Fresh from a triumphant European tour, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is getting ready to travel closer to home.
In October 2025 the city’s flagship orchestra will bring its unmistakable energy to Japan and Korea under the baton of resident conductor Lio Kuokman, joined by two of Asia’s brightest pianists — Kyohei Sorita from Japan and Yekwon Sunwoo from Korea.
Along the way audiences will also hear a brand-new work by Hong Kong composer Charles Kwong, a piece that distils the city’s creative pulse into orchestral sound.
Before the musicians pack their scores and passports, local fans can catch a glimpse of the full programme at the sold-out “Kyohei Sorita Plays Tchaikovsky” concert on October 9 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. It’s Sorita’s debut with the HK Phil, and an early chance to feel the chemistry between soloist and orchestra before they head overseas as part of the Asia+ Festival 2025.
The tour begins on October 13 and 14 with concerts at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center and MUZA Kawasaki Symphony Hall as part of Asia Orchestra Week.
Each evening opens with the world premiere of Festina lente, a miniature by Charles Kwong that plays with speed and stillness, inviting listeners into a fast-and-slow world at the same time. Rising Japanese star Kyohei Sorita, a second prize winner at the 18th Chopin Competition in Warsaw, will take the spotlight in Tchaikovsky’s stormy First Piano Concerto, before the orchestra sweeps into the life-affirming Fifth Symphony.
On October 18 and 19 the orchestra flies into Korea to perform at the Gwangju Arts Center and the Seoul Arts Center.
Korean audiences will be welcomed with Subito con Forza, a Beethoven-inspired overture by Unsuk Chin described by one critic as “aggressive, disorienting and hugely entertaining.” In Gwangju and Seoul, Yekwon Sunwoo — gold medallist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition — takes the piano bench for Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto, adding his own country’s pride to the tour. The programme closes again with the Fifth Symphony, with Kwong’s Festina lente making its Seoul debut as part of “Hong Kong Week 2025@Seoul.”
For the HK Phil, the tour is more than just a string of concerts: it’s an exchange of ideas, a meeting of audiences and a celebration of the orchestra’s expanding international footprint.
Under Lio Kuokman’s leadership and with the star power of Sorita and Sunwoo, October promises to be a month of sweeping symphonic journeys — from the shores of Victoria Harbour to Hyogo, Kawasaki, Gwangju and Seoul — carrying a little piece of Hong Kong’s musical imagination wherever the orchestra plays.
Marco Lam (marco.lam@singtaonewscorp.com)
