Back on Stage II (Quarantined!) (2020)

Under the COVID-19 pandemic when the doors of Hong Kong's performance venues were shut to the public audience, German pianist Alexander Krichel and conductor Christoph Poppen travelled halfway across the world to the city, quarantined in a hotel room for a full 14 days, and finally joined Hong Kong Sinfonietta to make music together in an empty concert hall. "Back On Stage II (Quarantined!)" documents the artists' extraordinary journey and the unwavering determination of musicians to keep making music in such unusual times. The concert film showcases a sparkling programme of Rachmaninov's ever-exuberant and moving Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, paired with Beethoven's joyful and serene 8th Symphony. As a bonus at the end, Beethoven's best-loved "Spring" Sonata for Piano and Violin showers the empty auditorium with a warm drizzle, as the sunshine promises a new hope for a new beginning. Concert programme - Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op 43 / Beethoven: Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93 / Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Violin No 5 in F, Op 24, "Spring"