70th Anniversary Special Concert and Special Regular Concert Press Conference Report
On Thursday, September 11, 2025, a special concert commemorating the 70th anniversary and a press conference for the special regular concert were held at Suginami Public Hall.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you from the music and media industries for attending the event. Below is a report on the contents of the press conference.
Speakers: *Titles omitted
Kah-Chun Wong (Principal Conductor) *Interpreter: Yukako Inoue
Kunio Ishizuka (Chairman)
Yukihiro Masumi (Planning and Production Department Manager)
Director Kunio Ishizuka
My name is Kunio Ishizuka and I was appointed Chairman of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, a public interest incorporated foundation, in June of this year. I look forward to working with you.
The Japan Philharmonic Orchestra was founded on June 22, 1956, and will celebrate its 70th anniversary next June. During this time, we believe that the Japan Philharmonic has been able to create a strong circle of resonance between the orchestra, its audiences, and all of its supporters, with artistic and social values as its two pillars. We would like to express our deepest gratitude for all of your support over the years. It is with this gratitude that we present to you a special project to commemorate our 70th anniversary.
First, as a special concert to commemorate our 70th anniversary, we will be performing Mahler's Symphony No. 8, "Symphony of a Thousand," at Suntory Hall on June 22, our founding anniversary, and the day before. I believe that Mahler's work performed by the maestro and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra has been highly praised, and Symphony No. 8 symbolizes hope and unity, with so many performers and staff coming together toward a common goal. I believe this program is truly fitting for our 70th anniversary. I look forward to it.
In addition, to commemorate our 70th anniversary, we are planning to have our regular concerts feature people who have worked alongside the Japan Philharmonic and conductors who have supported the orchestra. This will include not only Principal Conductor Kah-Chung Wong and Honorary Conductor Laureate Kenichiro Kobayashi, but also Friends of the JPO (Artistic Advisors) Junichi Hirokami, Neeme Järvi, Lazarev, Inkinen, and Kazuki Yamada, among others, making this a commemorative regular concert for our 70th anniversary.
Finally, I would like to announce one more thing. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we will be redesigning our logo. The initials of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, "JPO," have been designed using overlapping musical staves to represent spreading resonance. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we would like to further expand our activities under the motto, "Turn resonance into a passionate wave." I would like to conclude my remarks by asking for your continued support and guidance for the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Principal Conductor Kah-Chun Wong
Everyone, thank you for coming to our home today, Suginami Public Hall.
As the Japan Philharmonic celebrates its 70th anniversary, it will finally take on Mahler's Symphony No. 8. Having previously performed the 5th, 4th, 3rd, 9th, and 2nd symphonies, this season will see the 6th, and on its 70th anniversary, the 8th. The orchestra will also be performing Mahler's arrangement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand"
Symphony No. 8 is a masterpiece with a grand story, but its performance requires a huge number of people, so it is not often possible to realize it. It is precisely because of this special milestone of our 70th anniversary that we are able to bring it to you. We are also grateful to Masumoto-san for his foresight, who has been nurturing this idea for several years and incorporating it into the program. The JPO was founded on June 22nd, so our sign is Cancer. Like Cancer, we will continue to deliver music with a "spirit of cherishing family."
This special performance will feature many performers who have previously performed with the Japan Philharmonic, including Funakoshi Aya, Yoshida Tamayo, Miyake Rie, Hanabusa Eriko, Nakajima Ikuko, Miyazato Naoki, Aoyama Takashi, Kato Hirotaka, as well as members of the Tokyo College of Music, the Musashino Chorus, and the Japan Philharmonic Association Chorus, and I am looking forward to joining them.
Mahler's arrangement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony
To kick off the 70th anniversary celebrations, I will be conducting Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I have performed this work around the world, but this will be my first time conducting it in Japan. It is a fitting opportunity for a new beginning, and I will be conducting Mahler's arrangement. Mahler never imposes his own style, but rather cherishes Beethoven's spirit. This arrangement has a dignified sound while respecting traditional performance techniques, such as the addition of more woodwinds.
Pictures at an Exhibition arranged by Kah-Chung Wong
I will also be performing my own arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition. Unlike the Ravel and Henry Wood versions, this is a unique orchestration that incorporates Chinese instruments and attempts to blend with a Western orchestra. I am sure you will enjoy the new sounds that transcend cultures.
