Musicians at the city's flagship orchestra are generally upbeat about Jaap van Zweden's appointment as the new artistic director.
The Dutch musician, who will join the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from the 2012-2013 season, is one of the classical music world's most sought-after conductors.
His tenure at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which he transformed from a regional orchestra to one of the top orchestras in the United States, has been extended to 2016.
The Phil's board chairman, Y.S. Liu, said engaging Van Zweden had been a stroke of luck. It was no easy thing, he said, to take over an orchestra from former conductor and fellow Dutchman Edo de Waart.
'We are friends, but we are totally different,' Van Zweden said. 'Edo is an orchestra builder, and the effect may take some time to surface. But I am a performer, and I want immediate effects.'
He stressed that he would not depart completely from De Waart's Mahler-focused programme. Instead he would explore the music of Shostakovich, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Haydn.
Liu first noticed Van Zweden in London in 2010. He flew to Dallas and then Amsterdam to meet the conductor. He also spoke to his associates and the orchestra's players. 'They all had everything good to say about him. It was tough working under him, especially the string players, and the results were great and the musicians knew it,' said Liu, a former violinist with the Phil.