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French cello superstar Edgar Moreau plays Elgar Concerto &
Bach Cello Suites in his return to Hong Kong

For immediate release
6 Jul 2023

Composed in the aftermath of the devastating First World War, British composer Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto is deeply contemplative, moving and thought-provoking, and remains one of the most beloved and revered works in the cello repertoire today. On 19 Aug (Sat), French cello superstar Edgar Moreau will be joining hands with Hong Kong Sinfonietta again to perform this monumental work under the baton of celebrated conductor Daniel Raiskin. Principal Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Raiskin will also be conducting Shostakovich’s iconic Symphony No 5, as well as the Asian première of Schnittke’s distinctive Polyphonic Tango in this concert.

Having established himself as one of the foremost and heavily sought-after cellists of his generation, Edgar Moreau’s extraordinary finesse and impeccable technique have won him not only prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, but also collaborations with such distinguished artists and orchestras as Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

During this visit to Hong Kong and on top of his concert with Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Moreau will also give a highly anticipated recital on 16 Aug (Wed), playing the first three of Bach’s timeless Cello Suites – a true test of not only a cellist’s absolute technical prowess, but also their understanding of the works’ incredible textural complexities and emotional depth.

Tickets are selling fast on URBTIX; enjoy a 20% discount when purchasing standard tickets to both performances!

Hong Kong Sinfonietta

Cellomania: Edgar Moreau Plays Elgar

19 Aug 2023 (Saturday) | 8pm
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
$480, $340, $200

Conductor: Daniel Raiskin
Cello: Edgar Moreau

Programme
Schnittke – Polyphonic Tango (1979) (Asian première)
Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor, Op 85
Shostakovich – Symphony No 5 in D minor, Op 47

HKS Recital Series: Edgar Moreau: Bach Cello Suites

16 Aug 2023 (Wednesday) | 8pm
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
$420, $280, $160

Cello: Edgar Moreau

Programme
Bach Suite – No 1 in G for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV1007
Bach Suite – No 2 in D minor for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV1008
Bach Suite – No 3 in C for Unaccompanied Cello, BWV1009

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 standard tickets to both programmes
Suitable for 6 years old or above
Tickets at URBTIX
Tickets online at POPTICKET (no handling fee)

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Daniel Raiskin Conductor

With his unmistakable artistic signature, Daniel Raiskin has become one of the most recognised conductors of his generation, and has developed a broad repertoire beyond the mainstream in his strikingly conceived programmes. A son of a prominent musicologist, he grew up in St Petersburg and attended the celebrated conservatory in his native city, before continuing his studies in Amsterdam and Freiburg. Initially focusing on the viola, he was inspired to take up the baton as a result of an encounter with the distinguished teacher Lev Savich. In addition, he also took classes with maestri such as Mariss Jansons, Neeme Järvi, Milan Horvat, Woldemar Nelsson and Jorma Panula.

From the 2020/2021 season, Raiskin has been the Principal Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava. He has been Music Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since 2018 and Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra from the 2017/2018 season. He was Chief Conductor of the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz (2005-2016) and Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Lódz (2008-2015), and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife (2017/2018 season).

Raiskin makes regular guest appearances with Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Taiwan Philharmonic, Tonkünstler-Orchester, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Osaka Philharmonic, Residentie Orkest, Sinfonia Varsovia, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. His appearances in opera productions include Carmen, Don Giovanni and Shostakovich’s The Nose. He appeared on tour with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra at the InClassica Dubai International Music Festival 2021 and 2022, as well as in Japan in 2023.

Raiskin is relentlessly committed to sharing his knowledge and passion with young musicians around the world. He devotes his time regularly to working with youth orchestras in Canada, Estonia, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands and South Africa.

Among the major soloists with whom he has appeared are Emanuel Ax, Rudolf Buchbinder, Cameron Crozman, Xavier de Maistre, Renée Fleming, Nelson Freire, Martin Fröst, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Natalia Gutman, Daniel Hope, Kari Kriikku, Simone Lamsma, Lang Lang, François Leleux, Jan Lisiecki, Alexei Lubimov, Tatjana Masurenko, Albrecht Mayer, Daniel Müller-Schott, Olli Mustonen, Julian Rachlin, Benjamin Schmid, Julian Steckel, Anna Vinnitskaya, Lukáš Vondráček and Alexei Volodin.

