FROM ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY – MALAYSIAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (SEP 1)

It's the SSO's turn to host our friends from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) on September 1, at the Victoria Concert Hall. We welcome Japanese maestro Eiji Oue and Gonzalo Esteban, Principal Clarinet of the MPO and soloist of the evening in the bittersweet lyricism and jazzy wit of Copland's Clarinet Concerto. Beethoven's Fifth stamps its defiant heroism in a symphonic statement of triumph-over-adversity. The concert also features Mercu Kegemilangan by Malaysian composer Vivian Chua – a piece commissioned by the MPO to mark their 20th anniversary season.

The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) makes a long-anticipated return to Singapore after an absence of more than a decade. The MPO has performed twice in Victoria Concert Hall (1999 and 2001) and twice at The Esplanade (2003 and 2005). Now, the orchestra makes its fifth appearance in Singapore on the occasion of its 20th anniversary season, once again demonstrating its world class calibre and serving as a cultural ambassador from Singapore’s close neighbour. A host of internationally-acclaimed musicians have worked with the MPO, including Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Yehudi Menuhin, Joshua Bell, Harry Connick Jr., José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli and Branford Marsalis, many of whom have praised the MPO for its fine musical qualities and vitality. As it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018, the MPO remains steadfast in its mission to share the depth, power and beauty of great music.

Renowned for his ‘extraordinary interpretations’ (La Nacion) and his ‘trademark good humour […] and great energy’ (BackTrack), Eiji Oue has conducted many of the world’s top orchestras throughout his career, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and the Munich Philharmonic. Oue is currently Conductor Laureate of both the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, having served as its Music Director from 2003-2011, and the NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Hanover, following an eleven year tenure as Principal Guest Conductor (1998-2009). He has also held the positions of Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra (1995-2002) and Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (2006-2010).

Born in Madrid in 1988, Gonzalo Esteban joined the MPO as Principal Clarinet in 2015. Professionally, Esteban has performed with orchestras including the Staatskapelle Dresden, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Madrid Symphony, Orchestra OSM, Radio Orchestra of Spain RTVE, Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Teatro del Liceu (Barcelona), and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. During the 2012/13 season, he was engaged as Assistant Principal Clarinet of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lison.

http://mpo.com.my/

Presented by: