For immediate release
10 Oct 2022

A “magician with sound” praised for his “mesmerising colours, erupting into shivery cascades and subterranean rumbles” (The Times), distinguished French pianist François-Frédéric Guy will return to Hong Kong and present two performances at the Yuen Long Theatre Auditorium, playing Chopin’s gorgeous Piano Concerto No 2 with Hong Kong Sinfonietta under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Christoph Poppen on 5 Nov (Sat), and an exquisite programme of solo works by Chopin, Liszt and Beethoven in recital on 6 Nov (Sun). Tickets are going fast on URBTIX and POPTICKET – do not miss out!

François-Frédéric Guy is widely regarded as an outstanding interpreter of Romantic repertoire and lauded for his unrivalled ability to create musical structure in sound. Throughout his career spanning more than 30 years, he has collaborated with leading orchestras around the world such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, under the baton of distinguished conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Daniel Harding, Michael Tilson Thomas and Kent Nagano. On 5 Nov (Sat), he will showcase his masterful interpretation of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 2 under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Christoph Poppen, in a stunning programme which also features leading contemporary composer György Ligeti’s Ramifications, as well as Schumann’s passionate Symphony No 4.

On 6 Nov (Sun), François-Frédéric Guy will also appear in a solo recital where his phenomenal musicality will be on full display. Starting with the deeply contemplative Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude from Liszt’s Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses, he will present some of Chopin’s best works including four of his most beloved and mesmerising Nocturnes, before concluding the evening with an authoritative rendition of Beethoven’s crystalline Piano Sonata No 31 in A-flat.

Hong Kong Sinfonietta

Great Piano Concertos: François-Frédéric Guy Plays Chopin

5 Nov 2022 (Saturday) 8pm
Yuen Long Theatre Auditorium
$420, $280, $160

Principal Guest Conductor: Christoph Poppen
Piano: François-Frédéric Guy

Programme
György Ligeti – Ramifications
Chopin – Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor, Op 21
Schumann – Symphony No 4 in D minor, Op 120

François-Frédéric Guy Piano Recital

6 Nov 2022 (Sunday) 3pm
Yuen Long Theatre Auditorium
$400, $260, $150

Piano: François-Frédéric Guy

Programme
Liszt – Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses: No 3 Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude
Chopin – Piano Sonata No 3 in B minor, Op 58
Chopin – Four Nocturnes (Op 9 Nos 1 & 2, Op 27 No 1, Op 62 No 2)
Beethoven – Piano Sonata No 31 in A-flat, Op 110

• Half-price tickets available for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and their minder, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients
• 10% discount for group bookings of 4 or more standard tickets
• Get a 20% off discount when you purchase full-price tickets to both of the concerts on 5 & 6 Nov.
• Suitable for 6 years old or above
• Tickets at URBTIX
• Tickets online at POPTICKET (no handling fees)

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Christoph Poppen                                                                                                         Principal Guest Conductor

Conductor, soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue, Christoph Poppen has made a name for himself in diverse roles in the international musical world, winning many awards along the way. During the 2022/2023 season, Christoph Poppen continues his close and highly successful collaboration with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in his role as Principal Conductor, and as Principal Guest Conductor of Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Israel Chamber Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of the Marvão International Music Festival, which he founded in 2014 and has grown to become a highly successful and award-winning musical event featuring soloists such as Jörg Widmann, Augustin Hadelich, Javier Perianes and Clara-Jumi Kang. Other highlights in the season include appearing with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música and return visits to the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Munich Chamber Orchestra and Athens State Orchestra, as well as the continuation of his recorded cycle of the complete Mozart Masses with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra for the Naxos label.

From 1995 to 2006, Poppen was Artistic Director of Munich Chamber Orchestra, establishing the ensemble’s new profile in a short period of time. His distinctive programmes, often contrasting classical and contemporary styles with numerous commissioned works, were highly successful. In 2006, Poppen was appointed Music Director of Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken and from 2007 until 2011, he was Music Director of the newly formed Deutsche Radio Philharmonie. He has appeared with orchestras such as Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Detroit Symphony, Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France, Bamberg Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Indianapolis Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He also has a strong presence in Italy, performing regularly with the country’s leading orchestras and at festivals such as the Venice Biennale, as well as giving masterclasses.

As an opera conductor, he very successfully led a new production of The Abduction from the Seraglio at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen and performances of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide at Staatsoper Stuttgart. In 2016, he returned to Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa for a new production of Don Giovanni. He conducted performances of The Pearl Fishers at Oper Frankfurt – which led to an immediate re-invitation for The Magic Flute – and created the new production of Sing For Me, Death by composer Claude Vivier with the RuhrTriennale company in Gelsenkirchen. In 2017, he conducted Weber’s Oberon in concert at Opera Köln.

