Freddy Kempf Plays Schumann
Three powerfully moving works performed by
two of the most dynamic artists of today

“Kempf juxtaposed dramatic delivery with the ability to make his instrument sing.”    The Guardian

Without doubt one of today’s most successful young pianists, Freddy Kempf has built a unique reputation as an explosive and physical performer who is not afraid to take risks. Renowned Japanese conductor Junichi Hirokami together with Kempf will be presenting Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, in the pianist’s second collaboration with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. The programme also includes Beethoven Symphony No 6, “Pastorale” and Japan’s foremost composer, Toru Takemitsu’s Three Film Scores.

The concerts will be held on:
10 October 2009 (Sat) 8:00pm at HK City Hall Concert Hall.
Tickets: $320, $220, $120

Schumann’s one and only piano concerto
Completed around 1845, the Piano Concerto in A minor is the only piano concerto that Schumann ever completed. An incredibly moving piece that perfectly merging poetry & romantic passion, the work was premièred in Leipzig in 1846, played by Schumann’ s own wife Clara, with Mendelssohn as conductor.

Experience Beethoven’s Country Life
Inspired by Beethoven’s love of nature, Symphony No 6, “Pastorale” recreates a visit to the country, complete with babbling book, peasant dancing and a thunderstorm.

Toru Takemitsu’s “Three Film Scores”
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996) is Japan’s foremost composer and apart from concert works, he has also written 93 film scores for internationally acclaimed directors such as Hiroshi Teshigahara, Akina Kurosawa & Philip Kaufman. In the concert, Hong Kong Sinfonietta will play his “Three Film Scores” which are taken from the films “Jose Torrés” (1959), funeral music from “Black Rain” (1989) and a waltz from “The Face of Another” (1966). 

For further information, please contact Ms Amanda Mok, PR & Communications Manager:
Email：amanda.mok@hksinfonietta.org  Tel: 3607 2328

For photos, please download from http://www.hksl.org/eng/media/imageLibrary.aspx or contact Ms Amanda Mok.

Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Freddy Kempf Plays Schumann
Piano: Freddy Kempf
Conductor: Junichi Hirokami

10th October, 2009 (Sat) 8:00pm
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
Tickets：$320, $220, $120

Programme

Toru Takemitsu   Three Film Scores
Schumann          Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54
Beethoven          Symphony No 6 in F, Op 68, “Pastorale”

Freddy Kempf               Piano

When Freddy Kempf won the Third Prize—instead of the First—in the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow, it provoked protests from the audience and an outcry in the Russian press, which proclaimed him "the hero of the competition".  Since then, he has appeared in the world's most prestigious halls and festivals including the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall and Wiener Musikverein, and has performed with top orchestras and conductors such as the Royal Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Temirkanov, Sawallisch and Chailly.  In 2001, Kempf was voted Best Young British Classical Performer in the prestigious Classical Brit Awards.  Today, the once youngest winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition (in 1992) records exclusively for BIS Records and has his own acclaimed chamber group, the Kempf Trio.

Junichi Hirokami     Conductor

“Hirokami’s charismatic energy, and his excellent sense of musical gesture and nuance, make him a conductor to watch – and to invite back.”  The Toronto Globe and Mail


“Hirokami’s ear for the exact moments when texture shifts in a phrase, his witty direction of rhythm and his lovingly detailed dynamics all herald an important career.”  The Washington Post

Currently the Chief Conductor of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Junichi Hirokami has led a successful conducting career since winning the Kondrashin International Conducting Competition in Amsterdam at age 26. He has conducted major orchestras in Europe and around the world such as the Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic, receiving critical acclaim.


Tickets NOW available at all URBTIX outlets
Half-price tickets available for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients
10% discount for group booking of 4 or more adult tickets

Ticketing Enquiries & Reservations：2734 9009
Credit Card Telephone Booking：2111 5999
URBTIX Internet Ticketing Service：www.URBTIX.hk
Programme Enquiries：2836 3336 / info@hksinfonietta.org

Hong Kong Sinfonietta is the Venue Partner of the Hong Kong City Hall
Hong Kong Sinfonietta is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative region
Hong Kong Sinfonietta reserves the right to change the programme and artists

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