretation of this great classic. After a short but disastrous marriage, Tchaikovsky restored his sanity by penning the Fourth Symphony in which he contemplates the hand of Fate in life. Very pleased with his work, he dedicated this life-affirming symphony to his “best friend” – Nadezhda von Meck.

Programme
TCHAIKOVSKY：Variations on a Rococo Theme
SHOSTAKOVICH：Symphony no. 7, Leningrad

Jian Wang, one of the most popular cellists, has travelled an extraordinary journey. In the upcoming concert, he will revisit a golden age of elegance with Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, conducted by Maestro Jaap van Zweden. Completing the programme is Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony, a musical tour de force written in the war-ravaged city, honouring the indomitable spirit of the Russian people.

Programme
YE XiaogangThe Song of the Earth
MAHLERDas Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)Listen

Described by Mahler expert Deryck Cooke as “music of indescribable beauty and poignancy” compelled by the appalling tension felt in the composer’s own spirit, Das Lied von der Erde “has a new, naked kind of harmonic texture and orchestration which…is like no other in music.” The “song-symphony” uses texts from Tang Dynasty poems in free German translations. In this concert, under the helm of Principal Guest Conductor Yu Long, native Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang’s composition presents these ancient Chinese poems in their original language.