Maestro Jaap Van Zweden Concludes 12-Season Journey as HK Phil Music Director

After a 12-year journey with exceptional achievements and outstanding performances, Maestro Jaap van Zweden bids farewell as the Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil). Under his assiduous and energetic nurture, the HK Phil has attained unprecedented heights of artistic excellence and made history by performing Wagner's complete Ring Cycle, garnering the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year. Maestro van Zweden and the orchestra have also brought the finest music-making beyond Hong Kong on international tours across Asia, Australia, Europe and the Mainland. 

 

From mid to late June 2024, Maestro van Zweden has presented us with three exciting programmes, including the Swire Community Concerts, Wagner's The Flying Dutchman – the second Wagner opera-in-concert performance following the huge success of the Ring Cycle, joined by a stellar cast of vocalists, as well as the farewell concerts performing beloved pieces voted by the audiences. The memorable farewell concerts opened with Dragon Factors by OZNO (James Boznos, HK Phil Principal Timpani), celebrating the musical journey with our Music Director. The audience rose to their feet, applauding and cheering thunderously after the final notes, bidding an emotional farewell to van Zweden.

 

“It's been a source of immense personal satisfaction to collaborate with this magnificent orchestra for the past twelve unforgettable years. The journey has undoubtedly demanded great dedication from everyone involved, but the artistic achievements we've accomplished together stand as a testament to our collective efforts. A huge thank you to all of you in the audience. Throughout it all, you – the audience – have been companions on this remarkable voyage, sharing in the profound joy that great music can bring. I hope you will all continue to support the HK Phil in the future,” said Maestro van Zweden.

 

David Cogman, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the HK Phil, said: “Jaap inherited a strong regional orchestra in 2012. He leaves it in 2024 as a leading international orchestra. We cannot thank Jaap enough for what he has achieved here over the past decade: he will always be a treasured friend of the orchestra and of Hong Kong, and the orchestra is tremendously proud of everything they have accomplished under his leadership. Though we are very sad to see him leave, we look forward to welcoming him back to conduct us in the years to come.”

 

Since his inaugural concert in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on 28 September 2012, Maestro van Zweden has become the longest serving Music Director of the HK Phil. With van Zweden at the helm, the HK Phil has shared the stage with numerous International Artists, including Joshua Bell, Rudolf Buchbinder, Renaud Capuçon, Renée Fleming, Lang Lang, Ning Feng, Yo-Yo Ma, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yuja Wang, elevating the orchestra's artistic level to unprecedented heights. The Maestro has delighted the HK Phil audiences with many masterpieces, including his “second to none” interpretations of Bruckner symphonies, the monumental Bach St Matthew Passion, and the captivating Mahler symphonies.

 

Maestro van Zweden also led the HK Phil in a groundbreaking performance of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle from 2015 to 2018, a considerable accomplishment in the world of classical music. In recognition of the live Naxos recordings of the orchestra's astonishing performances, the HK Phil was honoured with the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year award in 2019, earning international recognition for their artistic achievements and commitment to excellence. In addition, van Zweden made numerous acclaimed recordings with the HK Phil, including Mahler's Symphony no. 10 (concert version ed. Mengelberg/Dopper) and Shostakovich's Symphonies nos. 5, 9 and 10, alongside a new Tchaikovsky album. 

 

A believer in the transformative power of music, Maestro van Zweden sees it as a bridge connecting communities. “Music is important in enriching not only the brain but more importantly the soul,” he once said. Determined to transform the lives of children and young people with autism, van Zweden and his wife Aaltje established the Papageno Foundation in 1997 to support families with autistic children, using music as a means of reaching out to them. Committed to making concerts enjoyable for and accessible to people of all abilities and needs, the Maestro has conducted many community concerts for the HK Phil, including the popular Swire Community Concerts.

 

As a cultural ambassador of Hong Kong, the HK Phil is dedicated to fostering cultural exchange and showcasing the artistic excellence of Hong Kong on the global stage. Maestro van Zweden has led the HK Phil on 11 tours across Asia, Australia, Europe and the Mainland, including the longest nine-city tour to Singapore and Europe in February and March 2024. Commemorating the HK Phil's five decades of excellence, this tour took international audiences by storm with the orchestra's finest music-making.

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