The HK Phil's First Two Programmes in 2022 Feature Principal Guest Conductor Yu Long and Three Soloists

Following the sold-out New Year Year's concerts, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) distinguished Principal Guest Conductor, Yu Long, will kickstart the new year by conducting the orchestra's first two programmes of 2022. While limited seats of the January concerts are still available, fans should act quickly to snap up remaining tickets!

On 7 & 8 January 2022 (Fri & Sat), Swire Maestro Series: Yu Long | Bernstein will feature renowned erhu player Yiwen Lu and pianist Zee Zee. Yu Long | Tchaikovsky 5, on 14 & 15 January 2022 (Fri & Sat), will showcase the HK Phil's Guest Principal Trumpet Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum. Both concerts will be in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.

Swire Maestro Series: Yu Long | Bernstein

7 & 8 January

Maestro Yu Long opens this concert with the prelude to Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina, which paints a musical picture of Dawn over the Moscow River, and incorporates a Russian folk melody. Also featuring an ancient melody, Chen Qigang's Un Temps Disparu, looks back both to China's Jin Dynasty and the composer's early life experiences. In this magical and evocative work, erhu soloist Yiwen Lu will join the HK Phil offering concertgoers the unique experience of an ancient Chinese instrument soloing with a modern Western orchestra. Wrapping up the concert is Bernstein's Symphony no.2 - The Age of Anxiety. Half symphony and half piano concerto, this was Leonard Bernstein's musical response to W H Auden's poem about the futility of a hedonistic lifestyle. One of America's most remarkable and versatile musicians, Bernstein also possessed a strong awareness of social injustice. Virtuoso pianist Zee Zee takes on the demanding piano part.

Swire Maestro Series: Yu Long | Bernstein will be held on 7 & 8 January 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$480, $380 and $280 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Yu Long | Tchaikovsky 5

14 & 15 January

The concert opens with Rimsky-Korsakov's Overture to The Tsar's Bride, an opera based on a play by Lev Mey concerning Tsar Ivan IV whose third wife died on the day of her wedding. The Overture portrays this romantic tragedy filled with drama and tension. Named Principal Trumpet of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017 at the age of 20 and highly acclaimed by Bangkok Post as one of the Thailand's "most exciting musical prospects", HK Phil Guest Principal Trumpet Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum, will perform Haydn's remarkable Trumpet Concerto, the third movement of which was used in the popular Netflix TV Series, Squid Game. Marking a triumphant and unforgettable end to the evening, Tchaikovsky's glorious Symphony no. 5 will perfectly showcase the passion of Yu Long and the HK Phil.

Yu Long | Tchaikovsky 5 will be held on 14 & 15 January 2022 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$480, $380 and $280 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.