MUSIC | National Swedish orchestra to play at Cultural Center

American-Japanese conductor Kent Nagano

The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (GSO) will play at the Macau Cultural Center’s Grand Auditorium on April 3. Macau will be the first city on the orchestra’s China tour.
As Sweden’s national orchestra since 1997, the GSO has performed worldwide,  particularly establishing itself as a musical force during the tenure of Estonian maestro Neeme Järvi between 1982 and 2004.
Having played in world-class venues and renowned music festivals from Europe and the USA to the far east, the Gothenburg Symphony was dubbed by British newspaper The Guardian as “one of the world’s most formidable orchestras.”
The ensemble has received various awards following recording sessions for Deutsche Grammophon and BIS, including the complete symphonies of Sibelius, Nielsen and Tchaikovsky. Significant operatic pieces by Rachmaninov and Prokofiev have also been recorded, receiving immense praise.
Under the direction of renowned American-Japanese conductor Kent Nagano, GSO’s debut in Macao will bring us Mendelssohn’s everlasting  “Violin Concerto in E minor,” performed by violin virtuoso Ray Chen, winner of the renowned Queen Elisabeth competition and the youngest star to ever perform for the Swedish Royal family and the Nobel Laureates.  The program also includes Jean Sibelius’ blazing Symphony No. 2 and Beast Sampler, a refreshing and brand-new piece by Sweden’s greatest living composer Anders Hillborg.
As in previous concerts, the performance will be an opportunity for educational events which will aim to generate greater artistic awareness. CCM has invited music critic Chow Fan Fu to introduce GSO musicians and the concert’s repertoire in a pre-performance talk. Hosted in Cantonese, the free session will take place at CCM’s conference room, one hour before the concert.
Tickets at various prices and discounts will be available at the Macau Cultural Center box office and Macao Ticketing Network from January 25 (Sunday). PB