Description
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor & piano
Martin Helmchen, piano
Program:
Yao Chen: Waltz of the Rolling Giants
Camille Saint‑Saëns: Eläinten karnevaali (for two pianos and orchestra)
Richard Wagner: The Ring – An Orchestral Adventure (arr. Henk de Vlieger, 1991)
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski, makes its Helsinki debut at Musiikkitalo with German pianist Martin Helmchen as soloist. The programme includes Saint‑Saëns’s Eläinten karnevaali and an orchestral version of Wagner’s Ring cycle arranged as The Ring – An Orchestral Adventure.
Founded in 1947 as the Sino‑British Orchestra and becoming a professional orchestra in 1974, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognised as one of Asia’s leading orchestras. The orchestra has received wide acclaim for its landmark recording of Wagner’s Ring series and its recent collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon. In 2019 it became the first Asian orchestra to win the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year award. The orchestra has flourished under the leadership of Edo de Waart and Jaap van Zweden. Currently Tarmo Peltokoski serves as the incoming chief conductor and will officially begin his tenure in the 2026/27 season.
Tagesspiegel has described Tarmo Peltokoski as a “century‑making talent”. He has quickly established his position on international stages. In January 2022 he was appointed the first principal guest conductor in the history of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. He also serves as music director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, principal guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and honorary conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, after having been chief conductor of the same orchestra from 2022 to 2025. Peltokoski will start his tenure as chief conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2026/27 season and will simultaneously begin a three‑year residency as an “Exklusivkünstler” at the Konzerthaus Dortmund.
Peltokoski first conducted Wagner’s Ring cycle at the Eurajoki Bel Canto Festival when he was 22. He continues his intensive work with Wagner’s music, conducting the operas Tristan and Isolde at the Dutch National Opera (February 2026) and making his debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin with Parsifal (April 2026). His recent recording Der Ring – An Orchestral Adventure with HK Phil was released on the Deutsche Grammophon label in March 2026.
Martin Helmchen has performed on the world’s most prestigious concert stages for two decades and has established himself as one of today’s most sought‑after pianists. His artistry is characterised by extraordinary colour sensitivity and technical sophistication, qualities that earned him the Gramophone Classical Music Award in 2020. His recordings for Alpha Classics include the complete piano sonata cycle of Franz Schubert; the first volume received the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik distinction.
Helmchen is praised for the structural clarity and instinctive energy of his playing. The New York Times describes his shaping of “melodic phrases as bright and elegant as a Greek temple” while “the sparks crackle”. In autumn 2026 Helmchen will appear with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and will embark on a tour in November–December 2026 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski. The tour will visit many iconic concert halls, such as the Palau de la Música Catalana, Kuppelsaal Hannover, Wiener Konzerthaus – and Helsinki’s Musiikkitalo.