Author: Macao Orchestra

Concert Distant Worlds – music from FINAL FANTASY by the Macao Orchestra at The Venetian Macao

The Macao Orchestra under the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), presents the concert Distant Worlds – music from FINAL FANTASY, featuring music by Japanese video games music composer Nobuo Uematsu, on Saturday, 11 June, at 7:45pm, at The Venetian Theatre. The Macao Orchestra performs for the first time, under Grammy award winner conductor Arnie Roth, themes from the popular video game “FINAL FANTASY”, developed by world-renowned producer SQUARE ENIX. Images from the game will be synchronously projected on screen, offering a visual and aural experience to the public. This concert is supported by Sands China Ltd.

The “FINAL FANTASY” video game, published in 1987, which introduced a world of fantasy made up of delicate images and a rich narrative, was highly acclaimed by game players all over the world. The concert “FINAL FANTASY” had its debut in Japan in 2002, followed by sought-after performances in world tours which earned the composer Nobuo Uematsu several awards. The concert Distant Worlds – music from FINAL FANTASY premiered in Hong Kong in 2013 with great success, and is now coming to Macao under the baton of music director and award-winning conductor Arnie Roth. Roth has previously directed the London Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, among others. It is well-known that Roth has been collaborating with Uematsu and SQUARE ENIX regarding video game music. He was the music director and conductor of the concerts Dear Friends – music from FINAL FANTASY, More Friends – music from FINAL FANTASY, Voices – music from FINAL FANTASY and Play! Video Games Symphony Music.

The tickets for Distant Worlds – music from FINAL FANTASY are available from Friday, 20 May, at 10am at Cotai Ticketing and the Macau Ticketing Network, at the prices of MOP/HKD300 (A Reserve), MOP/HKD200 (B Reserve) and MOP/HKD100 (C Reserve); purchasers with BOC Multi-Currency Credit Card or BOC Card will receive a 30% discount. For reservation, please visit the Cotai Ticketing website at www.cotaiticketing.com, or call through tel. (853) 2882 8818 (Macao), (852) 6333 6660 (Hong Kong) or through the free ticketing hotline 4001206618 (Mainland China). Reservations are also available through the webpage www.macauticket.com, through tel.(853) 2855 5555 or in person at the designated counters. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om or contact OM through tel. (853) 2853 0782 during office hours.

Macao Orchestra participates in the“La Folle Journée au Japon 2016” festival in Tokyo

The Macao Orchestra (OM) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau was invited to participate in the 12th edition of the music festival “La Folle Journée au Japon 2016”, held in Tokyo, Japan, from 1 to 5 May, introducing Macao’s musical arts and culture to the Japanese audience for the first time.

“La Folle Journée au Japon” is a popular music festival in Tokyo, adopting a different theme each year and featuring over 200 varied concerts held during three consecutive days. The festival has already become a major musical event in Japan during the month of May. The theme of this year’s festival is “Nature”. The OM, led by its Music Director and Principal Conductor, Lü Jia, presents four concerts on 3 and 4 May, on the chosen theme at the Tokyo International Forum, during two consecutive days, joining hands with Russian violinist Dmitri Makhtin and Japanese soprano Rie Hamada.

Upon its arrival in Tokyo, the OM promptly started rehearsing in order to present high-level performances in all four concerts. Following the European tour held last September, the Orchestra continues to perform abroad, promoting cooperation and exchange with several Japanese musicians. The programme of the concerts was specially selected for the young Japanese audience, including pieces such as Summer Nights by Hector Berlioz and the symphonic poems The Wild Dove and Cypresses by Antonín Dvořák, among others. During this tour, the OM continues to play its role of  Macao’s cultural ambassador, visiting  Rikkyo University in order to promote musical exchange, thereby contributing to the development of the cooperation and exchange between the two territories.

Macao Orchestra joins hands with Sayaka Shoji to present Shakespeare’s World Concert

Lü Jia, Music Director and Principal Conductor of Macao Orchestra of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will collaborate with Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji in the concert Shakespeare’s World –Lü Jia and Sayaka next Friday, 29 April, at 8pm,  at the Macao Tower Auditorium, presenting Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. Tickets are now available through the Macau Ticketing Network.

