NEW RELEASE
Bruckner: Symphony No.9
Kahchun Wong’s second release as Principal Conductor of the Hallé presents the first commercial recording of the latest revised four-movement version of Bruckner’s landmark final symphony.
About
Internationally acclaimed for his electrifying stage presence and thoughtful exploration of Eastern and Western artistic legacies, Singaporean-born Kahchun Wong is Chief Conductor of Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of Dresden Philharmonic. From the 2024/25 season, he succeeds Sir Mark Elder as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The Hallé, leading one of the UK’s most prestigious orchestras while maintaining a strong presence in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
NEWS
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Kahchun Wong makes his BBC Proms debut with the Hallé
The Hallé’s new Principal Conductor Kahchun Wong directs his Manchester-based forces for the first time at the Proms, joined by two star soloists: Norwegian soprano Mari Eriksmoen and Canadian mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, who makes her much-anticipated Proms debut.
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NHK TV Broadcast: Wong's Mahler with Japan Philharmonic
The programme will be broadcast on TV Channel 2 and streamed on demand on NHK+ on Sunday, April 13, 2025, 9:00 p.m.
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection"
[Recorded on March 7, 2025 Suntory Hall]
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Gramophone: Kahchun Wong on The Hallé and Bruckner's Ninth
In this week's episode of the Gramophone Classical Music Podcast, Editor Martin Cullingford is joined by the Principal Conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, Kahchun Wong, to talk about the orchestra's relationship with its home city, Manchester, and their new recording of Bruckner's Symphony No 9.
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Japan Philharmonic: 50th anniversary Kyushu tour
Since 1975, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra has brought music to Kyushu every year without interruption—even during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, it celebrates 50 unbroken years, featuring nine concerts from February 8 to 19, beginning in Nagasaki and concluding in Kumamoto.
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NEW RELEASE: Bruckner: Symphony No.9
Kahchun Wong’s second release presents the first commercial recording of the latest revised four-movement version of Bruckner’s landmark final symphony by Dr. John A. Phillips, taken from a rapturously received and critically acclaimed performance at The Bridgewater Hall (The Times’ 5* review describing a ‘splendid night’ and hailing the magnificent sound of the ‘blazing Hallé).
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The Hallé announces its 2025/26 season
In his second season, Kahchun Wong presents programmes including Rachmaninov, Elgar, Beethoven, Holst, Mahler and Colin Matthews, alongside world premieres from Max Richter and Unsuk Chin. He will also welcome international guest artists to the stage, including collaborations with Truls Mørk, Anna Lapwood, Akiko Suwanai, Jan Vogler and Viktoria Mullova.
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NEW RELEASE: Britten: The Prince of the Pagodas
This album begins an innovative era for the Hallé under its new Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Kahchun Wong. Featuring the first complete The Prince of the Pagodas recording in over a decade, it highlights Wong’s passion for Balinese Gamelan, Britten’s music, and folk traditions—shaped by his extensive manuscript research at the Britten Pears Library in Aldeburgh.
CONCERTS
Reviews
“Sir John Barbirolli, who conducted the Hallé’s first ever performance of this symphony in 1958, reportedly quipped it was especially appropriate that he do so, given he had effectively “resurrected” the orchestra during his tenure, restoring it to prominence after a period of crisis and dwindling reputation. Wong, by contrast, joins the Hallé at the height of its powers – and on the strength of this compelling Resurrection, he knows precisely how to wield them.”
★★★★★
— Sarah Noble, The Guardian, 17 Jan 2025
“The sound throughout was magnificent, as Wong's control of those Bruckner peculiarities - the slow progression, the structural cul-de-sacs - that require conductors, orchestras and listeners to show sympathy and patience. Wong especially impressed in the scherzo, weighting down the thrusting chords in the music's diabolical dances.””
★★★★★
— Geoff Brown, The Times, 27 Oct 2024
“If, as I did, one still needed clear proof of what The Hallé and Kahchun Wong are capable of together, this overwhelming account of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony was the strongest possible statement. Kahchun Wong’s direction remains at once mesmeric and maddening to watch: idiosyncratic in the mould of Kleiber, yet with steadfastly immaculate ensemble maintained across the huge extended stage. Whatever the secret is, here it works.”
★★★★★
— Rohan Shotton, Bachtrack, 17 Jan 2025
“The symphony – undoubtedly Bruckner’s valedictory opus and arguably his greatest – thus forms a concert on its own. That alone made this evening an event to remember, but its interpretation, conducted entirely from memory, also provided an intensely illuminating experience of Wong’s approach and skills as a musician.”