The Macallan is poised to take center stage at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the second installment of The Macallan Bravo! Series on December 31.
The Macallan is poised to take center stage at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the second installment of The Macallan Bravo! Series on December 31, 2011. Following on the heels of a successful run in March, the renowned whisky house is once again collaborating with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to bring the best of classical music for discerning music lovers.
Johannes Wildner will step in as guest conductor for the Bravo! Series this month. Modeled after the celebrated Viennese Neujahrskonzert, the concert, A Viennese New Year, is bound to be a crowd-pleaser, with scores from the vast repertoire of the Strauss family and its contemporaries. Originating from a dark page in Austrian history, the concert is heralded for its light-hearted character – a definite delight, and perhaps enlightening one, for those wishing to end a tumultuous year on an optimistic high note.
JOHANNES WILDNER
One of Europe’s most prominent conductors, the Austrian–born Johannes Wildner has a slew of accolades attached to his name. After positions as Chief Conductor of Prague State Opera (1994-95) and First Permanent Conductor of Leipzig Opera (1996-98), Wildner was the General Music Director of the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Westphalia (Germany) for 10 years from 1997. More recently, he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra in London.
With a musical repertoire that includes various guest appearances in major opera houses – the Leipzig Volksopher Vienna, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra London, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and of course, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra –the 55-year-old is renowned for his expressive renderings and rejection of superficial orchestral colorings. A violinist as well as a musicologist, Wildner has recorded more than 60 CDs, videos and DVDs, including complete performances of Carmen, Cosi fan tutte, Die Fledermaus and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3.
THE HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Helmed by artistic director and chief conductor Edo de Waart, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is one of Asia’s most prestigious orchestras. With a roster of both local and international talents, the HKPO gives over 150 performances to more than 200,000 music aficionados every year. Renowned for endeavoring to challenge boundaries, the HKPO has also enjoyed cross-genre collaborations with the likes of Jacky Cheung, Frances Yip and Wang Leehom.