In Gramophone Magazine, Sayaka Shoji is described as “a formidable musician, able to draw on huge reserves of stamina and the unflinching equal of anything thrown at her”. She took the First Prize of the 1999 Paganini Competition at the age of 16, and was the first Japanese musician and the youngest winner of this prize. She is also one of the most internationally renowned violin sensations, she has performed with a number of leading orchestras throughout the world, including the BBC Philharmonic, Wiener Symphoniker, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and NHK Symphony Orchestra, among others.

In January 2016, Sayaka Shoji received the prestigious Mainichi Art Award. In this concert, Sayaka Shoji will have the debut performance with the Macao Orchestra to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2, which was created at the same period with Prokofiev’s well-known ballet Romeo and Juliet, a namesake adaptation from Shakespeare’s drama. This concerto mirrors the adaptation in numerous passages.

The programme of the concert also features with Berlioz’s King Lear Overture, based on an adaptation from Shakespeare’s King Lear, using musical instruments like double bass and obes to play out the tragedy of main character. The concert concludes with Schumann’s Symphony No. 4, which was dedicated to Schumann’s wife Clara as a birthday present. This piece of work can be regarded as a perfect demonstration of romanticism.

Tickets for Shakespeare’s World – Lü Jia and Sayaka are priced at MOP200, MOP150 and MOP100, with various discount plans available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om or contact OM through tel no. 2853 0782 during office hours.

Acclaimed French pianist Alexandre Tharaud steers Macao Orchestra’s concert The Great Pianist

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, joins hands with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud, acclaimed as a modern “poet of the piano”, in the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra, to be held on Sunday, 5 June, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. Tickets are on sale from 5 April at the Macao Ticketing Network.

Alexandre Tharaud became well-known for his role as an outstanding pianist in the French film “Amour” – winner of the Palm dÓr at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Mentored by Carmen Taccon-Devenat who was a student of Marguerite Long, Tharaud won a series of prizes including the First Prize at the International Maria Canals Competition in Barcelona and the Second Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich, and recorded more than 20 successful albums. With his unique music style and perfect performance skills, he received great critical acclaim. The Washington Post described Tharaud as “a pianist of brilliant thought and action”. Led by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, the  Macao Orchestra will join hands with Alexandre Tharaud in performing the lyrical Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg. The programme of this concert also features the delicate Symphony No. 8 by Ludwig van Beethoven, certainly bringing pure joy to the audience.

Tickets for the concert The Great Pianist: Alexandre Tharaud and the Macao Orchestra are priced at MOP350, MOP300, MOP200 and MOP100. Early bird discounts of 40% are available between 5 and 15 April upon purchasing 4 or more tickets for the concert. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Orchestra webpage: www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Internationally renowned Russian pianist Alexei Volodin featured in Macao Orchestra’s romantic concert Shakespeare’s World next week

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presents the concert Shakespeare’s World – ZhangYi and Volodin, part of the “Shining Virtuosos” Series, to be held on Saturday, 9 April, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring internationally renowned Russian pianist Alexei Volodin. Tickets are on sale at the Macao Ticketing Network.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death and the Macao Orchestra specially presents thematic concerts about this master of literature. Led by highly acclaimed Chinese conductor Zhang Yi, the Orchestra joins hands with  internationally renowned Russian pianist Alexei Volodin to perform the most well-known piece of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43, which is also the soundtrack of the movie Somewhere in Time, creating a romantic, poetic and fascinating illusion. The programme of the concert also features two extraordinary pieces about Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky’s Overture-Fantasia “Hamlet”, Op. 67 and the Suite No. 3 in G Major, Op. 55, which demonstrate the sensibility and ecstasy of the composer by the master, offering aficionados an evening of fantasy and romance.

