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World-renowned pianist Murray Perahia and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields will give two concerts in November. Patrons will be able to experience a journey of classical delights in the performances, which will be presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's "Great Music" series.
Murray Perahia, a performer widely acclaimed for his rare musical sensitivity and dedication, will lead the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, one of the best known chamber orchestras in the world, in two concerts featuring gems from the classical era. Perahia, with a career spanning four decades, is a pianist in high demand at virtually all reputable concert stages. A 73-disc box set entitled "The First 40 Years" was recently issued to highlight the achievements in Perahia's impressive discography.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the most frequently recorded ensembles in the world. With more than 500 recordings to date, its best remembered moments include the first gold disc with Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in 1969, a Billboard Classical Chart No. 1 with Joshua Bell in 2007 and the soundtrack for the film "Amadeus", which claimed 13 gold discs.
In two evenings the power team will perform works from the classical era, from an elegant Mozart "Piano Concerto" to Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto", which changed the concerto forever. Stravinsky's "Dumbarton Oaks", a neoclassical concerto modelled after Bach's work, will also be played alongside Haydn symphonies and Mendelssohn's strings "Sinfonia", a work that proved Mendelssohn's early talent.
Britain's Guardian newspaper, reviewing a performance of the Beethoven concerto by Perahia and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields last year, wrote, "Directing the orchestra from the keyboard, Perahia played the 'Emperor' with rhythmic urgency and a go-for-broke eloquence."
The concerts by Murray Perahia and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields will be staged at 8pm on November 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $650, $500, $400, $300 and $200 are now available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). Group booking discount and package discount schemes are available. Please refer to programme leaflets for details.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries call 3761 6661. For telephone credit card bookings, call 2111 5999. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk. For more information on the programme, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_560.html .
Free pre-concert talks will be held at 6.45pm on November 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday) at Level 4 Foyer, Auditoria Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ends/Monday, September 1, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:15
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