Jaap van Zweden conducts Joey Roukens’ ‘In Unison’

Jaap van Zweden was chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for 12 years. Now he bids farewell with a tour of Europe with Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony and Roukens’ acclaimed double concert In Unison with piano brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen. In both, Amsterdam and Hong Kong, he will conduct the Hong Kong Philharmonic

Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No 2

‘A top conductor can turn a very good orchestra into an outstanding ensemble like a kind of orchestral whisperer – as chief conductor Jaap van Zweden has done with the Hong Kong Philharmonic,’ says the Volkskrant. ‘Next year he is swapping Hong Kong for Seoul. He leaves the orchestra in shining shape’. During his farewell tour, Van Zweden will conduct Rachmaninoff’s exuberant and colourful Second Symphony, among others.

Roukens’ double concerto for Lucas and Arthur Jussen

Joey Roukens composed his double concerto In Unison especially for the successful piano brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen. NRC called the 2018 world premiere ‘exhilarating’ and de Volkskrant called the pop-influenced work ‘a piece that serves belly and head, from flashy to fairy-like’. Roukens’ new double concerto also shows off on the Edison Klassiek-winning album Dutch Masters.

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