Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son made history in 1980 as the first Asian winner of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition. His music journey is an extraordinary one, from practising in bomb shelters to performing on some of the world’s most renowned stages including the Lincoln Center in New York, the Barbican Centre in London, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Sydney Opera House. He has appeared with leading orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, St Petersburg Philharmonic and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and conductors he has collaborated with include Sir Neville Marriner, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Pinchas Zukerman, among others.
Dang’s last appearance in Hong Kong was seven years ago. This time, he returns with a programme that features the French impressionistic world of Fauré and Ravel in the first half of the recital, followed by a second half devoted entirely to Chopin, from his serene nocturnes and graceful waltzes to the nationalistic polonaises and the high drama of the Second Scherzo.