Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra - Emanuel Ax and Edo de Waart Hong Kong Cultural Centre November 4 Despite a large number of empty seats, the Hong Kong Philharmonic's performance on Thursday was an important occasion for local lovers of classical music. Emanuel Ax is among the world's top-ranking classical pianists, while conductor Edo de Waart enjoys international fame as the Philharmonic's artistic director. Ax demonstrated superb musicianship, wielded with unforced virtuosity in Brahms' second concerto, tackling demanding passages with grace and enormous power. His interpretation was short of being visionary, but possessed gentle warmth and an entrancing poetic discourse. Ax and de Waart responded to each other like they were in a chamber performance, coaching the orchestra with de Waart leading and Ax providing added inspiration. Principal cellist Richard Bamping also contributed to the beautifully rendered slow movement with lyrical solos, while Ax played with heightened feeling and spontaneity. Ax encored with a moving account of a Chopin waltz. Some of the audience members turned up to hear Ax after the intermission, so there were even more empty seats in the first half of the performance, which featured Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture and Stravinsky's Symphony in three movements. The pungent harmonics, shifting colours and irregular rhythms in the symphony demonstrated de Waart's ability to make complicated music sound as clear as a limpid stream. Small details could be heard, phrases were dovetailed, and the orchestra could play really softly, while numerous delicate shadings in dynamics and balance enlivened the performance. However, the Tchaikovsky was refined but under-cooked. The orchestra often sounded patchy, as if it was still in an advanced rehearsal session and the horns surely needed upgrading.