Led by internationally acclaimed pianist and conductor Sir András Schiff, the celebrated Cappella Andrea Barca will visit Hong Kong for two concerts in November. The concerts are part of the celebration events to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC).
 
     The first concert will be held at 8pm on November 15 (Friday) at the Concert Hall of the HKCC. The programme will include Johann Sebastian Bach's "Ricercar a 6" (from "The Musical Offering", BWV 1079) and Mozart's "Symphony No. 41 in C, 'Jupiter'". Sir András will also perform in Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, 'Emperor'".
 
     The second concert, which will be staged at 5pm on November 16 (Saturday) at the same auditorium, will embrace Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat" followed by Mozart's "Symphony No. 39 in E-flat" and back to Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G".
 
     Sir András was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1953 and started piano lessons at the age of five. Since childhood he has enjoyed playing chamber music. Recitals and special cycles form an important part of his activities. Since 2004, he has performed complete cycles of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas in 20 cities. Sir András has worked with most of the major international orchestras and conductors, and nowadays he performs mainly as a conductor and soloist.
 
     Sir András has been awarded numerous international prizes. In 2006, he became an Honorary Member of the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany, in recognition of his interpretations of Beethoven's works. He was also awarded the Klavier-Festival Ruhr Prize in 2009 for his outstanding pianistic achievements and to honour his lifetime work as a pianist. He has been awarded Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.
 
     The musicians of the Cappella Andrea Barca, who are primarily active as globally successful soloists and chamber musicians, were selected personally by Sir András for the performance of the complete Mozart piano concertos at the Mozartwoche in Salzburg from 1999 to 2005. Since then, the chamber orchestra gradually widened its scope and toured numerous cities in Europe and the United States. Sir András' ambition is to present the chamber orchestra in a way that allows them to prove themselves in both soloist and chamber music formations, which most established orchestras would struggle to achieve.
 
     The concerts by Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca are presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets priced at $250, $350, $450, $550 and $700 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_805.html.
 
     Two pre-concert talks (to be conducted in Cantonese) will be held at 6.45pm on November 15 and 3.45pm on November 16 at the Foyer Reception Area, 4/F, Auditoria Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The first talk entitled "Schiff: The (Very) Vocal " will be conducted by Ernest Wan, while the second talk entitled "Mozart and Beethoven - Influence and Inspiration" will be conducted by Calvin Lai. Admission is free with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Ends/Saturday, August 10, 2019
Issued at HKT 11:00

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