MPO's 20th season brings many veritable musical delights

The 2017-18 MPO season celebrates the orchestra's 20-year tenure with veritable musical delights from top conductors and soloists specially invited for this exciting year. The rising British conductor Jonathan Bloxham debuts with the orchestra in a colourful programme that includes Brahms' magnificent Symphony No 1.

The MPO devotes two concerts to the centenary tribute to Leonard Bernstein with a concert of the centenarian's Broadway music and another concert of his Symphony No 2 with pianist Conrad Tao and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, led by Bernstein's protege, Eiji Oue.

Returning Japanese conductor Kazuki Yamada inspires us with 2 musical views of Byron's Manfred, with Schumann's Manfred Overture as well as Tchaikovsky's epic Manfred Symphony.

Experienced maestro Roberto Abbado brings us a lovely programme that includes Mahler's heavenly Symphony No 4, with the American soprano Lauren Snouffer.

Russian conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky brings us two programmes of varied fare, with Mahler's triumphant Seventh Symphony as well as a vocal Russian night with Rachmaninov's The Bells and scenes from Tchaikovsky's lyric opera Eugene Onegin.

One of the perennial favourite conductors here with the MPO, Mark Wigglesworth returns with two excellent programmes featuring Beethoven's dramatic Third Piano Concerto with Malaysian soloist Foo Mei Yi and Rachmaninov's lyrical Third Symphony as well as Bruch's evergreen Violin Concerto No 1 with soloist Joshua Bell and Bruckner's majestic Seventh Symphony.

Veteran Austrian conductor, Hans Graf brings us a heroic programme of Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto No 2 and Beethoven's epic Eroica Symphony.

German-Japanese conductor Jun Märkl delights us with a youthfully exuberant programme of Debussy's Children's Corner Suite, Beethoven's First Piano Concerto and Richard Strauss' Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks.

Other star violinists who are making their debut in the MPO's 20th season include the French violinist Renaud Capuçon who brings us Bartok's folksy Second Violin Concerto and the Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, who plays the technically challenging Sibelius Violin Concerto.

Pianists who also grace the season are Tengku Irfan, who performs Beethoven's regal "Emperor Concerto", Jean-Yves Thibaudet with his rendition of St Saens' exotic Fifth Piano Concerto ("Egyptian"), Bobby Chen in Beethoven's lyrical Fourth Piano Concerto and Loo Bang Hean in Beethoven's youthful Second Piano Concerto.

A key visiting orchestra this year is the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lan Shui and they bring us an attractive Brahms' programme, which includes the sunny and lyrical Second Symphony.

Fun and laughter will be the order of the concert as the zany violin and piano duo of Igudesman and Joo bring their own unique style of superlative music making and comedy in their new show called Upbeat.

Ella, Malaysia's Queen of Rock will present the first ever solo concert in DFP featuring a local rock artist, backed by a fully symphonic Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

The 2017-18 MPO season promises many concerts of varied fare, with great artists in wonderful repertoire. For further information, visit www.mpo.com.my or call (03) 2331 7007.