Gewandhausorchester Takes Asia in 2014

The world's oldest civic orchestra is bringing its unique sound – the Gewandhausklang – to audiences across Asia in March 2014. As Official Logistics Partner of the Gewandhausorchester, DHL is there for the world-famous musicians every step of the way.

First stop: Shanghai

The music never stops in Leipzig, where the Gewandhausorchester performs at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, St. Thomas Church and Leipzig Opera more than 150 times each year. Still, as the love of classical music increases abroad and the Gewandhaus players gain in notoriety, so, too has the orchestra’s desire to tour, bringing the unique Gewandhausklang to fans in other countries.

In 2014, that includes a two-week tour of Asia beginning in Shanghai on March 14 and ending in Tokyo on March 23 with sure-to-be-memorable renditions of Gustav Mahler's 7th Symphony. It will be the third visit to the Far East under the baton of Gewandhauskapellmeister Riccardo Chailly since 2009, and one which is sure to delight the orchestra's biggest fans with its memorable program.

First up is Shanghai, where the players will perform at the Oriental Arts Center on March 14 and 15. While the first show will bring Mahler to listeners' ears, the second will include pianist Nelson Freiere and be a stunning mixture of Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture and Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto, followed the 5th Symphony by Shostakovich. Audiences around the world can likewise listen in via livestream of both shows broadcast in real time on In Motion. Stay tuned here for further information about the livestream.

History makers in Japan

Then it's on to Japan, where the Tokyo Opera City – Concert Hall welcomes the Gewandhausorchester with soloist Nelson Freire on March 17. Back-to-back shows follow, with the players visiting the Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall on March 18 and the Festival Hall in Osaka on March 19 before returning to Tokyo for a performance at the Suntory Hall on March 21 with Japanese violinist Midori. From there, a visit to the Kyoto Concert Hall on March 22 will bring Gustav Mahler's 7th Symphony to the audience before the tour wraps with a similar performance in Tokyo the following evening.

It's the 21st Asian tour for the Gewandhausorchester, which was the first foreign orchestra to perform the complete Beethoven Cycle in Japan during the tour in 1961 under the former Gewandhauskapellmeister Franz Konwitschny.

With a whirlwind tour through Asia ahead for the world-class musicians, DHL has taken the chance to speak with several of them about what it means to be performing with the world's oldest civic orchestra. Stay tuned to In Motion over the coming weeks to hear what they have to say before they hit the road. And once March rolls around, be sure to check in with the players on their tour blog to get their impressions on the performing life in Asia.