Programme
Music: Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 35
 I. Allegro moderato
 II. Canzonetta. Andante
 III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo

 

- Intermission -

 

Music: Tchaikovsky
Symphony No.5 in E Minor, Op.64
 I. Andante - Allegro con anima
 II. Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza
 III. Valse. Allegro moderato
 IV. Finale. Andante maestoso - Allegro vivace

 

The above information, including performance times, lineups, programmes and ticket prices, are all subject to change without prior notice and for reference only.

 

 

Conductor: Kahchun Wong
Internationally acclaimed for his electrifying stage presence and his thoughtful exploration of Eastern and Western artistic legacies, Singaporean-born Kahchun Wong is the Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra. He will succeed Sir Mark Elder as the newly appointed Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor of the Hallé from 2024/2025.

 

In his final appearance as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker, Wong led the successful world premiere of his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition to an audience of 75,000 at the annual Klassik Open Air in Luitpoldhain. This sinfonia concertante version, specially composed for folk instrumental soloists from the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, was also widely broadcast on 3SAT and BR-Klassik.

 

Since winning the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in 2016, Wong has guest conducted distinguished orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Shanghai Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony and Yomiuri Nippon Symphony. Highlights of his 23/24 season included debuts with the London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and China NCPA Orchestra, as well as returning to the Seattle Symphony with Mahler Symphony No. 3 and Beethoven Symphony No. 9. He also additionally led the Hallé on a tour to Spain in January 2024.

Wong has forged strong relationships with many living composers. In 2023/2024, he conducted the UK premiere of Toshio Hosokawa’s Prayer with the BBC Symphony at the Barbican, as well as the world premiere of Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen’s commissioned work for his inaugural concert as Principal Guest Conductor at the Dresdner Philharmonie. He led the world premiere of Reena Esmail’s Concerto for Hindustani Violin written for the renowned guru Kala Ramnath with the Seattle Symphony in 2022, as well as the US premiere of TAN Dun’s Fire Ritual with the New York Philharmonic in 2019. In his Suntory Hall subscriptions with the Japan Philharmonic, he regularly programmes works by composers such as Akira Ifukube, Yasushi Akutagawa, Kiyoshige Koyama and Yuzo Toyama. At the invitation of the Tokyo Opera City Foundation, he led a highly successful performance of Takemitsu's ambitious orchestral cycle Arc, which was selected as one of the top contemporary concerts of 2022 by major Japanese critics.

 

Wong has enjoyed strong collaborations with soloists such as Nelson Freire, Thomas Hampson, Barbara Hannigan, Gerhard Oppitz, Christian Tetzlaff, Patricia Kopatchinskaya, Gautier Capuçon, Daniel Lozakovich, Mao Fujita, Sergei Nakariakov, and Vilde Frang.

 

In December 2019, Wong became the first artist from Singapore to be conferred the Order of Merit by the Federal President of Germany for his dedicated service and outstanding achievements in Singaporean-German cultural relations and the advancement of German musical culture abroad.

 

Violinist: NING Feng 
NING Feng is recognised internationally as an artist of great lyricism, innate musicality and stunning virtuosity. He performs across the globe with major orchestras and conductors, and in recital and chamber concerts in some of the most important international series and festivals. In 2019 the Washington Post described him as “a wonderful player with a creamy, easy tone and an emotional honesty” and BBC Music Magazine said of a recent recording “His silvery tonal purity, immaculate intonation and gently beguiling musicality have a way of making most other players sound decidedly effortful by comparison.”

 

NING Feng has toured Europe, Asia and Australia with the China Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and van Zweden, he has toured China with the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, with whom he has also performed several times in Budapest, with the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester and Lawrence Foster, and with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with whom he has also worked many times. Other career highlights to date include performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish, LA Philharmonic, National Symphony (Washington), Helsinki Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Russian National Symphony orchestras amongst others. He has worked with many eminent conductors including Gianandrea Noseda, Marin Alsop, Yu Long, Tugan Sokhiev, Vladimir Spivakov and Vassily Petrenko.

 

In chamber music NING Feng works regularly with Igor Levit and together they have performed at the Schubertiade Festival, and across Germany and London, including both Wigmore Hall and Barbican Centre. He has performed many times at Kissinger Sommer Festival, and has collaborated with artists including Edgar Moreau, Daniel Müller-Schott and Nicholas Angelich.