Other Performances
Furthermore, we will once again welcome Stephen Hough, with whom we performed Brahms's Concerto No. 1 in May of this year, to perform Beethoven's "Emperor." We will also be performing together with the young trumpeter Hayato Kodama. When I first heard him perform on television, I was blown away by his talent and immediately recommended him to the Japan Philharmonic. I am truly looking forward to performing Haydn's Trumpet Concerto with him.
To close out this season, I will be performing Bruckner's Symphony No. 8. Starting with Mahler's Symphony No. 8, and then Bruckner's Symphony No. 8, there is no direct connection, but I feel that the number "8" has a special meaning. In my native Chinese, the sound of "8 (ba)" is the same as "fa (发/fa)," which means "development," and it is considered an auspicious number. I would like to conclude this memorable season with a symphony named after this lucky number.
ⒸAtsushi Yamaguchi
Planning and Production Department Manager: Yukihiro Masumi
As the Maestro mentioned earlier, I have been involved with the Japan Philharmonic for nearly 20 years and I strongly feel that it is an orchestra that values its family. The conductor's relationship with the orchestra does not end when his term ends, but rather he is committed to continuing to work together for many years to come, and this bond is reflected in this program. Of course, Maestro Wong is at the heart of it all. Thanks to him, we will also be performing seven of Mahler's symphonies, including the 8th Symphony, to mark the 70th anniversary. He has also proposed flexible and attractive programs for other concerts, which has been extremely helpful to me as the planner.
Creating a program can be difficult, and the challenge is how to combine "well-known masterpieces" with "slightly more specialized works." While it would be easy to create a program with only one of these, ingenuity is required to create a program that can be enjoyed by a wide range of audiences. In that sense, the suggestions from the former chairman were extremely valuable, and I believe that this attitude is reflected in the lineup this time. In fact, immediately after the program was announced, I saw comments on social media such as "there are too many masterpieces" and "it's a bit too niche." However, everyone's opinions are different, and I believe that this program can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. I hope that you will enjoy the charms of both the masterpieces and the unusual works.
About the Tokyo Subscription Concert
The 70th anniversary lineup incorporates themes such as "family ties" and "obligation." Looking back over the past 15 years, we have faced numerous challenges, including the Great East Japan Earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic, and changes in the international situation. This program also embodies our gratitude to the conductors and performers who have walked alongside us through those times.
In April, we will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 arranged by Mahler, which can be considered a special edition of the Mahler cycle. We will be welcoming some of Japan's leading soloists, making this a very special concert.
In May, we will welcome Mr. Liebreich, who will perform a relatively specialized program. He was a fan of Akira Miyoshi's "Sakigake no Fu," which we performed together previously, and has even performed it with his own orchestra in Spain, once again demonstrating the significance of featuring Japanese works.
In June, we will collaborate with Junichi Hirokami, a friend of the JPO (artistic advisor), and feature American works, with Copland's Symphony No. 3 as the main piece. We will also perform Fazil Say's Violin Concerto with Mone Hattori as soloist.
In July, Neeme Järvi will appear for the first time in 20 years. At the age of 89, he is still very active, and this time he will be performing Furtwängler's Symphony No. 2. This is a work that is rarely performed in Japan, so this will be a rare opportunity.
In September, Mr. Lazarev will perform Shostakovich's "Leningrad." Please enjoy the thrill of this one-shot performance.
In October, we welcome former principal conductor Kazuki Yamada and have prepared a program that is typical of the Japan Philharmonic, including Yoshio Mamiya's Concerto for Duo and Bartók's Violin Concerto.
In November, Maestro Kobayashi will perform the complete version of Smetana's "My Country." Now in his 80s, he will be performing an interpretation that has become even more mature.
In December, we will welcome Nodoka Okisawa, who will perform Reger's Piano Concerto (soloist Tomoki Sakata) in the first half and Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in the second half. Please be sure to check out this ambitious program.
In January 2027, we will perform Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 under the baton of Ka-Chun Wong. Together with the maestro, who has a deep knowledge of Bruckner, we will take on this masterpiece.
In March, former Principal Conductor Pietari Inkinen will return to the orchestra to perform Richard Strauss's A Hero's Life. In the first half of the program, we will present Beethoven's Emperor with pianist Alexander Melnikov.
In this way, this season's lineup is based on the "bonds" and "history" of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and aims to move beyond its 70th anniversary and move forward into the future. We hope you will look forward to it.
For details about the 70th Anniversary Special Concert and the Special Regular Concert, please click here.
https://japanphil.or.jp/japanphil_wp/news/26670
-Q&A session
3. I was concerned that the classical foundations of Haydn and Mozart were almost completely absent. On the other hand, three performers of Beethoven's Emperor, Stephen Hough, Alexander Melnikov, and Mie Koyama, performed it. I feel like it would have been better if there had been a few more classical pieces included. What do you think about this?
