Legendary Piano Genius - Mikhail Pletnev
Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra
Orchestra
Dubai, UAE
Under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland in the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain, legendary pianist, conductor, and composer Mikhail Pletnev will take the stage at Dubai Opera on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 as part of the 14th InClassica International Music Festival, organised by SAMIT Event Group. For this special performance, Pletnev will be joined by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of acclaimed conductor Conrad van Alphen, one of the most renowned of his generation. The evening opens with Pletnev and Alexey Shor's Suite for Piano and Orchestra No. 2, "From My Bookshelf", a collaborative piece merging personal reflection with rich orchestral textures. Following the interval, the orchestra will perform Ludwig van Beethoven's iconic Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, a highly celebrated and universally recognised piece in the classical music repertoire, noted for its ominous four-note opening motif and dramatic power.
Conrad van Alphen has gained tremendous popularity with orchestras and audiences alike for his visionary interpretations which he craftly directs in his energetic, efficient, kind and communicative performance style.
Equally at ease with the classical genre as with large symphonic repertoire Conrad van Alphen boasts an impressive array of appearances with orchestras such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Bochumer Symphoniker, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Orchestra, Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Residentie Orchestra The Hague, Bogota Philharmonic, Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Budapest Symphony Orchestra Mav, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and many more.
At the turn of the millennium Conrad founded Sinfonia Rotterdam, of which he remains chief conductor and artistic director. The orchestra presents successful concert series at de Doelen in Rotterdam, Amare in The Hague and at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Under Conrad’s energetic leadership Sinfonia Rotterdam is regularly invited to perform in venues and festivals around Europe and intercontinentally tours to Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Chile, China and Russia.
Read MoreSoloists of the highest calibre hail Conrad for his masterful concerto accompaniments, to mention only a few: Mikhail Pletnev, Maxim Vengerov, Nikolai Lugansky, Ronald Brautigam, Alexei Volodin, Simone Lamsma, Alena Baeva, Alban Gerhardt and Mischa Maisky.
For four years Conrad van Alphen was chief conductor of the Russian State Safonov Philharmonic Orchestra. As former Artist of the Moscow Philharmonic Society he regularly conducted the major Moscow orchestras in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the legendary Tchaikovsky Hall.
Conrad van Alphen was born and bred in South Africa. After moving to The Netherlands at the age of 26 he joined the double bass section of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academie Antwerp, whilst continuing his conducting studies with Eri Klas and Roberto Benzi.
- Chief Conductor and Artistic Director Sinfonia Rotterdam
- Programmer Festival van Zeeuwsch Vlaanderen
“Bright feast for the senses: Montreal music lovers can boast of having witnessed one of the most brilliant feats of their symphony orchestra, which delivered a performance of rare elegance. The charismatic conductor Conrad van Alphen breathed an impressive breath of fresh air into Rachmaninov’s majestic Second Symphony”
Review Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Pianist, conductor, and composer, Mikhail Pletnev is one of the most respected and influential artists of the era. His prodigious talent as a pianist has earned widespread acclaim ever since the 1978 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, where he won First Prize at the age of 21. An invitation to perform at a 1988 diplomatic summit in Washington led to Pletnev’s friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev and a lifelong commitment to dismantling barriers through the universal language of music.
In 1990, Pletnev formed the Russian National Orchestra – the first independent orchestra in Russia’s history. Under his leadership, the RNO achieved recognition as one of the world’s great orchestras.
Over thirty years later, Pletnev has renewed his commitment to artistic freedom with his founding of the Rachmaninoff International Orchestra, named after the celebrated pianist, conductor, and composer whose own career inspired audiences from all corners of the globe.
Pletnev’s performances and recordings have shown him to be an outstanding interpreter of an extensive repertoire, both as a pianist and conductor. His recordings have earned numerous prizes, including a 2005 Grammy Award for his own arrangement of Prokofiev’s Cinderella. He received Grammy nominations for Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes (2004) and the Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev Piano Concertos No. 3 (2003). His critically acclaimed album of Scarlatti’s Sonatas (Virgin/ EMI) received a 1996 Gramophone Award, and his recording of the complete Beethoven symphonies and piano concertos (Deutsche Grammophon) was named “Best of 2007” by the NewYorker.
Pianist, conductor, composer, and cultural leader – all are significant facets of Mikhail Pletnev’s remarkable life. Yet with his characteristic humility, he insists that he is, simply, a musician.
In 2023, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its 112th anniversary of Japan’s first symphony orchestra. With about 160 musicians, TPO performs both symphonies and operas regularly. TPO is proud to have appointed Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, who has been conducting TPO since 2001, as Honorary Music Director, Maestro Andrea Battistoni as Chief Conductor and Maestro Mikhail Pletnev as Special Guest Conductor.
TPO has established its world-class reputation through its subscription concert series, regular opera and ballet assignments at the New National Theatre, and a full, ever in-demand agenda around Japan and the world, including broadcasting with NHK Broadcasting Corporation, various educational programs, and tours abroad. While Tokyo Phil is a frequent recipient of the ACA National Arts Festival Award in Japan, its recordings have been highly acclaimed internationally, winning the "OPUS KLASSIK 2021" award in the symphonic category (20th-21st century).
Read MoreTPO has partnerships with Bunkamura Orchard Hall, the Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo, Chiba City, Karuizawa Cho in Nagano and Nagaoka City in Niigata.
The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra has the longest history and tradition of any orchestra in Japan, having been originally established in Nagoya in 1911. It is currently the largest orchestra in Japan with 166 members and is distinguished for its active and varied schedule embracing symphonic concerts, opera and ballet.
After moving its base to Tokyo in 1938 the orchestra played a pivotal role in bringing authentic opera to the Japanese public under Chief conductor Manfred Gurlitt (1890-1972.) Shortly after the war, the orchestra became a fully independent organization and changed its name to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra focusing on subscription concerts, opera and ballet while also pursuing an active broadcasting program with NHK.
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra performs regularly at Tokyo's most distinguished Suntory and Orchard Halls and at Tokyo Opera City where it has its base. The orchestra has received many awards and honors, including the Ongaku No Tomo Sha Prize (1984), the Agency for Cultural Affairs "Art Festival Prize"(1986) and "Art Festival Grand Prize" (1995). Furthermore, the orchestra has been designated as one of the organizations for the Agency for Cultural Affairs "Special Program to Artistic Creativity". From 1997 it became the regular orchestra at Tokyo's New National Theatre.
In 1999, Norio Ohga, Chairman of SONY Corporation, was appointed Chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2001, with visions of further growth, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra merged with the Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra.
From 2001, Myung-Whun Chung has been the Special Artistic Advisor of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Under his guidance the Orchestra carries out regular subscription concerts at Orchard Hall and Suntory Hall in Tokyo and opera and ballet performances at the New National Theatre while also continuing a varied broadcasting and special concert program.
In 2011 Mr. Ryoji Chubachi, Vice Chairman, Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation,assumed the position of the Tokyo Philharmonic's President, and Hiroshi Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten, Inc., became Chairman.
In 2012, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra's 100th Anniversary Special Concert, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, was held at Suntory Hall.
The Orchestra regularly performs in regions outside Tokyo and engages in regional cultural exchange and education programs. Tokyo Philharmonic has carried out 3 well-received European tours and is regarded as an upcoming world-class orchestra.
