| Music Director/Conductor | Christoph Poppen |
| Soprano | Juliane Banse |
Programme
| Mozart | Idomeneo Overture, K366 |
| Ferran Cruixent | Solaria (2015) (Asian première) |
| Richard Strauss | Die Georgine, Op 10 No 4 |
| Mahler | Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen |
| Richard Strauss | Tod und Verklärung, Op 24 |
One of the most distinguished and versatile sopranos on the international stage, Juliane Banse’s rise to stardom came at the age of 20 when she took on the role of Pamina in The Magic Flute at the Komische Oper Berlin. She has since enjoyed close working relationships with such monumental conductors and prestigious companies as Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Chailly, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera New York etc, and was twice-awarded the ECHO Klassik for her recorded albums. Her cross-genre project Winterreise, where she appears both as singer and dancer, has received wide critical acclaim.
She makes a phenomenal return to Hong Kong to join hands with Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Music Director Christoph Poppen in a concert centred around beloved lieder by Richard Strauss and Mahler’s song cycle Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen. The stunning programme also includes Strauss’ Tod und Verklärung, a transcendent tone poem contemplating and painting what lies beyond death – a depiction later approved by the composer himself on his deathbed when he remarked, “dying is exactly the way I composed it in Tod und Verklärung”.
Juliane Banse (Soprano)
“A born lieder interpreter.”
The Times
“Greatly gifted.”
International Record Review
“Banse sings with silvery clean, gently warmed beauty.”
Gramophone
“A true soprano with the strength and dusky bloom of a mezzo in its middle and lower registers.”
BBC Music Magazine
“Juliane Banse is formidable in the title role, winging effortlessly and musically into the high register.”
The New York Times
- Made her stage début as Pamina (The Magic Flute) at Komische Oper Berlin at the age of 20, and has since sung leading roles at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and festivals including the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera New York, Bavarian State Opera, Zürich Opera House, Salzburg Festival and Glyndebourne
- Has worked with numerous renowned conductors including Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Bernard Haitink, Franz Welser-Möst, Marin Alsop, Zubin Mehta etc
- Has performed and recorded with orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra
Christoph Poppen (Music Director/Conductor)
“Christoph Poppen brought out a broad soundscape from the orchestra.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung
- Principal Conductor, Cologne Chamber Orchestra
- Principal Guest Conductor, Israel Chamber Orchestra
- Artistic Director, Marvão International Music Festival, Portugal
- Music Director, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie (2007-2011)
- Artistic Director, Munich Chamber Orchestra (1995-2006)
