Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony OrchestraHong Kong Arts FestivalThe 45th Hong Kong Arts Festival

"Feisty, colorful and well played"The New York Times

The velvety rich "Cincinnati Sound" in legendary French and American music

Throughout its rich history, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has given American premieres of works by Debussy, Mahler, Ravel and Bartók and commissioned music from Ives and Copland. Louis Langrée, who has also led the New York Mostly Mozart Festival since 2002, is the latest in a line of Cincinnati’s legendary music directors including Leopold Stokowski and Fritz Reiner. One of today’s most sought-after artists on both concert platform and opera stage, Langrée directs a programme featuring well-loved works by celebrated American and French composers.

The Unanswered Question, Charles Ives’ hauntingly beautiful composition, which poses the eternal question of existence, is followed by Saint-Saëns’ ground-breaking third symphony, popularily known as the Organ Symphony which features Hong Kong’s award-winning organist Anne Lam.

Contemporaries Ravel and Gershwin drew inspiration from each other’s work. From Ravel’s ballet score for Daphnis et Chloé, his second suite pairs with Gershwin’s jazz-themed masterpiece Rhapsody in Blue, showcasing the talents of gifted, Ukraine-born pianist, Alexander Gavrylyuk, hailed by Gramophone as “a virtuoso in the fullest sense”.

An irresistible programme that demonstrates the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s total virtuosity, velvet colour and rich sound.

PROGRAMME

Ives
The Unanswered Question

Saint-Saëns
Symphony No 3 in C minor, Op 78, Organ
Organ: Anne Lam

Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue
Piano: Alexander Gavrylyuk

Ravel
Suite No 2 from Daphnis and Chloé