DANIEL HARDING & 2026 YMCG ORCHESTRA HONG KONG CONCERT
9 February - 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
$180 – $480EVENT DESCRIPTION
The annual event Youth Music Culture the Greater Bay Area (YMCG) brings its 2026 tour to a spectacular close in Hong Kong. As YMCG marks its 10th year since its inception in 2017, this year’s programme spans Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macau, showcasing the vibrant cultural dynamism of the Greater Bay Area.
Following the performances in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, world-renowned conductor and YMCG Music Director Daniel Harding will lead the 2026 YMCG Orchestra, comprising outstanding young musicians from leading music institution around the world, in a performance on 9 February at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall for the Daniel
Harding & 2026 YMCG Orchestra Hong Kong Concert.
Maestro Harding will be joined by the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill to lead this orchestra of global youth elites in a performance of classic masterpieces by Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. The tour is supported by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The 2026 YMCG Orchestra comprises 102 young musicians selected from a global pool of applicants. These rising stars hail from 78 top institutions worldwide, including The Juilliard School, Berlin University of the Arts, and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as well as 21 professional orchestras. The young musicians have been coached by an illustrious faculty including 17 principals from the major international orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, together with the Greater Bay Area Festival Orchestra, formed by musicians from the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and Macao Orchestra.
The program begins with Blumine (Flower Movement), originally the second movement of Mahler’s First Symphony before he removed it himself. It then moves to Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, settings of poetry by Friedrich Rückert, and concludes with the grand challenge of Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life).
Blumine – The Blooming Flower, Desire for Life and Love
Originally the Andante movement of the five-movement version of Mahler’s First Symphony, this piece features a simple orchestration, with string tremolos and warm trumpet melodies evoking the image of flowers blooming, symbolizing longing for life and love. Mahler described the movement as arising from his early emotional experiences, and it remains a crucial part of the symphony’s exploration of life and death.
Rückert Lieder – Mahler’s Intimate Art Song Gems
Comprising five independent art songs set to poems by Friedrich Rückert, each piece is distinct in character and not intended as a unified cycle. The music closely follows the structure of the poetry, with Mahler employing innovative techniques to treat traditional stanzas. Transparent orchestration, delicate instrumental interludes, and the seamless interaction between voice and orchestra showcase his extraordinary artistry.
A Hero’s Life – The Inner Spiritual Journey of an Idealistic Hero
Written for a large orchestra, this work depicts the inner spiritual journey of an “idealistic hero”. Structured in six continuous sections, it traces the hero’s courage, love, battles, and retreat through thematic transformation. The music includes satirical references to critics and features a violin solo portraying the companion figure with exquisite nuance. In the final section, themes from earlier works by the composer are woven together like a retrospective of the hero’s life, culminating in a pastoral tranquility.