Tickets for the concert are priced at MOP200, MOP150 and MOP100, with various discount plans available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please contact OM through tel. 2853 0782 during office hours or visit the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Macao Orchestra’s Concert “Weekend Music Party－Back in Time” at Dom Pedro V Theatre

The highly-acclaimed concert “Weekend Music Party” presented by the Macao Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will proceed this Saturday (April 2) at 4pm at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. The performance of the concert “Weekend Music Party – Back in Time” features various ensembles which will perform a selection of popular American songs from the 70’s and 80’s. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase at the Macau Ticketing Network.

The programme of the concert features new string and brass arrangements of songs such as “Yesterday”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Love Me Tender”, etc.; combining the delicacy and beauty of classical music with modern pop sounds presenting a new sensory experience that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Complementing the concert, an antiques’ market will be held outside the Dom Pedro V Theatre, featuring local boutiques including MissKai’s Vintage, The Things Studio and Naka Shop, among others. Entrance to the antiques’ market is free of charge.

Tickets for the concert “Weekend Music Party – Back in Time” are on sale at the prices of MOP100 and MOP120. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more information and the programme, please visit the Macao Orchestra’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Macao Orchestra’s Easter Concert features Beethoven’s Mass in D major

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presents the Easter Concert on Thursday and Friday, 24 and 25 March, at 8pm, at St. Dominic’s Church. OM invited specially for these concerts renowned conductor Peter Tiboris, who performs frequently at Carnegie Hall, the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus, internationally renowned soprano Eilana Lappalainen, and three Korean soloists, mezzo Yang Songmi, tenor Shin Dongwon and bass Yoo Ji Hoon, to perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and sacred works by Franz Schubert. Admission is free.

The Mass in C Major performed in these two concerts is Beethoven’s first mass. The work is appreciated by music critics for its sweet and captivating melodies conveying a sense of tranquillity, devotion and purity. The concerts’ programme also features two sacred works by Franz Schubert, the Stabat Mater, D. 175 and Tantum ergo, D. 962, ritual traditional pieces written for the ceremony of the mass. In these concerts, OM, the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus and several international singers propose an unforgettable evening of stunning sacred music.

Admission to the two Easter concerts of the Macao Orchestra is free. Tickets will be distributed at the venue one hour before the performance. Distribution is on a first come, first served basis and is limited to a maximum of two tickets per person. For details and programme enquiries, please visit the OM website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Macao Orchestra Chamber Music Concert “Cheers for Youth” at Dom Pedro V Theatre next Friday

The Macao Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, holds the chamber music concert “Cheers for Youth” at Dom Pedro V Theatre on Friday, 18 March, at 8pm. The concert features three pieces representing “youth” in various senses.

The highlight of the programme of the concert “Cheers for Youth” is Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s Suite for Wind Sextet Mladi (Youth), regarded as one of the most representative works of the nationalist surge in the 20thcentury. Janáček composed this piece when he was in his 70s, recalling his childhood and enriching it by adding a bass clarinet to the standard woodwind quintet. The concert also features the Little Suite for Strings (Nonet), Op. 1 a highly original and popular piece by Carl Nielsen, the most influential Danish composer of the early 20th century, as well as Russian composer Victor Ewald’s Brass Quintet No. 3 in D-flat Major, Op. 7. Music lovers cannot miss this inspirational evening!

Tickets for the Macao Orchestra chamber music concert “Cheers for Youth” are priced at MOP120 and MOP100 and are now available through the Macau Ticketing Network. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For details of the programme, please visit the Macao Orchestra website: www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Date of “Classical Jazz” concert by the Macao Orchestra changed

Due to a programme change, the concert Weekend Music Party – Classical Jazz by the Macao Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, originally scheduled to be held on Saturday, 11 June, at 4pm at Dom Pedro V Theatre, has been anticipated to Saturday, 28 May, at 4pm. The venue and programme of the performance as well as the ticket prices remain unchanged. Spectators with tickets may change their tickets with priority at the Macau Ticketing Network outlets from 1 March to 10 March. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

The concert Weekend Music Party – Classical Jazz introduces a brand new idea and features a number of relaxing and happy Jazz themes, including Ragtime dance, Blue Mink Blues and St. Louis Blues, adapted for string quartet and brass quintet. Participate and enjoy yourself.

