20th October 2025 – (Hong Kong) The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma is set to perform in Hong Kong this November, marking its first visit in seven years. The concerts form the inaugural stop on the ensemble’s Asian tour and are a highlight of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Great Music 2025 series.
Under the direction of its new artistic director, the distinguished conductor Daniel Harding, the orchestra will present two distinct programmes. The first concert, on 20th November, will open with the overture from Verdi’s Les vêpres siciliennes. It will feature pianist Beatrice Rana in her Hong Kong debut, performing Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G, and conclude with Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2.
The second performance, on 21st November, will be dedicated to operatic masterworks. The programme includes overtures by Rossini and Verdi, culminating in a concert version of Act I from Wagner’s Die Walküre. This presentation will feature a leading international cast, with tenor Klaus Florian Vogt and soprano Miina-Liisa Värelä as the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, and bass Kwangchul Youn as Hunding. This Wagnerian excerpt is scheduled exclusively for the Hong Kong audience during the orchestra’s tour.
Founded in 1908, the Rome-based orchestra holds a historic position as Italy’s first ensemble devoted exclusively to the symphonic repertoire. It has a legacy of premiering 20th-century works and has been conducted by musical figures including Mahler, Toscanini, and Stravinsky. Its recent recording of Puccini’s Turandot received the International Classical Music Award for Best Opera.
Maestro Harding, who also holds the music directorship of Youth Music Culture in The Greater Bay Area, brings over two decades of international conducting experience. The soloists joining the orchestra are equally esteemed; Ms Rana is a prize-winning pianist lauded by Gramophone magazine, while Mr Vogt and Ms Värelä are celebrated interpreters of Wagnerian roles on the world’s leading opera stages. Mr Youn, a bass recognised as a Korean national treasure, completes the vocal ensemble.
The concerts will be held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Ticket prices range from $450 to $1,450 and are available through URBTIX. Complementing the performances, two pre-concert talks conducted in Cantonese will be offered free of charge to ticket holders.
