Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig from Germany, with a history of over 280 years, will return to Hong Kong after a seven-year hiatus, presenting two concerts at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in June. This also marks the Hong Kong debut of world-class conductor and Grammy Award winner Andris Nelsons – he will lead the orchestra in symphonic masterpieces by Schumann and Shostakovich, and be joined by International Chopin Piano Competition winner Yulianna Avdeeva to perform piano concertos by Beethoven and Rachmaninov, opening the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD)’s “Great Music 2026”.
This musical extravaganza, bringing together top-tier musicians and timeless classics, has received an overwhelming response from music lovers. Tickets for the second concert (June 3) are already sold out, while over 80 per cent of tickets for the first concert (June 2) have also been snapped up. Those who are interested are reminded to buy tickets as early as possible.
As the final stop of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig’s Asia tour this year, the first concert (June 2) in Hong Kong will feature two masterpieces that received their world premieres by the orchestra in the first half of the 19th century: Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73, ‘Emperor'”, first performed under then-music director Schulz in 1811; and Schumann’s “Symphony No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 38, ‘Spring'”, conducted by Mendelssohn at its 1841 premiere. Under the baton of Nelsons, current music director of the orchestra, this concert not only honours the orchestra’s glorious chapters in classical music tradition but also allows audiences to experience the legendary “Leipzig sound” passed down through centuries. The second concert (June 3) will present two 20th-century classics: Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18” and Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93”. Avdeeva will be the soloist for the piano concertos of both concerts, weaving her extraordinary artistry into the orchestral tapestry and engaging in a profound dialogue with the works.
The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig is the world’s oldest civic symphony orchestra. Its origins date back to 1743, when it was founded by a group of 16 musical philanthropists, comprising noblemen and burghers alike. It earned its name after moving into the upper hall of the Gewandhaus (a textile merchants’ trading house). The orchestra is revered for its highly individual, warm, dark sound palette that clearly distinguishes it from other elite orchestras. Over the years, it has made a significant contribution to the development of the symphonic musical tradition, including performing all of Beethoven’s symphonies during the composer’s lifetime. The orchestra also presented the world’s first complete Bruckner symphonic cycle, as well as the first Shostakovich cycle, during the 1970s.
Nelsons is currently Gewandhauskapellmeister (music director and conductor) of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and has established a pioneering alliance between the two institutions. His complete recordings of the symphonies and concertos of Shostakovich and the opera “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” have garnered four Grammy Awards for “Best Orchestral Performance” and “Best Engineered Album, Classical”. He also completed a Bruckner symphonic cycle and a Beethoven cycle with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra respectively.
Avdeeva is the First Prize Winner of the 16th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010. Her performance was praised by The Telegraph (United Kingdom) newspaper as “spontaneous and volatile” and “full of depth and colour”. She has collaborated with numerous orchestras, such as the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She has recently appeared at the “Chopin and his Europe” Festival in Warsaw and the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, and has given solo recitals at Vienna’s Musikverein Wien, the Berliner Philharmonie and more.
“Gewandhausorchester Leipzig” concerts will be staged at 8pm on June 2 and 3 (Tuesday and Wednesday) at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets for the first concert priced at $450, $650, $850, $1,000, $1,300 and $1,600 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Discount schemes are available for the programmes under “Great Music 2026”. All tickets for the second concert have been sold out. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1947.html.
Two pre-concert talks (to be conducted in Cantonese) will be held at 6.45pm on June 2 and 3 respectively at Level 4 Foyer, Auditoria Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The first talk entitled “From the Classical Period to the Romantic Period” will be hosted by music practitioner Jimmy Shiu, while the second talk entitled “Echoes of Russia – The Sound of Leipzig” will be hosted by music critic Savio Lau. Admission is free, with limited seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The “Great Music 2026”, presented by the LCSD, will bring a world-renowned orchestra and musicians to Hong Kong from June to December, offering music lovers a stellar line-up of performances. For more details, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/groups_1946.html.