Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca

Warm Reminder: Performance Time of Concerts by Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca

15.11.2019 (Fri), 8pm

16.11.2019 (Sat), 5pm
 

Sir András Schiff's last visit to Hong Kong was during the 2008 Hong Kong Arts Festival.  11 years has passed, and not only was he knighted in the United Kingdom, he also became the uncrowned king of Austro-German piano music.

I cannot think of any other active pianist with such a vast repertoire of Austro-German piano music as Schiff.  Although his 2008 Hong Kong concerts featured Beethoven and Schumann, but in fact, his Austro-German repertoire covers everything from J.S. Bach to Brahms, with solo works, concertos, chamber works and lieder by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Schumann as well.  For 40 years, the prolific pianist has recorded a large discography of these composers for Decca and ECM.

I also cannot think of any other pianist who can mix German and Austrian composers together in such an ingenious way.  For example, he had a series called “The Last Sonatas” – three concerts devoted to the last three piano sonatas of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, where the audience could savour the sublime late works of these composers in the same performance.

In February 2018, I saw Schiff in a Berlin recital which centred on Brahms' late piano works.  He coupled them with works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann that conveyed the poignant feelings of separation and tragedy, as a counterpoint to Brahms' bitter twilight years.

This time he will be accompanied by the Cappella Andrea Barca, which is actually his own orchestra.  “Andrea” is Italian for András, while “Barca”, like the German word “Schiff”, means boat.  The two concerts' repertoire includes Beethoven's Piano Concerto Nos. 2, 4 and 5 as well as Mozart's Symphony Nos. 39 and 41, with Schiff as conductor.

In February 2014, I saw a performance by Schiff and the Cappella Andrea Barca in Cologne – the second concert in Schiff's “Mozart 1784” series.  The year 1784 was considered a “miracle year” for Mozart, he composed no less than six piano concertos in an extraordinary burst of creativity. The concert's repertoire included six works bearing the Köchel numbers from 454 to 459.  Schiff performed Piano Concerto Nos. 18 and 19, along with a set of piano variations, a violin sonata and a piano sonata.

This is what I wrote in my review for the Hong Kong Economic Journal :

“Many pianists and orchestras tend to go small when performing Mozart's piano concertos.  Not only do they reduce the size of the orchestra, but they played the music in muted tones.  Schiff, however, sees them as symphonies.  He makes good use of the bright sounds of modern instruments, and has a dynamic playing style that brings out the joyous and dramatic qualities of a piece.  The biggest revelation I had was that you cannot separate the soloist and orchestra when performing Mozart's piano concertos.  It is not a partnership, and it is not just about having a dialogue – they were the same organism to begin with, and must breathe as one.”

There are two outstanding violinists in the chamber orchestra who take care of the bowing and phrasing for him.  His wife, Yuuko Shiokawa, was a student of Sándor Végh, who gifted her with a precious violin.  Schiff and Végh's complete recording of Mozart's piano concertos are widely known.

Erich Höbarth is not only a Végh student, but also served as his teaching assistant and quartet partner.  Höbarth later became concertmaster of the Concentus Musicus Wien.  He has been in the ensemble for more than 30 years, and was there during the golden age when the ensemble was led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.  He is also the first violinist of the period-instrument quartet Quatuor Mosaïques.  With Höbarth serving as Schiff's concertmaster, this is a formidable ensemble indeed.

I have never heard Schiff conduct a Mozart symphony, but with that unforgettable 2014 concert in mind, my only wish is that all the acclaimed musicians in the chamber orchestra (including the legendary Czech string quartet Panocha Quartet) will come to Hong Kong as scheduled to join Schiff on an extraordinary evening of Austro-German classics.

William Lau is a music critic who publishes his concert reviews on Hong Kong Economic Journal  and Takungpao.

English translation provided by KCL Language Consultancy Ltd.

Conductor and Piano: Sir András Schiff

Born in Budapest in 1953, Sir András Schiff studied piano at the Liszt Ferenc Academy with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados.  Having collaborated with the worldwide leading orchestras and conductors, he now focuses primarily on solo recitals, play-directing and conducting.

Since 2004, Sir András has performed the complete Beethoven's Piano Sonatas in over 20 cities, including Zurich where the cycle was recorded live for the ECM.  Other acclaimed recordings for the label include solo recitals of Schubert, Schumann and Janácek, alongside J.S. Bach's Partitas, Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier.

In recent years, Sir András' J.S. Bach performance has become an annual highlight of the BBC Proms.  Elsewhere, he regularly performs at the Verbier, Salzburg and Baden-Baden festivals; the Wigmore Hall in London, Musikverein in Vienna and Philharmonie de Paris; on tour in North America and Asia; and in Vicenza, Italy where he curates a festival at the Teatro Olimpico. 

