Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra / Helmchen / Peltokoski

On St Nicholas’ Day, Tarmo Peltokoski will be taking on a dual musical role: conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and performing on the piano alongside Martin Helmchen. The programme includes, amongst other works, Saint-Saëns’ popular masterpiece »The Carnival of the Animals« as well as Wagner’s »The Ring« in Henk de Vlieger’s dramatically gripping orchestral version.

The Carnival of the Animals
Peltokoski will conduct »The Carnival of the Animals« from the second grand piano, just as Saint-Saëns did at the private premiere in 1886. The piece was not performed in public at the time: the composer locked it away out of concern for his reputation as a serious composer and only released it in his will. »‘It should be taken as a joke. It wasn’t composed as a serious piece, and I haven’t programmed it as such either,’« said the Finnish conductor.

The Ring. An orchestral adventure
Furthermore, the self-confessed Wagnerian »The Ring. An orchestral adventure«, a purely orchestral version of Wagner’s opera cycle, arranged by Henk de Vlieger. Peltokoski is clearly enthusiastic about de Vlieger’s orchestration –, noting that the latter has created a continuous narrative from the wealth of material: »an orchestral adventure« unlike any other.