Daniel Harding and Paul Lewis Launch HK Phil’s New Season

Description

On 18 and 19 September, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s new season kicks off with a riveting concert led by award-winning conductor Daniel Harding and acclaimed pianist Paul Lewis. The evening opens with Haydn’s intense symphony La passione, a work charged with emotional depth emblematic of the Sturm und Drang movement, followed by Mozart’s graceful and majestic Piano Concerto No. 25, interpreted by Lewis, one of today’s most admired pianists. The second half brings Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote to life, with HK Phil principals — violist Andrew Ling and cellist Richard Bamping — embodying the iconic characters Sancho Panza and Don Quixote in this vivid journey through fantasy and reality.

Harding, music and artistic director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, is internationally celebrated for his dynamic leadership. He served as principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2017 and music director of the Orchestre de Paris between 2016 and 2019. In 2024, he became director of Youth Music Culture, Greater Bay Area, and music director of the Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

Lewis is globally recognised for his profound and nuanced interpretations of Central European repertoire, especially Beethoven and Schubert. Praised for his depth and sincerity, he has received numerous awards, including a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his outstanding contributions to music. He has worked with world-class orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra.