Another romantic treat from
the superstar of Cantonese Opera
in Hong Kong

Interview

Rehearsal

A superstar in Cantonese Opera with many honours for her community work –as one of the Ten ‘Caring Stars’ of Hong Kong three times in running, dubbed the ‘Superstar of Caring’ by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, and chosen as one of the ‘Ten Most Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong’ - Koi Ming Fai makes a return appearance on the concert stage with the HKCO following the huge success last year.  In this concert, she will be demonstrating yet again her multi-faceted talents and versatility in the performing arts.

In this concert series, Koi will be singing not only Cantonese operatic arias but also two Cantonese tunes, The Toll of the Temple Bells and The Fragrance of the Lotus on the Silver Pond, as well as the theme from a very popular television series, The Bund, written by the one and only duo, James Wong and Joseph Koo.  All three are being premiered at this concert as new arrangements for Chinese orchestra.  With Koi’s well-known delivery, they promise to be a refreshing treat for Chinese opera fans and music fans alike.

Excerpts from several Cantonese operatic arias are chosen based on the theme of love.  In each of them, there is invariably a pair of star-crossed lovers stricken by Fate, loyalty, their sense of duty to ‘King and Country’ or political strife.  Each aria represents a variation in mood, but shares the touch of high romance.

#For fans of Koi and the HKCO alike, it would be interesting to note that unlike last year’s concert which was held at the Concert Hall of the Cultural Centre, this year’s concert series will be held at the Grand Theatre.  While there would be better visual effects, the number of seats is less.  Therefore, be warned and get your tickets early!  Another reminder: the concert begins at 7:30p.m., so don’t be late!

Vocal delivery in Chinese operatic singing and in Western opera

Law Kar-ying, a famous leading actor in Cantonese Opera, once said in an interview, “While the vocal delivery between Chinese operatic singing and western opera is distinctly different, there are similarities shared.  In Cantonese Opera, the actors in ‘painted face’ roles use a ‘back-of-head tone’, which is a kind of vocalizing through resonance. But for someone new to Chinese operatic singing, the coach would describe the voice production method in quite a different set of vocabulary, such as ‘forcing it up from the lower abdomen’ or ‘from the belly’.  When one sings, one is supposed to tuck the belly in and use the diaphragm and the lung to force it out.  Another thing is, for Chinese operatic singing, the key is fixed.  For example, if it is fixed at C, then throughout the evening, all performers sing in the C mode, male or female alike.  One is not supposed to change the key arbitrarily, and all those on stage sing in the same key.  Unlike western opera where you would have tenors, sopranos etc., Chinese operatic singing only uses voice production to adjust the singer’s voice.  This, is what makes Chinese operatic singing so unique.” (See Beautiful Music and Life, Chow Fan-fu, pg. 166)

Ensemble         
A Song of Triumph
Arr. by Li Shek-um

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra          
Capriccio and Mourning the Great Wall
from The Last Emperor of the Southern Tang Regime        
Music and Lyrics by Yip Shiu-tak    
Arr. by Li Ka-wah
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra    
Stabbing with a Hairpin from The Priceless Jade  
Music and Lyrics by Lee Siu-wan     Arr. by Li Shek-um  (Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra    
Liang Shanbo on His Death Bed (Excerpts) 
Music and Lyrics by Yip Shiu-tak Arr. by Wong Hok-yeung (Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra          
A Tearful Mourning from The Blessing of the Moon  
Music and Lyrics by Yip Shiu-tak Arr. by Pang Ka-fong  (Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Singing and Orchestra  
Meeting in a Dream from The Goddess of River Luo 
Arr. by Yip Shiu-tak and Li Shek-um

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra
Jia Baoyu Takes Refuge in Zen
Music & Lyrics by Yuen Siu-fai      
Arr. by Phoon Yew-tien   
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Ensemble
The Heavenly Music from the Mountain    
Arr. by Mui Kwong-chiu
(Commissioned by HKCO/ World Premiere)

Cantonese Operatic Song and Orchestra
Traces of Tears
from The Thundering Battle Drums  
Wong Yuet-Sang  Lyrics by Tsui Chi-long    
Arr. by Sim Boom-yew    
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Singing and Orchestra  
The Toll of Monastery Bells
Arr. by Phoon Yew-tien    Lyrics by So Yung    
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Singing and Orchestra  
Flowers in Bloom on Silver Pond
Arr. by Ng Cheuk-yin      
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)

Singing and Orchestra  
Theme from the HKTVB drama series
The Bund
Joseph Koo Lyrics by james Wong
Arr. by Chew Hee-chiat

Singing and Orchestra      
Not Remembering Old Dreams   
Music and Lyrics by James Wong    
Arr. by Joshua Chan       
(Arrangement commissioned by HKCO/ Premiere)