21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Refined Mozart and Bach from Andras Schiff and Cappella Andrea Barca in Hong Kong concerts
The finest craftsmen hone their skills and consistently strive for the highest quality, and the Hungarian-British pianist Andras Schiff does the same in music, whether at the keyboard or when directing ensembles from it.
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For the 53rd
Hong Kong Arts Festival , the 71-year-old performed with his ensemble Capella Andrea Barca, comprising selected Europe-based musicians and wittily named after the Italian translation of Andras and Schiff – the German word for ship.
His reputation for perfection was well secured in consecutive all-Mozart and all-Bach concerts on March 18 and 19, 2025.
Refined sound quality was paramount from the word go in the unhurried playing of Schiff and his Cappella in the opening Allegro of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 in A Major.
Pianist and conductor Andras Schiff led two performances of his Cappella Andrea Barca on March 18 and 19, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre as part of the 53rd Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: HKAF
His playing full of grace and poise, the celebrated pianist drew an old-school warmth from his Bösendorfer grand piano that was at one with the ensemble's performance style, which lies somewhere between the 'historically informed' and a unique 'Viennese' approach.
