German composer Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the most influential figures in classical and romantic music, despite suffering from deafness later in his life. Major music groups in Hong Kong will pay tribute to the maestro by performing his legacy compositions to mark the 250th anniversary of his birth.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has four programmes in the pipeline, all conducted by music director Jaap van Zweden. The season kicks off with Symphony No 9, a piece that calls for joy and peace, presented by the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus, as well as Leonore Overture No 2, one of several overtures drafted as the opener to his only opera, Fidelio.

The opera itself, which is about struggle, freedom and love, will be performed by Wagner’s Ring stars Simon O’Neill, Matthias Goerne, Valentina Farcas, as well as the State Choir Latvija and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus.

Four-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter will play Triple Concerto with cellist Kian Soltani and pianist Lauma Skride. The season will end with the pairing of Beethoven’s violin concerto pieces Romance No 1 and Symphony No 8, two of the composer’s personal favourites.

Find out more at hkphil.org

Hong Kong Sinfonietta presents Beethoven the Immortal, a concert by local conductor Jason Lai and pianist Colleen Lee, who will perform the musical giant’s last completed piano concerto, The Emperor Concerto, as well as two other pieces that explore the themes of conflict, courage and victory.

The company also presents The Beethoven Series, which includes two programmes featuring international heavyweights. Ode to Beethoven will be conducted by German violinist Christoph Poppen, while Cellomania, which also features music by Shostakovich and Mendelssohn, will be performed by Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s principal cellist Maximilian Hornung.

Find out more at hksl.org

Japanese composer-conductor Joe Hisaishi turns 70 this December, coinciding with his return to Hong Kong for a series of special performances. The seven-time Japanese Academy Film Prize winner is behind the many mesmerising pieces for Studio Ghibli’s animations, such as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

The “John Williams of Japan” returns to Hong Kong this December to conduct his well-known works Woman and Kiki’s Delivery Service Suite with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He will also present two premieres of his orchestral works, Symphony No 2 and The Border, Concerto for 3 Horns, which will feature Japanese hornist Nobuaki Fukukawa, as well as the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s principal horn player, Lin Jiang.

Find out more at hkphil.org

Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden, who simultaneously holds the posts of musical director of both the Hong Kong and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, will celebrate his 60th birthday this year—in a big way. Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus will toast the maestro’s milestone with a music gala featuring American violinist Joshua Bell, the current owner of the 1713 ‘Gibson, Huberman’ Stradivari antique violin, one of the world’s finest instruments, which has been stolen and recovered twice in its lifetime.

Concert-goers will get to see and hear its esteemed strings play Beethoven’s most famous and popular work, Symphony No 5, onstage with the Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ school of music’s training orchestra. The programme will be topped off with a premiere of Hong Kong composer Chan Kai-young’s newly commissioned piece for the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Find out more at hkphil.org

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