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The Hong Kong premiere of the once lost Mahler's "Symphony No 4 in G" (chamber version) will be brought to stage next month by Hong Kong Virtuosi.
Conductor Yu Long, one of the most distinguished Chinese conductors with an international reputation, and soprano Rao Lan will perform in the concert. Apart from "Mahler 4", the programme also includes Beethoven's "Septet in E-flat, Op.20".
In the concert, Mahler's "Symphony No 4 in G" is arranged by Mahler's former pupil Erwin Stein for a chamber ensemble. The score and parts of Stein's version of the work were lost, but were reconstructed in 1990 from his annotated copy of the full score.
Conductor Yu Long is currently the Music Director of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the China Philharmonic Orchestra. Over the years, Yu has collaborated with many distinguished musicians including Neville Marriner, Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Dumay, Cho-Liang Lin, Frank Peter Zimmerman, Mikhail Pletnev, Lang Lang, Yundi Li and Jian Wang.
Yu has worked with many orchestras including the Hamburg State Opera, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Leipzig, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Le Theatre de Nice, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
In 2003, Yu was awarded Le grade de Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Honour of Chevalier of French Art and Culture) by the Government of France in recognition of his contributions to the promotion of cultural ties between China and France.
The Hong Kong Virtuosi is drawn from Hong Kong's finest musicians and distinguished professionals. Its members share a commitment to music making at the highest level of excellence with a mission to serve the Hong Kong community. The group has actively participated in different concerts, aiming to promote classical music to Hong Kong people.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Mahler 4" will be staged at 8pm, February 7 (Wednesday) at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $150, $120 and $100, are now available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients (limited tickets for students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). A 10% discount applies to Friends of LCSD performing venues.
Box seats and lounge packages are available for sale for the performance. Please call 2268 7230 for details.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999; for Internet bookings, visit www.urbtix.hk; for more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.
Ends/Monday, January 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:38
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