Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall February 21 Ensemble Wien-Berlin offers the best of two worlds: the quintet, formed in 1983, is drawn from the Vienna and Berlin philharmonics. The lineup for two concerts as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival is: Wolfgang Schulz (flute), Norbert Taubl (clarinet) and Milan Turkovic (bassoon) of the Vienna Philharmonic and Hansjorg Schellenberger (oboe) and Stefan Dohr (horn) of the Berlin Philharmonic. The ensemble was established by five soloists - primarily principal players - to promote chamber music. Over the years, it regularly performed with outstanding strings players and pianists. In the spring of 1999, the clarinet and horn players were replaced by the clarinet and horn principals from the two philharmonics, and the repertoire has increasingly embraced 20th-century music, with a strong focus on contemporary works. Recently, the quintet has collaborated with leading pianists such as Elisabeth Leonskaja and Stefan Vladar (who are also performing at this year's festival). To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth this year, members of the group have been invited as soloists to perform the Mozart wind concertos around the world. Next Tuesday, Vladar will share the stage with the Ensemble Wien-Berlin at City Hall, performing an eclectic programme: Beethoven's Quintet in E flat major for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, Op16; Schubert's Introduction and Variation on Trockne Blumen, D802, Op160; Wolfgang Rihm's Quintet for Winds and Mozart's Quintet in E flat major for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, K452. Vladar (who will be giving a recital on Sunday) has had a successful career since winning the International Beethoven Competition Vienna in 1985. He appears regularly with the Ensemble Wien-Berlin and the Artis Quartet of Vienna. He's the artistic director of both the Neuberg Festival in Styria, Austria, and the Upper Austria Summer Music Festival, and is Professor of Piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. 5 Edinburgh Place, Central, $100-$280 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2824 2430
