Concerts by Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

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The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia is visiting Hong Kong in late November, playing two concerts at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Founded in 1908, the orchestra was the first in Italy to devote to playing symphonies exclusively and has been conducted by prominent figures like Mahler, Debussy and Saint-Saëns.

The orchestra has been under the conduct of its new music director Daniel Harding for just over a year. Having assisted conductors Sir Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado at a young age, Harding has since worked and toured with a good many philharmonics.

On the first night, the orchestra will perform Verdi’s Overture to Les vêpres siciliennes, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. The orchestra will be joined by pianist Beatrice Rana for Ravel’s Concerto.

The second concert focuses on late classical and Romantic pieces. The orchestra will perform Verdi’s Overture to Les vêpres siciliennes again, his Overture to La forza del destino, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, and Wagner’s Die Walküre, Act I. Vocal solos for Wagner’s piece will be sung by soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä, tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and Bass Kwangchul Youn.

On 20 and 21 November, the concert will be held at 20:00. A free pre-concert talk in Cantonese will also be given on both evenings at 18:45, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Then, on 21 November at 11:00, pianist Beatrice Rana will give a free piano masterclass at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, with pre-registration needed.