The HK Phil Celebrates National Day with Music of Heroes and Legends
2 SEP 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
[2 September 2025, Hong Kong] In celebration of the National Day, Long Yu, Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil), will lead the orchestra in a programme filled with music of heroes and legends. Featuring HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang and dizi player Feng Tianshi, the concert will be held on 26 September 2025 (Fri) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.
The evening kicks off with Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Opening with a stately, full-bodied brass fanfare, the piece launches with ceremonial music that makes for an impressive call to attention, gathering weight and colour as more instruments join in. With the increasing tempo accompanied by impelling rhythmic patterns, audience will be captivated by the magnificent momentum throughout the piece. Designed to open a concert with instant brilliance, the Festive Overture is a brilliant example of Shostakovich’s theatrical instincts and his gift for aural spectacle.
Following is the Hong Kong premiere of Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto, Hero, showcasing HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang as soloist. An Academy Award-winning composer and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador, Tan has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene with a creative repertoire that crosses the boundaries between classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. Based on the composer's own score for the critically-acclaimed martial arts film Hero, the concerto echoes the film’s grandness, embodied by the film character Snow’s self-sacrifice for her country.
The programme culminates with another Hong Kong premiere, Wuxia - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Jin Yong by local composer Elliot Leung. Wuxia is a symphonic exploration of the rich narratives and iconic characters from the works of Jin Yong, the master of martial arts fiction. With five programmatic movements, the piece weaves together leitmotifs representing heroes, battles, love, and deception. Each movement portrays a self-contained story, while forming a grand epic together. Feng Tianshi, renowned for her mastery of dizi, will take the centre stage in this performance.
“National Day Concert: Music of Heroes and Legends” will be held on 26 September 2025 (Fri) at 7:30PM at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$520, $420, $320 and $220 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.
Sponsor: CMB Wing Lung Bank
This concert is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series
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Artists
Long Yu, conductor [full description]
Hailed by The New York Times as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene”, the conductor and impresario Long Yu has devoted his illustrious career to steering China’s growing connection to classical music. Maestro Yu currently holds the top position in the country’s most prominent orchestras: Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing, and Music Director of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, co-director of Shanghai’s Music in the Summer Air festival, and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival. He is currently Vice President of the China Musicians Association and Chairman of its League of China Orchestras.
Jing Wang, violin [full description]
Jing Wang, Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, is one of the most versatile and dynamic violinists of his generation. Since making his solo recital debut in Marseilles, France, at the age of six, Wang has won numerous awards in top international competitions, including first prize at the 2007 Irving M. Klein International Strings Competition. In 2003, he was awarded the “Young Soloist of the Year” by Les Radios Francophones Publiques, a broadcast network spanning France, Canada, Switzerland, and Belgium.
Feng Tianshi, dizi [full description]
Feng Tianshi, Chinese bamboo (Dizi) flautist, is a winner of the Gold Prize from the "WenHua" Grand Chinese Instruments Competition organised by the China Ministry of Culture for solo performance and chamber music performance. She is currently a teacher at the Central Conservatory of Music while pursuing her Doctoral degree, studying Dizi under Professor Yuan Feifan.
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National Day Concert: Music of Heroes and Legends
26 | 9 | 2025
FRI 7:30PM
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
HK$520 $420 $320 $220
Tickets now available at URBTIX
For ages 6 and above
Artists
Long Yu, conductor
Jing Wang, violin
Feng Tianshi, dizi
Programme
SHOSTAKOVICH | Festive Overture, op.96
TAN Dun | Violin Concerto, Hero (Hong Kong Premiere)
Elliot LEUNG| Wuxia - Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Jin Yong (Hong Kong Premiere)