Tickets for this concert will be on sale again from 1 March and are priced at MOP120 and MOP100, with various discounts available. Interested parties can purchase tickets through the Macau Ticketing Network outlets or online. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please visit the Macao Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

International horn player Radovan Vlatković to have debut performance in Macao

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presents the concert Horn Concerto by Radovan, part of the Shining Virtuosos Series, to be held on 5 March, Saturday, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, featuring international horn player Radovan Vlatković, who will debut in Macao. Tickets are on sale at the Macao Ticketing Network.

The concert Horn Concerto by Radovan will be conducted by the Music Director of the Macao Orchestra, Lü Jia, and features Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, the extremely challenging work for the complex musical instrument, performed by Radovan Vlatković. The OM will also perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5 “Fate”. Radovan Vlatković was Principal Horn of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and received the First Prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich. His recording of the Mozart concertos was awarded the German Recording Critics’ Prize. He received the Croatian Porin Award for his Life’s Work in 2012. Aficionados should not miss this marvelous performance.

Tickets for the concert are priced at MOP200, MOP150 and MOP100, and various discount plans are available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please contact OM through tel. 2853 0782 during office hours or visit the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Chinese conductor Zhang Guoyong leads OM in the interpretation of Russian masterpieces

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will present the concert Russia Wonderland on 21 February, Sunday, at 8pm, at the Macao Tower Auditorium, featuring the best Chinese conductor in interpretation of Russian music, Zhang Guoyong, who will lead OM in a fantastic interpretation of Russian melodies.

The programme of the concert Russia Wonderland includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13 “Winter Daydreams” and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F minor, Op. 10. Zhang Guoyong, one of the great Chinese conductors, is the head of Shanghai Opera House and is a professor of Composition and Conducting Department at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music . He studied in the former USSR for four years, earning the highest marks in his doctorate at Conducting Division of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. With his academic life in Russia at a later age as well as his work and cultural practical experiences, it helped him to contribute in conducting Russian composers’ works, thereby allowing him to comprehend Russian music history and culture in a better way. Zhang Guoyong’s conducting style is simple and natural, spiritually rich and highly artistic. He is universally recognized as the best Chinese conductor in interpretation of Russian music, especially of the symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Tickets for this concert are priced at MOP200, MOP250 and MOP100, with various discounts available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For more details and programme enquiries, please contact OM through tel. 2853 0782 or access the Orchestra webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.

Yang Xuefei brings classical guitar to St. Dominic’s Church on Saturday

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym) of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will present the concert Classic Guitar this Saturday, 23 January, at 8pm, at St. Dominic’s Church featuring two special guests, Egyptian conductor Nabil Shehata and classical guitarist Yang Xuefei invited. Free tickets will be distributed at the venue one hour prior to the performance. Distribution is on a first come, first served basis and is limited to a maximum of two tickets per person.

This marks the first time OM invites Yang Xuefei, one of the most extraordinary contemporary interpreters of classical guitar worldwide, and Egyptian conductor Nabil Shehata to cooperate in the interpretation of the eternal classical Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo. Yang Xuefei was the first guitarist in China to pursue classical guitar studies in the country’s Conservatory and to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in classical guitar, successfully launching a musical career on global stages. She is also the first Chinese classical guitarist to sign international contracts with top level music agents and record companies. Among Yang Xuefei’s biggest achievements are the academic honours given by London’s Royal Academy of Music as well as her inclusion in the top 100 musicians list of reputed UK radio station Classic FM. The programme of this concert also features Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201 and Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2, offering music lovers an unforgettable night of splendid classics and Latin passion.  The entire performance will be live broadcast on an outdoor screen installed outside St. Dominic’s Church, thereby allowing even more viewers to enjoy this exquisite concert.

Additionally, OM will present the concert Russia Wonderland at the Macao Tower Auditorium on Sunday, 21 February, at 8pm, cooperating with conductor Zhang Guoyong, recognized as the best interpreter of Russian music, in particular of Dmitri Shostakovich’s symphonies. Tickets for this concert are priced at MOP200, MOP150 and MOP100, with various discounts available. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. For details and programme enquiries, please call OM through tel. 2853 0782 or visit the Orchestra website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.