Jaap van Zweden's First Season in Hong Kong

Just a few months ago Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden gave his first concerts as music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. This video celebrates the occasion.

Hong Kong is one of the crown jewels in the development of China in the past 20 years. The former British crown colony has retained much of its independence even while coming under the control of Beijing. China has been as good as its word in this respect. Political expression is not as free as some would like but otherwise the citizens of Hong Kong pretty much do as they please. And that includes culture. Artistic expression is flourishing in Hong Kong with new concert halls and museums popping up nearly every year.

 One of the beneficiaries of all this energy is the Hong Kong Philharmonic. It is rapidly becoming one of the finest orchestras in Asia. It has had some fine music directors including David Atherton and Edo de Waart. But Jaap van Zweden is capable of taking the orchestra to another level altogether. He has the knowledge, the drive and the charisma to create both quality and excitement. Hong Kong is in for some wonderful music-making.

The music featured in the video is from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony which van Zweden has already recorded with his other orchestra, the Dallas Symphony.

Paul E. Robinson