[27th Orchestral Season]

Ta Kung Pao, 13 January 2004

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Toured the Pearl River Delta

Chow Fan Fu

Due to venue and schedule rearrangement, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra had to rush about for its 2004 New Year Countdown Concert Tour in the Pearl River Delta. The Orchestra visited six cities in seven evenings, so it was not surprising the members felt a bit tired. Yet after the concerts in Shantou, Foshan, Dongguan and Shenzhen, the members were still in high spirits when having their fifth and sixth concerts in Guangzhou and Zhuhai.

On account of the festive occasion, the music pieces chosen were mostly light and bright, and there were special solo performances of the five Group Principals. Wong Ching (Pipa), Sun Yongzhi (Dongxiao) and the orchestra played the picturesque Moonlight over Spring River, followed by five less varied concerti such as Rising Step and Beautiful Clouds Chase the Moon. But not until Flying Dragons and Jumping Tigers before the break, splendidly performed by Yim Hok-man and four other drummers, was the grandeur of a large orchestra displayed and the atmosphere heightened.

The programme after the break was more stimulating. The most memorable section was A September Story and Beating Dates played by Guo Yazhi (Suona) and the orchestra at the beginning, especially the humorous Beating Dates, in which Suona, Guan, Kaqiang and Kousou represented grandfather, father, son and grandson. Guo Yazhi’s breathtaking performance on the stage and among the audience had won rounds of loud applause and cheers.

Another applause-receiving section was the ten-minute Peking-Opera-style A Dark Night performed by six musicians (five only in Zhuhai as Yuen Si-chun was ill): Wong On-yuen (Jinghu),Yim Hok-man (Drum) and four other orchestra members. It seemed that music with a strong resemblance of local opera also appealed to Mainland audience. The concert ended with The General’s Command, a music piece again displaying the grandeur of a large orchestra.

The sound quality of Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall was much better than that of Zhuhai City Hall. The latter was transformed from a thickly carpeted theatre, though equipped with sound reflective boards, and the carpets on stage as well as the musicians’ velvet seat covers were removed during rehearsals, the bass of the performance was still weakened.

After its last concert in the Pearl River Delta at Xinghai Concert Hall at Christmas, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra moved on to Xian the next day for another three concerts of a different programme: ‘Zhao Jiping’s Classics New Year Concert’ from 29 to 31 December 2003. This means that the orchestra had prepared more than 30 pieces of music for the tour to show its strengths. The tour itself had not only brought satisfactory rewards for the orchestra, but also proved a success of Hong Kong arts organizations in exploring the Mainland.