HK PHIL EUROPE TOUR 2025

"The best Beethoven interpretation came from Hong Kong. From the very beginning (of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 3), they (the HK Phil) threw themselves into their task with verve, did not leave it at an accompaniment, but always sought an intensive cooperation with the soloist (Rudolf Buchbinder). "
--- Die Presse, Austria

"The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra thrilled the audience with conductor Jaap van Zweden and Rudolf Buchbinder at the piano…he (Jaap van Zweden) opted for a broad sound in the overture to Wagner's Tannhäuser. The timbres seemed like the multiple layers of an oil painting. Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder carefully showcased his skills in (Beethoven’s) Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, interacting harmoniously with the orchestra." 
--- Kurier, Austria

"In Ludwig van Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, the Hong Kongers throw a powerful punch. Van Zweden pulls the music from the earth with his bare hands. Where he once forged subtle phrasings at the beginning of the beloved Allegretto…The attacca (immediate) onset of the closing Allegro con brio is telling. Double basses rumble, a lone brass instrument goes off the rails in the final bars."
--- de Volkskrant, The Netherlands

(Daniel Lo’s Asterismal Dance) The slow and mysterious opening featured beautiful woodwind passages, after which the piece exploded into a restless, pulsating stream of energy, tonal, chromatic…The intriguing whole sounded crushing, hectic, and frenetic…the sparks flew.

(Rachmaninov’s Symphony no. 2) The dark melodies sang passionately and lushly, the brass section blended beautifully, the clarinet's "wordless love song" at the beginning of the Adagio sounded moving... The Second Symphony was convincing as a well-founded structure, built from solid materials under the unsparing eye of van Zweden as a strict architect.
--- De nieuwe Muze, The Netherlands