Orchestrating rare simplicity for Beijing audiences

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra staged a concert on Monday at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

The concert was part of the ongoing ninth edition of the China Orchestra Festival.

Under the baton of Grammy Award-winning Estonian conductor Paavo Jarvi, the orchestra performed Estonian composer Arvo Part's Swansong and Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev's Symphony No 4 in C Major, Op 112 and Violin Concerto No 2 in G Minor, Op 63, featuring violinist Bomsori Kim.

"These music pieces were rarely performed. We are excited to present them to the audience in Beijing," says the conductor, who serves as music director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, as the long-standing artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2004, and as the founder and artistic director of the Estonian Festival Orchestra.

According to the conductor, the program celebrates simplicity, especially Kim, the winner of multiple prestigious international competitions, who played Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto.

"This piece was written to reflect the composer's desire for 'clear and simple' music, a theme that can also be heard in his earlier fourth symphony," the conductor notes.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1947 as an amateur orchestra that turned professional in 1974. During the last two decades, the orchestra has flourished under Amsterdam-born conductor Jaap van Zweden and Dutch conductor Edo de Waart.

Tarmo Peltokoski will become the orchestra's music director at the start of the 2026-2027 season after serving as music director designate in 2025-2026. Currently, conductor Yu Long serves as principal guest conductor and Lio Kuokman is the resident conductor.