Dutch maestro Edo de Waart is leaving Hong Kong's flagship orchestra with fond memories and a few regrets after eight years in charge.
De Waart, artistic director and chief conductor of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, said it was 'somewhat melancholy' for him to bid farewell to the city and orchestra he joined in 2004.
'Aside from the long flight and jetlag, I have come to like this orchestra very much through many hours of rehearsal and performance,' the Amsterdam native said. 'I wonder sometimes whether Hong Kong knows how good the orchestra really is.'
Known as an orchestra-builder from his time in the US and Sydney, he said hard work had been the key to building the Hong Kong band. 'It is now a very flexible, quick orchestra, much more confident than when I came, and players are aware of their intrinsic quality and able to come with you in different styles, be it Bruckner or Mahler or Chen Qigang. I am very proud of them,' said de Waart, who will now work with orchestras in Antwerp and Wisconsin to be closer to his family.
Asked if he had any regrets about his Hong Kong years, he said, laughing: 'Yeah, some that I am not going to tell you. One thing I don't like is the ... bureaucracy. Whenever I needed something, I'd have to fill in a bunch of papers.'
There were also numerous meetings he attended at which local arts groups expressed an interest in collaborations that never materialised.