Performer: Myung-whun Chung

An evening at the Seoul Arts Center in which clarity matters as much as volume and the most telling virtuosity comes from a refusal to grandstand.

At the final stop of its European tour, the China NCPA Orchestra, led by Myung-Whun Chung with Bruce Liu, deliver luminous precision, refined Ravel and cinematic Prokofiev at the Elbphilharmonie. 

Like the grainy intensity of a high-contrast black-and-white photograph, these rugged edges accentuated Mahler’s expressive extremes, reaffirming the conductor’s innate flair for crafting a grand aesthetic narrative within the symphony’s expansive architecture.

Ahead of their European tour this autumn with Myung-whun Chung, we discover the history of one of Japan’s most important classical music institutions. 

This summer, Myung-whun Chung leads one of Asia’s leading orchestras on its first ever tour through Europe, with an energetic programme featuring young piano soloist Bruce Liu.

Japanese jazz pianist Makoto Ozone talks about joining the Tokyo Philharmonic on tour this autumn, in concerts featuring jazz-infused music from Gershwin and Prokofiev.