Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
Edo de Waart, who will become the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's artistic director and chief conductor next season, held two highly anticipated preview concerts on Friday and last night.
Many of the city's classical music luminaries, including composers and critics, attended the concerts, which gave the audience a taste of the selection for 2004-05.
The Philharmonic seems to have come to an artistic standstill in the present season, languishing without a chief conductor, but it appeared almost transformed under the internationally famous maestro's baton, displaying a sparkling and focused tone.
The violins still had a conspicuous rough edge, especially near the end of Brahms' Symphony No11 - the central work of the concert - and there were some obvious slip-ups in horn and woodwind solos.