City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) presents The Bonn Man, a staged concert capturing the monumental rise of Beethoven in historical costumes at the Hong Kong City Hall on 2 October 2021.

Created and produced by playwright Leanne Nicholls, The Bonn Man captures Beethoven’s monumental rise to the world’s greatest composer through the eyes of his pupil and assistant Ferdinand Ries, son of one of Beethoven’s childhood music mentors in Bonn. Audiences will follow Ries’ gripping account of the composer’s life and struggles with loneliness and hearing loss accompanied by dazzling performances of his music by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and guest artists. The show will climax with Beethoven’s ninth symphony, a commission from London which Ries was instrumental in obtaining, and a masterpiece which changed the course of music history forever.

The performance, led by conductor Colin Touchin, includes excerpts from Beethoven’s most popular symphonies and the bombastic Wellington’s Victory with its musical depictions of canon fire. Micah Sandt, a multi-talented local actor, singer and pianist, performs the role of Ferdinand Ries and Korean pianist Yoonie Han, who is currently the assistant Professor of Piano at the Hong Kong Baptist University, appears as the secret inspiration behind some of Beethoven’s most impassioned solo piano works. The concert stage will be beautifully designed to match the period by Ernesto Maurice Corpus.

Tickets priced at $480, $380, $280, with half-price concessions for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and minder, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients, are available from all URBTIX outlets.

For ticketing enquiries, call 3761 6661; for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for programme or other enquiries, call 2864 2151 or email info@ccohk.com. The performance is presented in English and lasts for approximately 70 minutes without an intermission. The programme is family-friendly with the exception of children aged five and below.

Image Credit: Hadi Karimi

Music schedule

Date: 02 October 2021 (Saturday) at 4:30pm & 8:00pm

Venue: Concert Hall - Hong Kong City Hall

Ludwig van Beethoven

Micah Sandt

Yoonie Han

The Story of Beethoven