Jaap van Zweden talks about his big plans for Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Jaap van Zweden has a master plan. The music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra wants his charges to join the upper echelon of international orchestras through an intensive course of touring, recording, polishing core repertoire and stretching its stylistic range. "We can be great ambassadors for the city in coming years," says the 54-year-old.

But first, a more immediate task is to come up with a diverse and far-ranging new season, which is what the Dutch conductor announced in person last week; one with deep excursions into Beethoven, Wagner and Bruckner; side trips to Russia and France, Harry Potter for children, acrobats, Charlie Chaplin's , Viennese waltzes, and Canto-pop star Ivana Wong Yuen-chi.

There is also the allegation that the Hong Kong Philharmonic is not featuring enough local talent in its next season, a delicate situation that he has to handle with care and sensitivity.

Programme-wise, the Beethoven and Wagner cycles comprise the upcoming season's main course. The Beethoven symphony cycle, all nine symphonies played over four weeks, will mark the longest stretch of time that Van Zweden has been in Hong Kong.

This symphonies, which chart the German composer's path - from writing like Mozart and Haydn, through early romanticism in the symphony, to the final late symphonies - should be performed in flexible styles to match the requirements of each era, he stresses.

"You need to be a chameleon. You need to have all different styles under your belt," says Van Zweden. Referring to historically informed performance, he says: "There are still people who play Beethoven like Brahms. And that I refuse to do."