Masumi: To give some recent examples, in June 2013 we welcomed Takács-Nagy to work on Mozart, and we also invited François Leroux from France to perform an ensemble, so we have continued to work on classical and chamber music. However, this year's program was packed with content, marking the 70th anniversary, and as a result, we did not include any classical works. This is something we regret, but we also see it as an issue for future development.
We also anticipated receiving a lot of feedback on Beethoven's "Emperor." This was not a coincidence, but rather a result of respecting the work each artist found most appealing and wanted to perform. Inkinen's concert featured "A Hero's Life" in the second half, and this was chosen based on the overall narrative and structural balance. We hope you will enjoy listening to each of the various versions of "Emperor."
②Are there any plans to cover other works by Mahler??
Kahchun Wong: Of course, I would like to continue to actively work on Mahler's works in the future. However, the way in which I do so will vary greatly depending on past performances, the timing, and even the work I choose to perform. For example, Symphony No. 1 is a work that is familiar to everyone, but its meaning changes greatly depending on how it is performed. Therefore, I think it is important to carefully consider the timing and circumstances in which I choose to perform it.
I personally love both the Seventh and Tenth Symphony, and highly value both versions. Mahler also left behind arrangements of symphonies, including those by Schumann, in addition to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. How and in what contexts should such works be performed is also an important issue.
My current "problem," and it's actually a happy one, is that there is so much excellent music out there. I'll have to tackle Bruckner, Wagner, and of course Sibelius cycles in earnest at some point. But the reality is that with the limited number of performances per year, I can't cover everything at once.
For this reason, "To what extent should I tackle Mahler?" is a question I constantly ask myself. Last season, I repeatedly performed "No. 1," and I performed "No. 2" not only in Japan but also at the BBC Proms. I'm also working on "No. 5," "No. 6," and soon "No. 8." At one point, I was so immersed in Mahler that I would wake up in the morning wondering, "Which Mahler was playing that day?"
Each of Mahler's symphonies creates its own unique world, and moving from the Second to the Sixth, for example, is not only physically demanding but also involves a great spiritual and intellectual journey.
Therefore, Mahler is a huge challenge for the Japan Philharmonic, and I believe it is something that should be tackled with a long-term perspective and with sufficient time between attempts.
10. Please tell us about Pictures at an Exhibition, arranged by Kah-Chung Wong (October 2026, 414th Masterpiece Concert)
Kahchun WongAs you know, Pictures at an Exhibition is a work composed by Mussolsky for piano, and its most famous orchestration is by Ravel. This magnificent arrangement has been performed many times with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, including at their Kyushu concert and at Suntory Hall in March of this year.
However, Ravel's arrangement deviates slightly from the original. For example, minor changes were made, such as extending a two-bar section to four. Furthermore, "Promenade" was not entirely arranged. Ravel emphasized Western structural beauty, resulting in a magnificent piece. Ravel is not the only composer to have arranged this piece. There are also bold versions by Henry Wood and arrangements by Gorchakov. When I was a student, I noticed that many composers had been captivated by this piece and had left behind arrangements. Furthermore, there are many adorable variations, such as a ballet version, and the more I came into contact with these, the more I became fascinated with this piece.
My musical career began with composition, but I wanted to learn more about orchestration, so I moved on to conducting. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown, and I was forced to return to Singapore from Nuremberg, Germany. With no concerts and more free time, I was inspired by a friend who plays traditional instruments and began learning new instruments and musical cultures. Singapore has a Chinese orchestra, and many instruments are similar to Japanese instruments, such as the sangen, which is similar to the Japanese shamisen, and the peeper, which is similar to the biwa. As I studied these instruments, I developed a desire to connect different cultures through music. I began to think it would be interesting to incorporate traditional instruments and create something like a concerto grosso.
It will have its world premiere in Nuremberg in 2022, performed in a venue with a capacity of 6 to 7 people, and broadcast repeatedly on television. The fact that a single virus has changed the world is strange, and it has given me the opportunity to think deeply about my own identity. I am Singaporean, and although I am of Chinese descent, I am not "Chinese." I felt that I could express that identity through music, and this collaboration was born.
After its world premiere, the piece was widely introduced thanks to the power of the media, and was subsequently recorded in Manchester and performed in Singapore. Now, the piece will be performed in Japan. With such extensive experience, I am confident that it will be a wonderful performance.
