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[27th Orchestral Season]

London Tour - As a Cultural Ambassador to Promote Chinese Music [9-10/11/2003]

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra was invited by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (London) to perform in London, England.
9 – 10 November 2003

With its mission to promote Chinese music and to express the vitality of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra went with Mr Tung Chee Hwa, the Chief Executive, to London last month to perform at the Natural History Museum and participate in the music workshop of the University of London. The performance of the director and the musicians has won much acclaim from the audience.



Chief Executive Mr Tung considers the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to be ‘the pride of Hong Kong’.

(from right) Carlye W L Tsui, BBS, JP, MBE, Chairman of HKCO, Mr Andrew Leung, JP, the Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, Mrs Betty H P Tung, The Hon Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, Mr Yan Huichang, Artistic Director / Principal Conductor of HKCO, The Hon. Selina Chow, GBS, OBE, JP, Chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board, and Celina Chin, Executive Director of HKCO.



Musicians and Director Yan participated in the Chinese music workshop at the University of London.


 


This performance, given in the shadow of the Natural History Museum’s famous dinosaur, was the first one to be given by this orchestra in the UK, and it is one which will remain in the memory for a long time. A musical tour de force, this held the attention throughout, and displayed a great breadth of orchestral texture together with a wide variety of emotional content.

This selection of mostly programme music took us on an exquisite journey and enabled us to experience each individual section of the orchestra (an important consideration for our un-initiated British ears!) as well as the dramatic and exciting tutti sections.

The conductor, Yan Huichang, brought his pleasant and endearing personality to the proceedings and, under his expert baton, his musicians clearly relished the occasion, conveying with ease their sense of musical commitment to their enthusiastic capacity audience. Soloists, Wong Ching and Guo Yazhi, showed consumate mastery of their respective instruments with their engaging agility and dexterity, some of the faster passages leaving the stunned crowd open-mouthed.
Although the entire programme was very well polished, an extra special mention must be made of the final piece The Terra Cotta Warriors Fantasia in which the players of the percussion section were superb.


No fewer than four encores were presented, all being thoroughly deserved. Given the chance, I am sure the crowd would have demanded a fifth. However, the concert, of about 90 minutes in length, was performed without an interval and no-one could deny the musicians a well-earned break.

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is to be congratulated on this, their first visit to London. A visionary ensemble, they are obviously a “team on a mission” and I wish them every success for the future.

Richard Storry

The concert was absolutely terrific and fascinating. Such skill and artistry! Please convey my congratulations and thanks to Maestro Yan.


Prof David Peacock
Principal Lecturer: Music, Music Education and Theatre Arts
Middlesex University

When I hear the Hong Kong Chinese orchestra, I see the marvelous mix of East and West that is-irrefutably-Hong Kong!

Julian Gallant
Chief Conductor of Russian Orchestra of London


It was a wonderful concert in a very interesting setting!


Victoria Lau
Project Administrator
Askonas Holt Ltd


What a marvellous concert it was. The accoustic was wonderful. The sounds were very clear and the ensemble excellent. It was the most exceptional combination of place and timbre.

Jean Burrow
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music


I was most interested to be able to attend and greatly enjoyed the vitality and the colour of their musicmaking.


Dame Janet Ritterman
Director
Royal College of Music