Recent recordings include Mahler Symphony No 3 and Shostakovich Symphony No 4 with the label AVI, both to great critical acclaim. His recording of cello concertos by Korngold, Bloch and Goldschmidt with Julian Steckel on the same label received an ECHO Klassik Award in 2012. Other recent recording projects include a Louis Glass symphony cycle and a cycle of the entire concertos and rhapsodies of Aram Khachaturian, both with the label CPO; Lutosławski’s vocal-instrumental works with the label Dux; and a recording of Alexandre Tansman’s Isaïe le Prophète and Psaumes with the label World Premiere Recordings.

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Edgar Moreau Cello

Prizewinner at the 2011 Rostropovich Cello Competition, International Tchaikovsky Competition and winner of the 2014 Young Concert Artists Auditions, Edgar Moreau was born in 1994 and began playing the cello at the age of four. He took up his studies with Philippe Muller at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and later continued at the Kronberg Academy under the guidance of Frans Helmerson. At the age of 11, he made his début with the Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino, playing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.

Moreau regularly performs in the most prestigious halls of the world, including New York Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein and Konzerthaus, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, Paris Philharmonie and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Geneva Victoria Hall, Barcelona Palau de la Música Catalana, Milan La Scala, Venice La Fenice and London Wigmore Hall. He is frequently invited by numerous festivals such as the Verbier, Salzburg, Gstaad, Montreux, Hamburg, Edinburgh, Saint-Denis, Menton, Colmar, Lugano and Martha Argerich festivals.

Moreau collaborates with internationally acclaimed conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Valery Gergiev, François-Xavier Roth, Myung-Whun Chung, Tugan Sokhiev, Marin Alsop, Manfred Honeck, Lahav Shani, Elim Chan, Mikko Franck, Jakub Hrůša, Michael Schønwandt, Alain Altinoglu, Pablo Heras-Casado, Susanna Mälkki, Joseph Swensen, Vasily Petrenko, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Aziz Shokhakimov and Lionel Bringuier.

He performs with world-renowned orchestras such as Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Filarmonica della Scala, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Brussels Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.

Being particularly passionate about chamber music, Moreau has collaborated with artists such as Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Renaud Capuçon, Khatia Buniatishvili, Daniil Trifonov, Nicholas Angelich, András Schiff, Emmanuel Pahud, Sergey Babayan, Lisa Batiashvili, Julian Rachlin, Alexei Volodin, Bertrand Chamayou and David Kadouch among others, as well as his sister and brothers Raphaëlle, David and Jérémie.

An Erato exclusive artist, Moreau released his début album Play in 2014, together with pianist Pierre-Yves Hodique. His next album Giovincello features Baroque concertos with the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro and Riccardo Minasi (ECHO Klassik Award, 2016). He has also released Debussy’s sonatas and trios, a duo album with David Kadouch with works by Franck, Poulenc, Strohl and La Tombelle, as well as Gulda and Offenbach concertos with Les Forces Majeures and Raphaël Merlin. In 2020, Moreau collaborated with his siblings for a family album A Family Affair featuring works of Korngold and Dvořák. His latest release was Transmission (2022), an album celebrating Jewish heritage and musical tradition through works by Bruch, Bloch, Korngold and Ravel.

Moreau received two Victoires de la Musique Classique awards in 2013 and 2015, and was named ECHO Rising Star in 2017. He is supported by the Fondation Banque Populaire and Safran Foundation for Music, and was a laureate at the French Public Radio Stations Young Soloist Award in 2013, and named Révélation Classique de l’Adami in 2012.

Moreau plays on a David Tecchler cello from 1711. His bow was made by Dominique Peccatte.

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Amanda Mok
Senior Marketing & Development Manager, Hong Kong Sinfonietta
Email: amanda.mok@hksinfonietta.org
Direct Line: +852 3607 2328