HK Phil Announces 45th Anniversary Special Project

The 2018/19 season marks the 45th professional season of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil). Our Music Director Jaap van Zweden, acclaimed as "A Great Mahler Interpreter" by D Magazine, continues the Mahler cycle with a project dedicated to this celebratory season - Mahler $200, at which all seats for the Mahler symphonies no. 7 and no. 9 are available at a uniform price of HK$200. Members of the audience can sit somewhere new to enjoy a different acoustical and visual experience.

Kicking off this special project is Mahler Symphony no. 7. For a long time treated as the "Cinderella" of his symphonic output - the neglected and sadly misunderstood member, but now one of the most enthusiastically discussed of Mahler's nine completed symphonies, Jaap's performance of this challenging work promises to reach right into the heart of this most unexpected of Mahler symphonies.

Mahler started work on his Symphony no. 7 in 1904, which was a good year for him personally and professionally. He completed it in 1905 and continued making minor alterations until its premiere in 1908. Unfortunately, the years 1905 to 1908 witnessed a dramatic change in Mahler's fortunes. He lost his position at the Vienna Court Opera, his status in the musical community in Vienna; his first daughter died from scarlet fever; and he also experienced his own heart problems. All of which might explain why the original optimism and cheerfulness of the Symphony were subsequently tempered by the small but significant revisions Mahler made in the years leading up to its premiere.

Mahler's Seventh is a challenging but fascinating symphony. His orchestral imagination ran riot in it, and he included instruments that seldom feature in the orchestra - tenor horn (a relative of the euphonium), mandolin, guitar, cowbells and deep-pitched bells; and producing surprising colours and sound effects from familiar instruments in the orchestra. All these help make Mahler's Symphony no. 7 an irresistible experience in the concert hall.

We look forward to sharing this wonderful event with you - HK Phil's Mahler cycle with free choice of seats at a uniform price at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall.

Mahler $200: Mahler Symphony no. 7 will be held on 16 & 17 November 2018 (Fri & Sat), 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets price: HK$200 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

At the request of the conductor, the repertoire of the concerts will be changed from Mahler Symphony no. 9 to Mahler Symphony no. 7. Ticket-holders may continue to use their tickets for admission according to the date printed on the tickets for the updated programme.

For ticketing assistance, please contact the HK Phil Ticketing Office at least TEN days before the concert date(s) (i.e. on or before 2 November 2018) from Mon to Fri (10:00am -12:30pm, 2:00pm-6:00pm), excluding Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, at 2721 0132 / 2721 2332 or ticketing@hkphil.org.

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