Edo De Waart's Last Season in Hong Kong

Earlier this week came the announcement that Jaap Van Zweden would take over as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He will assume his responsibilities later this year. In the meantime, another Dutch conductor, Edo De Waart, is finishing up his tenure as music director of the orchestra.

Edo De Waart began his career as an oboist in the Concertgebouw Orchestra then turned to conducting. He has headed orchestras in San Francisco, Milwaukee, Sydney and elsewhere. Later this year he will take over the Royal Flemish Orchestra in Belgium.

In recent years the Hong Kong Philharmonic has become an orchestra of real stature. Under major conductors like De Waart and Van Zweden it has been able to attract better players and soloists. Hong Kong is very much part of the New China and has the financial resources to build cultural institutions every bit as good as those in the West.

In this video Edo De Waart talks about Hong Kong and how he put together his last season with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Paul E. Robinson