The Magic Cello
Tokyo Philharmonic
Orchestra
Orchestra
Dubai, UAE
On Thursday, 17th April 2025, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, performing under their Chief Conductor Andrea Battistoni, returns to Dubai Opera for its final performance at the 14th InClassica International Music Festival, organised by SAMIT Event Group. For this special occasion, the eminent French cellist Gautier Capuçon will join the ensemble, widely regarded as one of the most significant 21st-century ambassadors for the storied instrument. The evening opens with Battistoni’s own "Corybas-Fantastic Dances" for Symphony Orchestra, followed by Alexey Shor’s Cello Concerto No. 1, "Musical Pilgrimage", a brilliant composition for cello and orchestra inspired by the virtuosity of 19th-century music, baroque opulence and Latin American melodies. The second half of the concert will feature Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 6, an encyclopedic and influential piece centred around the theme of fate that offers a powerful conclusion to an unforgettable evening of music, ranging from its poignant opening theme to its triumphant finale.
An inspired and highly sensitive conductor, Tomàs Grau is characterized by his precise and clear gesture and by the sincerity of his musical readings, which seek to transmit the light, delicate emotions of each of the scores, sharing with the audience his love for the music.
He has conducted many international soloists, including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Maria João Pires, Midori, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Gautier Capuçon, Mischa
Maisky, Javier Perianes, Sabine Meyer,Steven Isserlis, Paul Lewis, Alexei Volodin, Stephen Kovacevich, Alexander Melnikov, Seong-Jin Cho, Mark Padmore and Alice Sara Ott in all the main concert halls in Spain, including the National Auditorium in Madrid, the Auditorio in Zaragoza, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Auditori in Barcelona, as well as internationally at the Tonhalle in Zurich.
Nowadays, Tomàs is the Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, and he is often invited to conduct other orchestras, such as the Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Orquesta Sinfónica de la Región de Murcia, Orquesta de Córdoba, Orquesta Sinfónica de Burgos, Beethoven Philharmonie and Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, among others. He has recorded for labels such as SONY Classical, ARS Produktion (label of the year at the International Classical Music Awards) and Discmedi.
Among his immediate commitments, he will be conducting such soloists as Ivo Pogorelich, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Katia & Marielle Labèque and, once again, Midori. Born in Barcelona in 1979, Tomàs Grau studied music at the Superior Conservatory of Music in his own city. He continued his conducting studies at the Superior School of Music of Catalonia, where he graduated in Orchestral Conducting, with top ratings. His Orchestral Conducting studies were completed in the Wiener Meisterkurse.
Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also deeply committed to education and support for young musicians from every background. In summer 2020 Capuçon brought music directly into the lives of families across the length and breadth of France during his musical odyssey ‘Un été en France’. The fifth edition of the project, featuring young musicians and dancers, takes place in July 2024. In January 2022 Gautier Capuçon launched Fondation Gautier Capuçon to support young and talented musicians at the beginning of their career. Capucon is also a passionate ambassador for the Orchestre à l'École Association which brings classical music to more than 42,000 school children across France.
A multiple award winner, Capucon is acclaimed for his expressive musicianship, exuberant virtuosity, and for the deep sonority of his 1701 Matteo Goffriller cello “L’Ambassadeur”. He performs with world leading orchestras each season, working with conductors such as Semyon Bychkov, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Andrès Orozco-Estrada, Pablo Heras-Casado, Paavo Jarvi, Klaus Mäkelä, Andris Nelsons, and Christian Thielemann. Collaborations with contemporary composers include Lera Auerbach, Karol Beffa, Esteban Benzecry, Nicola Campogrande, Qigang Chen, Guillaume Connesson, Bryce Dessner, Richard Dubugnon, Henry Dutilleux, Danny Elfman, Thierry Escaich, Philippe Manoury, Bruno Mantovani, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm and Jörg Widmann.
Highlights of the 2023/24 season include return visits as soloist with Los Angeles Philharmonic/Young, Münchner Philharmoniker/Mehta, Orchestre Nationale de France/Macelaru and Wiener Philharmoniker/Nelsons. He is soloist on tour through Europe with Wiener Symphoniker/Popelka; and he is Artist in Residence with Dresden Philharmonic and with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In October 2023 he re-joins long time musical partners Lisa Batiashvili and Jean-Yves Thibaudet to make a piano trio tour crossing the USA – from Walt Disney Hall, Los Angeles to Carnegie Hall, New York. 2023/24 also sees a European tour with pianist Daniil Trifonov including concerts in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Dresden and Vienna.
Other regular chamber music partners include Frank Braley, Jérôme Ducros, Nikolai Lugansky, Gabriela Montero, as well as Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Renaud Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Andreas Ottensamer, Yuja Wang, the Labèque sisters and the Ébène, Hagen and Modigliani quartets. Capuçon regularly plays at festivals worldwide including Edinburgh, Salzburg, Grafenegg and Verbier. The 2022/23 season saw the debut tour of Capucon’s cello ensemble created with his former students - Capucelli – performing in prestigious venues across Europe including Paris, Vienna and Geneva.
Recording exclusively for Erato (Warner Classics), Capuçon has won multiple awards and holds an extensive discography featuring major concerto and chamber music literature. His album Destination Paris, released in November 2023, celebrates French music from classical repertoire to film scores. 2020’s Warner Classics album Emotions features music from composers such as Debussy, Schubert and Elgar and has achieved gold status in France. Further albums exploring short, popular pieces from a range of different genres - including Sensations (released in Autumn 2022) – have generated tens of millions of streams. Highlights of his back catalogue include the complete Beethoven Sonatas with Frank Braley; an album of Schumann works recorded live with Martha Argerich, Renaud Capuçon and Chamber Orchestra of Europe/ Bernard Haitink; Chopin and Franck sonatas with Yuja Wang; and a solo album featuring Bach, Dutilleux and Kodaly to mark his 40th birthday.
Capuçon has also been featured on DVD in live performances with Wiener Philharmoniker/Andris Nelsons (Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto No.1) Berliner Philharmoniker/Gustavo Dudamel (Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.1) and with Lisa Batiashvili, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Christian Thielemann (Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Cello).
Born in Chambéry, Capuçon began playing the cello at the age of five. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris with Philippe Muller and Annie Cochet-Zakine, and later with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna. Now a household name in his native France, Capucon appears on screen and online in shows such as Prodiges, Now Hear This, Symphony Pour La Vie, and The Artist Academy, and is a guest presenter on Radio Classique in the show Les Carnets de Gautier Capuçon.
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.
