HK Phil's night of passion and splendor

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil), one of Asia’s foremost classical orchestras, will perform a concert this Saturday evening under the baton of resident conductor Lio Kuokman at Shenzhen Concert Hall.

Lio Kuokman. Photos courtesy of Shenzhen Concert Hall

Opening the concert is Bernstein’s massively popular Broadway classic “Candide Overture.” Then the program will feature three dance episodes from “On the Town,” another representative piece by Bernstein, a composer Lio feels deeply about.

In the second half of the show, Lio will play piano solo as he leads the orchestra in Gershwin’s iconic “Rhapsody in Blue,” bringing to life the glamorous Jazz Age New York in the roaring 1920s. This is also a way to pay tribute to Bernstein, who had also once played the piano solo part while conducting the piece. Concluding the concert will be Dvořák’s enduring “Symphony No. 9,” popularly known as “From the New World.”

The concert is a stop in HK Phil’s global tour to mark its 50th anniversary. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music fans annually. It won the prestigious U.K. classical music magazine Gramophone’s 2019 Orchestra of the Year Award – the first orchestra in Asia to receive this accolade.

Lio Kuokman conducts the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra during a concert.

Lio won the second prize at the third Svetlanov International Conducting Competition in Paris along with an audience prize and an orchestra prize and has served as the first Chinese assistant conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Educated at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory, he is a founding member and president of the Macao Chamber Music Association.

Tickets: 80-480 yuan

Time: 8 p.m., Nov. 25 (Saturday)

Venue: Shenzhen Concert Hall, Futian District (福田区深圳音乐厅)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit D