The Staatskapelle Dresden, led by Principal Guest Conductor Myung-Whun Chung and joined by award-winning pianist Sunwook Kim, presents an elegant evening of classical music by Beethoven and Brahms.
Founded by Prince Elector Moritz von Sachsen in 1548, the Staatskapelle Dresden is one of the most celebrated and oldest orchestras in the world and is thus steeped in tradition. Over its long history, many distinguished conductors and internationally celebrated instrumentalists have left their mark on this onetime court orchestra. Previous music directors include Heinrich Schütz, Johann Adolf Hasse, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, who called them his “Miraculous Harp”. It is also the only orchestra to be awarded the “European Prize for the Preservation of the World’s Musical Heritage” by the European Cultural Foundation.
Myung-Whun Chung
Myung-Whun Chung began his musical career as a pianist, winning second prize at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1974, and has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden since 2012. He has conducted some of the world‘s leading orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The South Korean conductor has been the recipient of many honors and prizes for his artistic work, including the Premio Abbiati and the Arturo Toscanini prize in Italy and the Légion d’Honneur (1992) in France.
Sunwook Kim
Lauded as one of the finest of his generation, South Korean pianist Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition at the age of 18 in 2006, becoming its first Asian winner. Since then, he has performed as concerto soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, NHK Symphony, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for his BBC Proms debut. He has received outstanding reviews for several of his recordings, which include works by Beethoven and Brahms.
“This is one of the very few orchestras with its own distinctive sound.”
Gramophone
“The swell of suspended harmonies was perfectly controlled, the chords perfectly struck and voiced, and Kim always kept the sense of restless searching at just the right level of intensity – it’s all too easy to sound just lost in this piece.”
The Guardian on Sunwook Kim
Programme
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5
Brahms Symphony No.4
Update 30 Aug 2019: The orchestra will perform Brahms Symphony No.4 instead of No.2
Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 pm (1 hr 40 mins – including 20min intermission) @Esplanade Concert Hall | Tickets from $80 – $300