As a prize-winning violinist, Poppen co-founded the Cherubini Quartet in 1978. He was appointed Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik Detmold, and later at Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where he was President from 1996 to 2000.  From 2001 to 2005, he was Artistic Director of the renowned ARD International Music Competition. In 2019, he founded the International Academy for Music, Arts and Science in Marvão, Portugal. Between 2020-2022, he was the Artistic Director of the Classic Revolution Festival in Seoul, South Korea, for which he curated highly inventive programmes and unites many of the best international artists for performances exclusively at the Lotte Concert Hall. Since 2003, he has been Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. He is also the current Chair Professor of Violin at the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, an appointment which began in the 2021/2022 academic year.

As Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s Principal Guest Conductor since 2015/2016, Poppen has presented to the Hong Kong audience a rich repertoire ranging from Austro-German masterpieces to contemporary works, and has brought the orchestra on tour to Germany and to his festival in Portugal. He also co-chaired the 1^st Hong Kong International Conducting Competition. Following the stepping-down of Music Director Yip Wing-sie in May 2020 and before the next Music Director is appointed, Poppen and Yip will be jointly responsible for the artistic development of the orchestra.

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François-Frédéric Guy                                                                                                                             Piano

Conductor, soloist, chamber musician and pedagogue, Christoph Poppen has made a name for himself in diverse roles in the international musical world, winning many awards along the way. During the 2022/2023 season, Christoph Poppen continues his close and highly successful collaboration with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra in his role as Principal Conductor, and as Principal Guest Conductor of Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Israel Chamber Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of the Marvão International Music Festival, which he founded in 2014 and has grown to become a highly successful and award-winning musical event featuring soloists such as Jörg Widmann, Augustin Hadelich, Javier Perianes and Clara-Jumi Kang. Other highlights in the season include appearing with the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música and return visits to the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Munich Chamber Orchestra and Athens State Orchestra, as well as the continuation of his recorded cycle of the complete Mozart Masses with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra for the Naxos label.

From 1995 to 2006, Poppen was Artistic Director of Munich Chamber Orchestra, establishing the ensemble’s new profile in a short period of time. His distinctive programmes, often contrasting classical and contemporary styles with numerous commissioned works, were highly successful. In 2006, Poppen was appointed Music Director of Radio Symphony Orchestra Saarbrücken and from 2007 until 2011, he was Music Director of the newly formed Deutsche Radio Philharmonie. He has appeared with orchestras such as Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Detroit Symphony, Orchestra Philharmonique de Radio France, Bamberg Symphony, Camerata Salzburg, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Indianapolis Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He also has a strong presence in Italy, performing regularly with the country’s leading orchestras and at festivals such as the Venice Biennale, as well as giving masterclasses.

As an opera conductor, he very successfully led a new production of The Abduction from the Seraglio at the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen and performances of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Aulide at Staatsoper Stuttgart. In 2016, he returned to Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa for a new production of Don Giovanni. He conducted performances of The Pearl Fishers at Oper Frankfurt – which led to an immediate re-invitation for The Magic Flute – and created the new production of Sing For Me, Death by composer Claude Vivier with the RuhrTriennale company in Gelsenkirchen. In 2017, he conducted Weber’s Oberon in concert at Opera Köln.

As a prize-winning violinist, Poppen co-founded the Cherubini Quartet in 1978. He was appointed Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik Detmold, and later at Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where he was President from 1996 to 2000.  From 2001 to 2005, he was Artistic Director of the renowned ARD International Music Competition. In 2019, he founded the International Academy for Music, Arts and Science in Marvão, Portugal. Between 2020-2022, he was the Artistic Director of the Classic Revolution Festival in Seoul, South Korea, for which he curated highly inventive programmes and unites many of the best international artists for performances exclusively at the Lotte Concert Hall. Since 2003, he has been Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. He is also the current Chair Professor of Violin at the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, an appointment which began in the 2021/2022 academic year.

As Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s Principal Guest Conductor since 2015/2016, Poppen has presented to the Hong Kong audience a rich repertoire ranging from Austro-German masterpieces to contemporary works, and has brought the orchestra on tour to Germany and to his festival in Portugal. He also co-chaired the 1^st Hong Kong International Conducting Competition. Following the stepping-down of Music Director Yip Wing-sie in May 2020 and before the next Music Director is appointed, Poppen and Yip will be jointly responsible for the artistic development of the orchestra.

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Principal Guest Conductor: Christoph Poppen
©Takao Komaru

François-Frédéric Guy
©Lyodoh Kaneko

François-Frédéric Guy
©Lyodoh Kaneko

François-Frédéric Guy
©Caroline Dourtre