Hypnotic baritone, Benjamin Appl, accompanied by South African pianist James Baillieu, set to captivate listeners in Hong Kong
Benjamin Appl – “the current front runner in the new generation of Lieder singers” (Gramophone) – is set to mesmerise listeners with an evening of adventure, romance, magic, and high emotion. The German baritone will bring to life the piano-and-voice partnership of 19th century Lieder alongside celebrated South African pianist James Baillieu. A debut on all fronts—two top young performers and Premiere Performances’ first voice recital!
This concert is part of Premiere Performances Recital Series sponsored by Citi, and is supported by the Goethe Institute, the South African Consulate General and the British Council. Their Hong Kong debut takes place on Monday, 23 April at 8:00 pm at the Hong Kong City Hall’s Concert Hall.
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BBC New Generation Artist, ECHO Rising Star artist, and Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, Benjamin Appl is celebrated both as a soloist and for his operatic performances. -
Background on Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu
- Benjamin Appl has appeared in recital at major European venues including the Barbican Centre London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Paris and Cologne and the Laeiszhalle Hamburg. He became an exclusive SONY Classical recording artist in May 2016.
- Benjamin trained as a chorister at the renowned Regensburger Domspatzen and continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, where he now teaches German Lieder. He had the good fortune to be mentored by one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.
James Baillieu has been described as being ‘in a class of his own’ (The Daily Telegraph). He was a prize-winner of the Wigmore Hall Song Competition, Das Lied International Song Competition, Kathleen Ferrier and Richard Tauber Competitions. He was selected for representation by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2010 and in 2012 received a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and a Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust Award. In 2016 he was shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Outstanding Young Artist Award.
International praise for Appl:
“Appl is not only a singer of boundless promise, he is already a great artist.” (BBC Music Magazine)
“In dynastic terms the young German baritone Benjamin Appl is Lieder royalty.” (The Spectator)
“Young German baritone Benjamin Appl has a vocal presence so arresting it almost seems hypnotic.” (Irish Times)
The evening’s programme, entitled “Heimat”, tracks Appl’s first disc on Sony Classics, which The Guardian called an “impressive, poignant, finely judged performance.” There are songs by 14 different composers including Schubert, Brahms, and Grieg (categorized by evocative sub-headings) in this specially curated programme.
“Heimat” is a German word that encompass rootedness, longing and belonging. The notion of Heimat reflects Appl’s relationship with his two homes, Germany and England. A distinctive feature of the programme is the way that the songs move from predominantly German lied to a group of English songs, reflecting the way Appl moved between the two countries.


Concert Details
23 April, 2018 (Monday, 8pm)
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
Tickets are on sale now at $480, $300, $200 and $100 through Premiere Performances (www.pphk.org) and URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk).
Contact
Johnny Yip, Premiere Performances of Hong Kong
johnny.yip@pphk.org; 2811 2107 / 9450 6610
Maxson Tsang, FleishmanHillard
maxson.tsang@fleishman.com; 25
For more details of the concert, please visit our website www.pphk.org.
“Heimat” Full Programme
PROLOG
Franz Schubert – Seligkeit (Hölty), D. 433
ROOTS
Max Reger – Des Kindes Gebet (Rafael), Op. 76, No. 22
Hugo Wolf – Er ist’s (Mörike)
Johannes Brahms – Wiegenlied (Volkslied), Op. 49, No. 4
PLACES
Franz Schubert – Der Einsame (Lappe), D. 800
Johannes Brahms – Mondnacht (Eichendorff), Op. 3, No 5
Franz Schreker – Waldeinsamkeit (Arnold)
PEOPLE
Johannes Brahms – Mein Mädel hat einen Rosenmund (Volkslied)
Richard Strauss – Allerseelen (Gilm), Op. 10, No 8
Franz Schubert – Nachtstück (Mayrhofer), D. 672
VOYAGE
Franz Schubert – Drang in die Ferne (Leitner), D. 770
Franz Schubert – Der Wanderer an den Mond (Seidl), D.870
Adolf Strauss – Ich weiß bestimmt, ich wird’ dich wiedersehen (Hift)
intermission
LONGING
Franz Schubert – Das Heimweh (Hell), D. 456
Franz Schubert – Der Wanderer (Schmidt), D. 489
BOUNDLESS
Francis Poulenc – Hyde Park (Apollinaire), FP. 127, No. 2
Benjamin Britten – Greensleeves (Folk Song)
Ralph Vaughan-Williams – Silent Noon (Rosetti)
Henry Rowley Bishop – Home, Sweet Home (Payne)
Peter Warlock – My Own Country (Belloc)
Peter Warlock – The Bachelor (Anonymous)
John Ireland – If There Were Dreams To Sell (Beddoes)
EPILOG
Edvard Grieg – Sechs deutsche Lieder, Op. 48
1. Gruß (Heine)
2. Dereinst, Gedanke mein (Geibel)
3. Lauf der Welt (Uhland)
4. Die verschwiegene Nachtigall (von der Vogelweide)
5. Zur Rosenzeit (Goethe)
6. Ein Traum (Bodenstedt)