Performer: Myung-whun Chung

In Myung-whun Chung’s first concert as the orchestra’s tenth Music Director, Leonidas Kavakos’ account of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is built on exposure rather than varnish. 

The Tokyo Philharmonic visits the Berlin Philharmonie to bring finesse to a catchy programme featuring Bernstein, Gershwin and Prokofiev.

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.

The appointment coincides with the orchestra’s 70th anniversary in 2026, and will see Chung take overall responsibility for the ensemble’s artistic planning and direction.

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.