 

NING Feng records for Channel Classics and his most recent disc Paganini Caprices 24+ was released in January 2021, which Gramophone reviews as “his ability to make the music palatable for listeners... The more you listen the more you want to listen”, and it’s been Recommended by the Strad magazine. His earlier recording of Bach’s complete solo works for violin was hailed by Gramophone as “unlike anyone else’s... it’s the illusion of a freewheeling conversation projected from within that held me captive.” His discography also includes concerti by Elgar, Finzi, Tchaikovsky, Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Bruch (Scottish Fantasy), works for violin and orchestra by Sarasate, Lalo, Ravel and Bizet/Waxman, and with the Dragon Quartet works by Schubert, Dvořák, Borodin, Shostakovich and Weinberg.

 

Born in Chengdu, China, NING Feng studied at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music with Prof. HU Weimin, the Hanns Eisler School of Music (Berlin) with Prof. Antje Weithaas and the Royal Academy of Music (London) with Prof. Hu Kun, where he was the first student ever to be awarded 100% for his final recital. The recipient of prizes at the Hanover International, Queen Elisabeth and Yehudi Menuhin International violin competitions, NING Feng was First Prize winner of the 2005 Michael Hill International Violin Competition (New Zealand), and in 2006 won the first prize in the International Paganini Competition.

 

NING Feng plays the 1710 Stradivari violin known as the “Vieuxtemps Hauser”, by kind arrangement with Premiere Performances of Hong Kong, China and plays on strings by Thomastik-Infeld, Vienna.

 

Presenter: Hallé Orchestra
Innovation has been central to the Hallé since its foundation in 1858 by Sir Charles Hallé, a true pioneer. His fundamental belief that music should be for everyone remains central to the orchestra’s vision today, yet the Hallé is much more than just a world-leading symphony orchestra. Its collective spirit can be felt in the variety of communities it embraces, the diversity of the ensembles it nurtures and the array of different concerts it offers.

 

“...The Hallé has struck gold with its new appointment. Wong is a hugely gifted, properly serious maestro, who is bound to grow and grow.” - Ivan Hewitt, The Telegraph, September 2024

Since Hallé’s death in 1895, his ground-breaking work has been continued by other musical legends: Hans Richter, Hamilton Harty, John Barbirolli and most recently Sir Mark Elder, who stepped down as Music Director at the end of last season after almost a quarter of a century at the helm. Now, as Sir Mark assumes the mantle of Conductor Emeritus, the baton passes to Kahchun Wong to open a new chapter in the Hallé’s history as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

 

Framing his inaugural Manchester season between Mahler’s First and Beethoven’s last symphony (featuring the Hallé Choir in its famous choral finale), Kahchun Wong will also mark Bruckner’s bicentenary, introduce Hallé audiences to some of his favourite composers from the Far East, and revisit Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony, the work with which the orchestra first experienced his very special magic.

 

Other season highlights include specially-curated concerts by Thomas Adès, in his second season as Artist-in-Residence, a brand-new Concerto for Orchestra by long-term Hallé collaborator Huw Watkins and, following on from the success of last season’s immersive American Minimalism festival, a three-concert celebration of Philip Glass. Two hugely popular initiatives introduced in 2023 continue: our hour-long "Rush Hour" concerts and "The Hallé Presents...", a series of unique collaborations with celebrated artists from non-classical genres. As well as specially devised family performances, there is also a series of "relaxed" concerts and a lunchtime Chamber Series that frequently sells out.

 

At the heart of the Hallé are its players, led by their two dynamic Leaders, Roberto Ruisi and Emily Davis. Hailing from over 14 different countries, our orchestra members are all extraordinary, multi-skilled individuals in their own right – soloists, chamber musicians, educators and more – who, when united in concert, create the unique and world-famous Hallé sound.

 

Originally based in Manchester’s Free Trade Hall, the Hallé has been resident at the specially built Bridgewater Hall, one of the world’s great concert venues, since 1996 and now performs to over 100,000 people there every year. Hallé St Peter’s opened in the resurgent area of Ancoats in 2013; now including the triple RIBA Award-winning Oglesby Centre, it provides a home for the Hallé to rehearse, record and perform, as well as a base for Hallé Connect, the Hallé’s extensive education, community outreach and ensembles programme.

 

One of the biggest initiatives of its kind in the world, Hallé Connect’s education and outreach projects inspire and engage more than 76,000 people a year, bringing music in its broadest sense to many who have never before visited a concert hall. The ever-expanding family of ensembles welcomes over 700 people, aged eight and upwards, through its doors each week.

 

In addition, the Hallé holds residencies in major cities across the North, performs regularly at prestigious international festivals, such as Edinburgh and the BBC Proms, and tours overseas. Encouraged by an enhanced social media presence, the Hallé has seen a dramatic increase in younger audiences, as well as the launch of its own record label, filmed concerts released online, expanded repertoire with brand-new commissions, and numerous awards including a 2022 South Bank Sky Arts Award.