The Macao Orchestra, under the patronage of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, is pleased to welcome renowned pianist Barry Douglas for the closing concert of its 2010-2011 Season. For this evening of music, beginning at 8pm on Sunday 31st July in the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, the celebrated Irish pianist joins the Orchestra under the baton of Principal Conductor and Musical Director Lü Jia. The arrival of an award-winning soloist of this calibre promises a thrilling close to the season’s programming.
Barry Douglas began his musical journey skyrocketing to fame in the wake of a Gold Medal performance at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. He has since made a name for himself on the international stage with his trademark extraordinary technique. Douglas also established the Irish chamber orchestra Camerata Ireland to promote the richness and flavour of Irish music and has served as Artistic Director for a host of well-known music and arts festivals, amassing a list of outstanding musical achievements along the way.
Douglas’ pianism is praised for “capturing the changeable emotions of music to take audiences on a stirring musical journey,” and he is widely recognised as the foremost interpreter of the works of Johannes Brahms. For his upcoming collaboration with the Macao Orchestra, Douglas will exhibit his mastery in Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major. This highly anticipated musical event is not to be missed!
The second half of the Closing Concert programme features Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, described by Wagner as the ‘Apotheosis of Dance’ and by Liszt as the ‘Apotheosis of Rhythm’. This energetic, perfectly-crafted musical composition is richly imbued with emotion and wild, exciting rhythm. Under the leadership of Lü Jia, the Macao Orchestra delivers this stirring masterwork in final celebration of a spectacular Concert Season. Beethoven’s Seventh enjoyed a recent surge in popularity with teenagers and young adults after it was selected as the theme song for the Japanese TV series Nodame Cantabile, a show watched avidly in Hong Kong and Macao, as well.
Tickets for the Barry Douglas and Macao Orchestra Season Closing Concert are priced at MOP 150, 120 and 80, with various discounts available to qualified purchasers and are available through the Kong Seng Ticketing Network or via the telephone ordering system at 2855 5555. For enquiries please call 2853 0782 or visit the Macao Orchestra website at www.icm.gov.mo/om.
