As far as concert openers go, some say the bigger the better.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra took that to heart on December 11 by starting their Nordic-inspired programme with a downright noisy and massively orchestrated work by Finnish composer-in-residence Esa-Pekka Salonen, which was conducted by his mentee and fellow countryman Tarmo Peltokoski, also the orchestra’s music director designate.
When it boiled down to a choice between Salonen’s portrayal of the eccentric Castor and his immortal, non-identical twin Pollux from Greco-Roman mythology, it was the former and far more extroverted brother that “got the gig” this time. (Pollux will get his turn in July 2026).
