​WIELDING THE BATON - Polish conductor and composer Wojciech Czepiel will lead a concert highlighting masterpieces by great composers Beethoven, Chopin, and Grieg at the HCM City Opera House on November 11. — Photo courtesy of HBSO​

HCM CITY — Polish conductor and composer Wojciech Czepiel will lead a concert highlighting masterpieces by great composers Beethoven, Chopin and Grieg at the HCM City Opera House on November 11.

The programme is organised by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in cooperation with the Mickiewicz Institute and Warsaw Music Foundation of Poland.

The concert will begin with Symphony No.1 in C Major, op. 21, written by German composer Beethoven in 1800.

The four-movement symphony was first performed in Vienna in 1800.

The night will continue with Fantasy on Polish Airs in A Major, Op. 13, written between 1828 and 1830 by Polish composer Chopin, who referred to it as his "Potpourri on Polish themes”.

The composition is the second among Chopin’s six works for piano and orchestra. The work includes three main themes. Its first and third themes are based on popular Polish folk songs while the second is adapted from an Opera by his Polish friend, Karol Kurpiński.

The concert will end with Norwegian composer Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, op. 16.

Composed in 1868, the three-movement concerto showcases Grieg’s deep connection to Norwegian folk music and landscapes, with Romantic melodies that evoke the grandeur of his homeland.

FOREIGN TALENT: Polish pianist Joanna Marcinkwska will perform Chopin and Grieg's works at the concert. — Photo courtesy of HBSO

Both Chopin's and Greig’s works will be performed by Joanna Marcinkwska, one of the most acclaimed Polish pianists with 21 top prizes at international and notable competitions.

She has given recitals abroad in Europe, America and Asia. She is now a lecturer at the Department of the Pianoforte of the Academy in Poland.

The performance will also feature the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor Czepiel will wield the baton at the concert.

Czepiel has conducted many orchestras worldwide such as the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Warsaw, the Lebanese National Philharmonic in Beirut, and the Việt Nam National Symphony and Orchestra.

He has written numerous symphonies and orchestral pieces for classical instruments with a strong preference for preserving Polish style.

The two concerts will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue. — VNS