Vicenza is also home to the Cappella Andrea Barca – a chamber orchestra consisting of international soloists, chamber musicians and friends Sir András founded in 1999.  Together they have appeared at the New York's Carnegie Hall, Lucerne Festival and Mozartwoche Salzburg, as well as a tour of Asia; while forthcoming projects include a cycle of J.S. Bach's keyboard concertos in Europe.

Sir András also enjoys a close relationship with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Budapest Festival Orchestra and Orchestra of the Age Enlightenment (OAE).  In 2018, he accepted the role of Associate Artist with the OAE, complementing his interest in performing on period keyboard instruments.

He continues to support new talent, primarily through his "Building Bridges" series which gives performance opportunities to promising young artists.  He also teaches at the Barenboim–Said Akademie in Berlin and Kronberg Academy and gives frequent lectures and masterclasses.  In 2017, his book Music Comes from Silence, Conversations with Martin Meyer was published by the Bärenreiter and Henschel.

Sir András' many honours include the International Mozarteum Foundation's Golden Mozart Medal and Germany's Great Cross of Merit with Star in 2012, the Royal Philharmonic Society's Gold Medal in 2013, a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music in 2014.  Last year, he was awarded a Doctorate from the Royal College of Music in the United Kingdom.

Cappella Andrea Barca

The musicians of the Cappella Andrea Barca are primarily active as globally successful soloists and chamber musicians and are not tied to any orchestras.  They were selected personally by Sir András Schiff for the performance of the complete Mozart's Piano Concertos at the Mozartwoche Salzburg from 1999 to 2005.  Since then, the Cappella Andrea Barca has been a regular guest at the Mozartwoche Salzburg.

Gradually, under the direction of Sir András, the chamber orchestra widened their scope. Since 1999, they have organised the Omaggio a Palladio Festival at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, with Mozart's Così fan tutte in 2001.  The chamber orchestra was also a guest at the Kunstfest Weimar in the years of 2004 to 2007.  In addition, they have toured numerous European cities such as Vienna, Innsbruck, Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Athens, Brussels, Luxembourg, Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Bremen, Baden-Baden, Budapest and Lisbon.  Two tours in the "Mozart Year" in 2006 led the Cappella Andrea Barca to the United States – Carnegie Hall in New York, the Avery Fisher Hall and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  The chamber orchestra performed at important festivals like the Beethovenfest Bonn in 2008 and 2010, Lucerne Festival (with J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor in 2006 and 2012, and with Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the Balthasar Neumann Chorus in 2014), Schubertiade Schwarzenberg in 2014 and 2015, and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Rheingau Music Festival in 2016.  In 2017, they were a guest at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad Festival.

Sir András' ambition is to present the Cappella Andrea Barca in a way that allows the chamber orchestra to prove themselves in soloist and chamber music formations, which is something that most established orchestras will struggle to achieve.  "What I work with as a conductor is an extension of chamber music; the Cappella is a chamber music ensemble of excellent soloists, but above all chamber musicians.  There are many string quartet players in this orchestra, and playing the string quartet is the pinnacle of making music".  Moreover, Sir András considers the human and personal component equally important: "There is no place for the egotist.  This ensemble is based on friendship, understanding, equality and equal ideals – aesthetic, musical and human".

Information provided by the artists

Chinese translation provided by KCL Language Consultancy Ltd. 

15/11

J.S. Bach:  Ricercar a 6 (from The Musical Offering, BWV 1079)

Mozart:  Symphony No. 41 in C, K. 551, "Jupiter"

Beethoven:  Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73, "Emperor"

The performance will run for about 1 hour and 45 minutes including a 20 minute intermission. 

16/11

Beethoven:  Piano Concerto ‎No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19

Mozart:  Symphony No. 39 in E-flat, K. 543

Beethoven:  Piano Concerto No. 4 in G, Op. 58

The performance will run for about 2 hours including a 20 minute intermission. 

Audience is strongly advised to arrive punctually.  Latecomers will only be admitted during the intermission or at a suitable break.  The presenter reserves the right to change the artists and programme.

Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

15.11.2019 (Fri)
20:00

16.11.2019 (Sat)
17:00

Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

$700, $550, $450, $350, $250

BUY NOW

DATE

15.11.2019 (Fri)
20:00

16.11.2019 (Sat)
17:00

VENUE

Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

PRICE

$700, $550, $450, $350, $250

BUY NOW

Tickets available from  10 August (Sat)  at URBTIX outlets, on internet, mobile app and credit card telephone booking.

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and the minder, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first come, first served basis).

“Great Music” Package Discount
For each purchase of standard tickets for 'Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca' (15/11 and 16/11 concerts) and 'Violin Recital by Anne-Sophie Mutter', the following concession applies:
10% off for any 2 concerts; 15% off for all 3 concerts. 

“Great Music” Group Booking Discount
For each purchase of standard tickets for 'Sir András Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca' (15/11 and 16/11 concerts) and 'Violin Recital by Anne-Sophie Mutter', the following concession applies:
10% off for each purchase of 4-9 standard tickets; 15% off for 10-19 standard tickets; 20% off for 20 or more standard tickets.

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discounts offers.

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