The Macallan Bravo Series Presents Chopin & Brahms

On 18 & 19 May in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is presenting a programme featuring Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, First Prize winner of the Chopin Competition 2010. Under the baton of Hans Graf, one of the most respected Maestros on the podium, Yulianna will be making her debut with the HK Phil, delivering the magic of her touch in Chopin's lovely Second Piano Concerto. Another highlight of the programme is Brahms' soothing Third Symphony.

Yulianna Avdeeva won the First Prize in the Chopin Competition in 2010. Her Chopin performances have drawn particular praise. The Guardian observed that "... her ability to finesse Chopin's inner voices puts many to shame", and marked her out as one of the composer's foremost interpreters. In this concert she will perform Piano Concerto no. 2, on which the piano is unashamedly the star. This is a piece which showcases the soloist's virtuosity and sensitivity.

After the interval, Hans Graf and the orchestra will present Brahms' Symphony no. 3. German music-lovers in the late 19th century saw Brahms as a worthy successor to Beethoven, but Brahms himself only felt ready to present his first symphony when he was 43. Completed seven years later, Brahms' Third Symphony saw the composer at the peak of his creative powers. Hans Richter, who led the premiere with the Vienna Philharmonic, acclaimed it as Brahms' Eroica - high praise that seemed to reawaken Beethoven's ghost yet again.

Opening this concert is Mendelssohn's The Fair Melusina: Overture, which is based on Austrian dramatist Franz Grillparzer's play drawing on a medieval French tale. Melusina was a fish sprite who adopted human form in order to marry a nobleman and live with him in the beautiful castle of Lusignan. Mendelssohn's overture was not intended to depict the story in detail but rather to convey the poetic essence of the story. With its light, shimmering qualities the music beautifully captures the fairy-tale character of Grillparzer's work.

This will be programme of rich musical colours.

The Macallan Bravo Series: Chopin & Brahms is sponsored by The Macallan

Tickets priced: HK$480, $380, $280, $180 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit www.hkphil.org.