Bank of Communications brings to you Farewell to Edo - Visions Unveiled

The appointment of Edo de Waart as Chief Conductor in 2004 was certainly guaranteed to put the HKPO on the international music map. On top of that, during his time in Hong Kong the Maestro has actively promoted local musicians and composers. Among the 118 artists he has invited to share the platform with the orchestra over the past seasons, Chinese and Hong Kong artists have featured prominently. One notable pair of concerts took place in September 2007 when he invited five young Chinese pianists – Aristo Sham, Wong Wai Yin, Rachel Cheung, Chen Sa and Sun Yingdi – to perform all five Beethoven piano concertos with the HKPO over two successive days.

In this concert Maestro de Waart revisits one of the Chinese works he so enthusiastically presented to the Hong Kong audience back in 2006, Chen Qigang’s Iris Dévoilée. This is a fascinating blending of Chinese and Western musical sounds. As the Maestro himself acknowledges; “I’m proud that Chen Qigang’s work has featured during my time in Hong Kong. Many composers try to link East and West in their music. But Chen succeeds – he’s the real thing. It’s music which is intriguing and full of colour.” Also in the concert the return of another personal favourite of his; one of the orchestral versions of Wagner operas made by Henk de Vlieger, a former member of de Waart’s Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.