Hong Kong Sinfonietta will welcome the “Paganini of the Trumpet” Sergei Nakariakov and celebrated Hungarian trumpet player Gábor Boldoczki for two concerts on 10 and 13 January 2024: Double Acts – HKS Recital Series: Duo Recital by Sergei Nakariakov and Gábor Boldoczki and Double Acts – Double Trumpet Concerto by Fazil Say.
Ahead of the concerts, Sergei Nakariakov and Gábor Boldoczki shared with us their musical journey and their enthusiasm to play together for the Hong Kong audience.
Born in Gorky, Russia, in 1977, Sergei Nakariakov is a Russian-Israeli virtuoso trumpeter considered as one of the most sought-after trumpet players on the international stage.
Nakariakov began to play the piano at six but didn’t enjoy it, so moved on to the trumpet at nine, supported by his father who transcribed many classical concerts for the trumpet and created a unique repertoire for him.
When asked what is unique about the trumpet, Nakariakov simply mentions it is the voice of the instrument that attracts him.
In 1992 at the age of only fifteen, he released his first CD recording, including works by Ravel, Gershwin and Arban’s The Carnival of Venice.
Nakariakov has single-handedly brought the flugelhorn to prominence, developing long-standing relationships with many of the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and musicians.
He met Gábor Boldoczki at the end of 1990s, and the pair played many concerts together over the years. For their concerto with Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Double Acts – Double Trumpet Concerto by Fazil Say, the duo will play a recent composition made for them by Turkish composer Fazil Say for its Asian premiere.
“It’s a concerto for two trumpets and symphony orchestra. The piece has a lot of character, a lot of oriental flavour and displays the different faces of trumpet,” Nakariakov explains.
The concerts will mark Nakariakov’s third collaboration with Hong Kong Sinfonietta: “I’m extremely happy to return to Hong Kong to play with HK Sinfonietta. Every time, it was a great experience for me, it’s a fantastic orchestra! What I like about Hong Kong is that it’s so colourful and exciting! The food is great and I particularly love the old trams!”
Born in 1976 in Szeged, Hungary, Gábor Boldoczki is one of the most exceptional trumpet players of his generation.
He started playing the trumpet at the age of nine with his father. “My father taught all brass instruments, and it was always a wonderful collaboration with him. Working with him had a significant impact on me and I have very fond memories of that time. His many lessons gave me an important foundation for my later career,” Boldoczki remembers, while also explaining how important it is for children to learn instruments.
“Music stimulates the brain in a way that you don’t get in other arts. Music really is something to be recommended to every child because making music together is such a special and meaningful experience,” he explains.
At the age of fourteen, he won the First Prize at the National Trumpet Competition of Hungary. The decision to become a trumpeter came very late in his life, when he won third prize at the Geneva International Music Competition on his 20th birthday.
Boldoczki has performed with distinguished orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Czech Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony, as well as internationally renowned chamber orchestras. He makes regular guest performances at renowned concert halls such as the Vienna Musikverein, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonie, Paris Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, KKL Luzern, Budapest Palace of Arts and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
In recent years, numerous successful CD albums recorded exclusively with Sony Classical have been published including Tromba Veneziana, Bohemian Rhapsody, Bach, Händel, Purcell: Gloria, Italian Concertos, as well as the trumpet concertos by Haydn and Hummel.
For his concerto with Nakariakov and Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Double Acts – Double Trumpet Concerto by Fazil Say, he will play the composition made for the duo by Fazil Say, who already composed his first trumpet concerto for Boldoczki in 2010.
“It is a great honour for me that Fazil has composed his second trumpet concerto for us. It is not only composed for two trumpeters, but also for two trumpets: Piccolo trumpet, trumpet and additionally flugelhorn. Three different instruments twice means we have six instruments on stage in total with which we can present many different sound colours,” he explains.
The concerts with Hong Kong Sinfonietta will mark Boldoczki’s début in Hong Kong and the trumpeter can’t wait to discover the city and the orchestra, and to share his music with the Hong Kong audience.
“It is a great pleasure for me that I will soon be making my début in Hong Kong. It is always very exciting to get to know a new city and a new concert hall. I have already heard a lot of great things about Hong Kong and Hong Kong Sinfonietta and I am very much looking forward,” he says.
For his first visit to Hong Kong, the trumpeter will not only share the stage with Nakariakov but also with Hong Kong pianist Colleen Lee in the recital Double Acts – HKS Recital Series: Duo Recital by Sergei Nakariakov and Gábor Boldoczki.
“I am also pleased that we will be playing a recital with Colleen Lee, for which we have put together an exciting programme with many different musical styles: from baroque to romantic and contemporary music, original works composed for trumpet, but also arrangements,” Boldoczki concludes.
More details on the concerts can be found here:
Double Acts – HKS Recital Series: Duo Recital by Sergei Nakariakov and Gábor Boldoczki – Tickets here: https://www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/10967/
Double Acts – Double Trumpet Concerto by Fazil Say – Tickets here: https://www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/10968/