HK Phil Tour to Europe Ahead of 2025/26 Season
Conducted by Jaap van Zweden
Featuring Pianists Jussen Brothers, Alexandre Kantorow and Rudolf Buchbinder
1 AUG 2025
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
[1 August 2025, Hong Kong] Following the success of its massive Singapore and Europe tour in 2024, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) returns to Europe for a four-concert tour ahead of its 2025/26 Season. Under the baton of Maestro Jaap van Zweden, the orchestra will perform across three countries from late August to early September, including its debut at Het Concertgebouw, one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world.
The tour will feature acclaimed pianists, including the Jussen Brothers and Alexandre Kantorow at Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Rudolf Buchbinder at Kursaal in Merano and at Wolkenturm in Grafenegg. It is supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Brussels and Berlin of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Tour highlights:
- Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 30 August 2025
Joined by world-renowned Dutch musicians Jaap van Zweden and the Jussen Brothers, the HK Phil will make its much-anticipated debut at Het Concertgebouw with a diverse and compelling programme. The first evening will open with Asterismal Dance by Hong Kong composer Daniel Lo, a piece in which distinctive musical materials traverse different sections of the orchestra in a non-linear fashion, like scattered stars across the sky. The concert continues with In Unison, a dynamic concerto for two pianos by Dutch composer Joey Roukens, performed by the Jussen Brothers. The programme concludes with Rachmaninov’s lush Symphony no. 2.
- Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 31 August 2025
On the following evening, the programme will begin with Wagner’s majestic Tannhäuser Overture, offering a blend of grandeur, clarity, and jubilant spirit, and concludes with Beethoven’s joyful and rhythmically charged Symphony no. 7. French pianist Alexandre Kantorow will take the stage for Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a reprise of his acclaimed 2024 Singapore and Europe tour with Jaap van Zweden and the HK Phil.
- Kursaal, Merano, Italy, 2 September 2025
The HK Phil will make its debut at the Kursaal concert hall, where Jaap van Zweden and the orchestra will reunite with Rudolf Buchbinder for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3. The programme will begin with Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture and concludes with Beethoven’s jubilant Symphony no. 7. This performance is part of the Südtirol Festival Merano, one of the most important classical music festivals in Europe.
- Wolkenturm, Grafenegg, Austria, 5 September 2025
Lastly, the HK Phil will make its debut at the Wolkenturm with a reprise of the previous concert, wrapping up the Europe tour amidst the scenic backdrop of Austria. This performance is part of the Grafenegg Festival 2025, where Rudolf Buchbinder has served as Artistic Director since 2007.
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Artists
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full description]
Jaap van Zweden, born in Amsterdam, began his distinguished musical career as the youngest-ever concertmaster of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at age 19. He transitioned to conducting in 1996 and has since become a prominent figure in the field. He served as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from 2018 to 2024, and Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 2012 to 2024. In January 2024, he took on the role of Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic and is set to begin as Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France Paris in September 2026.
The Jussen Brothers, piano [full description]
Lucas and Arthur Jussen are among the most sought-after piano duos of our time. Given their illustrious international careers, it is fair to say the Jussen brothers (born 1993 and 1996) are the Netherland’s pre-eminent ambassadors for classical music. With their energetic, almost symbiotic playing, their great refinement of sound, and gripping interpretations, they are praised vigorously by press and audiences alike. “It is like driving a pair of BMWs”, exclaimed conductor Michael Schønwandt about the two pianists after directing them in concert.
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.
Rudolf Buchbinder, piano [full description]
Rudolf Buchbinder is one of the legendary performers of our time. The authority of a career spanning 65 years is uniquely combined with esprit and spontaneity in his piano playing. Tradition and innovation, faithfulness and freedom, authenticity and open-mindedness merge in his reading of the great piano literature. Buchbinder is an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, the Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the first soloist to be awarded the Golden Badge of Honor by the Staatskapelle Dresden.
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EUROPE TOUR
Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
30 | 8 | 2025
SAT 8PM
€79 €69 €59 €49 €39
Programme
Daniel LO | Asterismal Dance |
Joey ROUKENS | Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, In Unison |
RACHMANINOV | Symphony no. 2 in E minor |
Artists
conductor | |
piano |
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Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
31 | 8 | 2025
SUN 8PM
€79 €69 €59 €49 €39
Programme
WAGNER | Tannhäuser Overture |
RACHMANINOV | Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini |
BEETHOVEN | Symphony no. 7 in A major |
Artists
conductor | |
piano |
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Kursaal, Merano, Italy
2 | 9 | 2025
TUE 8:30PM
€150 €120 €90 €60 €35
www.meranofestival.com/en/concerts/en-classic/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra
Programme
WAGNER | Tannhäuser Overture |
BEETHOVEN | Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor |
BEETHOVEN | Symphony no. 7 in A major |
Artists
conductor | |
piano |
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Wolkenturm, Grafenegg, Austria
5 | 9 | 2025
FRI 7PM
€172 €152 €130 €100 €85 €65 €40 €10
www.grafenegg.com/en/programme-tickets/hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra/30314
Programme
WAGNER | Tannhäuser Overture |
BEETHOVEN | Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor |
BEETHOVEN | Symphony no. 7 in A major |
Artists
conductor | |
piano |