④I would like to ask you about your research on Japanese composers and future developments.
Kahchun Wong:As you all know, I love Japanese culture and Japanese classical music.
Thanks to the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, I have been able to perform works by many Japanese composers, including Ifukube, Akutagawa, and Toru Takemitsu. It is a great pleasure to be able to actually perform what I have studied and researched. The Cleveland Orchestra also performs Akutagawa's works, and I hope to continue adding more Japanese works to our repertoire.
One composer I'm particularly interested in is Toshio Hosokawa. I think he's one of the greatest composers of our time. Among the young composers, I'm also interested in Yu Kuwahara. While there aren't many of her orchestral works yet, a youth orchestra performed her work at the recent Japan Day in Manchester. Unfortunately, I was in Japan and couldn't hear it, but I'd love to take up her work.
I am always looking forward to new encounters and discovering the works of other composers. I am also very interested in events such as the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award and the composition competition held at Tokyo Opera City as opportunities to encounter new talent.
ⒸAtsushi Yamaguchi
Kah-Chun Wong Upcoming Concerts
Pre-70th Anniversary (2025/26) Season
■773rd Tokyo Regular Concert
Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th, 2025, Suntory Hall
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 "Tragic"
■410th Yokohama Regular Concert
Saturday, September 20, 2025 Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
■ The 256th Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Series
Sunday, September 21, 2025 Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Piano: Ryuma Takagi
Ifukube: SF Symphonic Fantasy No. 1
Ravel: Piano Concerto
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"
■774rd Tokyo Regular Concert
Friday, September 17th and Saturday, September 18th, 2025, Suntory Hall
Piano: Noriko Ogawa
Trumpet: Ottaviano Cristofoli [Solo Trumpet]
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 "1905"
■80th Suginami Regular Concert
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Suginami Public Hall
■ The 261th Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Series
Sunday, September 8, 2026 Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Horn: Nobusue Sekitoshi [Principal player]
Akutagawa Yasushi: Musica per Orchestra Sinfonica
R. Strauss: Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, TrV. 117
Stravinsky: The Firebird Ballet Suite (1945 version)
70th anniversary (2026/27 season)
■779rd Tokyo Regular Concert
Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th, 2026, Suntory Hall
Soprano: Mari Moriya, Mezzo-soprano: Michiko Hayashi
Tenor: Kota Murakami, Baritone: Sora Onishi, Chorus: Shinyukai Choir
Beethoven (arr. Mahler): Symphony No. 9 "Choral"
■70th Anniversary Special Commemorative Concert
June 21st (Sun) and 22nd (Mon), 2026, Suntory Hall
Soprano I (Sinful Woman): Funakoshi Aya, Soprano II (Repentant Woman): Yoshida Tamayo
Soprano III (Our Lady of Glory): Rie Miyake, Alto I (The Samaritan Woman): Eriko Hanabusa
Alto II (Mary of Egypt): Ikuko Nakajima, Tenor (Doctor of the Venerable Mary): Naoki Miyazato
Baritone (Ecstatic Godfather): Takashi Aoyama, Bass (Meditating Godfather): Hirotaka Kato
Mahler: Symphony No. 8 "Symphony of a Thousand" in E-flat major
■ The 414th Masterpiece Concert
Saturday, October 24, 2026 Suntory Hall
Piano: Keigo Mukawa
Percussion: Benjamin Wu, Flute: Lee Chin-tsun
Yangqin: Ma Huan, Huqin: Tan Manman, Pipa: Wang Suwen
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Mussorgsky (arr. Kar-Chung Wong): Suite "Pictures at an Exhibition"
■422th Yokohama Regular Concert
Sunday, November 22, 2026 Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
■ The 415th Masterpiece Concert
Saturday, October 21, 2026 Suntory Hall
Piano: Sir Stephen Hough
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 (with organ)
■424th Yokohama Regular Concert
January 9, 2027 (Sat) Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
■ The 267th Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Series
Sunday, September 10, 2027 Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Trumpet: Hayato Kodama
Khachaturian: Masquerade Suite
Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major
J. Strauss II: Overture to the Opera "Die Fledermaus"
J. Strauss II: Waltz "The Blue Danube"
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2
■787rd Tokyo Regular Concert
January 29th (Fri) and 30th (Sat), 2027, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
70th Anniversary Special Regular Concert Performance List [PDF]
https://japanphil.or.jp/japanphil_wp/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026-70yseason.pdf
70th Anniversary Special Concert and Special Regular Concert
