The exciting lineup for Musicus Fest 2024

Running from now till 7 December, Musicus Fest 2024 once again boasts a stellar lineup, from the distinct tones of the rarely performed electronic instrument Ondes Martenot to the energetic forces of young Hong Kong artists, as well as a grand, majestic performance of Dvořák’s symphonic masterpieces by Sinfonia Varsovia from Poland.

Artistic Director of Musicus Society cum cellist Trey Lee says, “Cultural exchange and world-class music-making are at the heart of our festival. In addition to performing with the critically acclaimed Sinfonia Varsovia from Poland, I am very much looking forward to leading Musicus Soloists Hong Kong in their Paris debut. These collaborations with high-caliber artists are a testament to how our festival serves as a meeting point on the international music scene, deepening cultural exchange through our captivating programs.”

Musicus Soloists Hong Kong (MSHK) is Hong Kong’s leading chamber ensemble. Directed and initiated by renowned cellist Trey Lee, it is a fluid, inventive collective featuring the city’s best-emerging artists.

The dynamic and brilliant Musicus Soloists Hong Kong (MSHK) takes the lead on 23 November. Returning fresh from Paris, this stunning group of young musicians performs enticing musical gems from the Baroque to modern periods, including the Asian premiere of Umbra, a double concerto commissioned for cello, Ondes Martenot and string orchestra by prolific Korean composer Seung-Won Oh. Ondes Martenot is one of the earliest electronic musical instruments invented in 1928 by French radio telegrapher and cellist Maurice Martenot. Its distinct and tangible tone promises to bring a matching sound with the cello and the ensemble in ways never heard before.

Nadia Ratsimandresy, one of the world’s most versatile ondes martenot players, will perform with Trey and MSHK for the new work Umbra, a new double concerto commissioned from award-winning composer Seung-Won Oh. (c) Alex Fernandes

On 30 November, the 24-year-old award-winning pianist Zach Cheong Hoi-leong returns to Hong Kong from Juilliard to perform in a recital program that features technically demanding pieces by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and more. With splendid artistry as an up-and-coming star, Zach has won a raft of awards in China, Japan and Germany. In 2022, he was named the winner of Musicus Young Artist Audition and has been appearing in concert halls around the world.

In their long-awaited return to Hong Kong, the world-renowned Sinfonia Varsovia from Poland will perform masterpieces by Dvořák and Lutosławski in the Musicus Fest finale concert under the baton of Alexander Liebreich. (c) Bartek Barczyk

The renowned Polish orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia is also making a bold return to Hong Kong on 1 December at Musicus Fest’s finale concert. Founded in 1984, with Yehudi Menuhin as its first guest conductor, Sinfonia Varsovia has worked with the world’s greatest musicians as its music directors, including the celebrated Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. It has garnered awards for its 300 recordings such as the Grand prix du disque Frédéric Chopin and the Diapason d’Or. As part of its 40th-anniversary celebration in 2024, Sinfonia Varsovia is touring Asia with award-winning German conductor Alexander Liebreich, who is here reunited with Trey Lee, to perform three different works by the Czech master Antonín Dvořák and another distinguished Polish composer Witold Lutosławski.

A grand finale concert featuring Musicus Society Artistic Director Trey Lee, a renowned cellist hailed by Gramophone as a “miracle,” with Sinfonia Varsovia, all the way from Poland, brings Musicus Fest 2024 to a close. (c) Keith Hiro

The finale concert opens with Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, which has been the composer’s favorite of his own concertos and is often regarded as his unofficial tenth symphony. The second work performed will be Lutosławski’s folk-inflected Little Suite, dating from 1951 and one of the most frequently performed Polish works of its day. Closing the concert will be Dvořák’s darkly majestic Symphony No. 7, a fitting performance in a year that marks the 120th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Tickets for concerts of Musicus Fest 2024 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk).

Musicus Fest is an international partnership for world‐class artists to collaborate, showcasing Hong Kong’s exceptional artists and working with young talents to bring their artistry to new heights. The festival gives Hong Kong artists and students what their counterparts elsewhere have long enjoyed: the chance to elevate themselves to a higher level of artistic excellence through meaningful interaction with distinguished artists from different parts of the world. Since the launch of Musicus Fest in 2013, over 350 artists from all over the world have appeared on stage in Hong Kong, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Bashmet, Noah Bendix‐Balgley and Bruno Canino, among others.

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