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[28th Orchestral Season]
Press Release (3 pages)
August 24, 2004
A Galaxy of Stars Gathers
to Romance under the Full Moon
For Whom the Moon Glows ¡V
Mid-Autumn Festival Concert
As the weather cools off in the evening after the Autumn Equinox, the celebrative mood of the Mid-Autumn Festival is in the air. Although Man has landed on the moon more than thirty years ago, science has not defeated our imagination and yearning for romance. Invocation to the moon is still a recurrent theme in music. For all the Chinese, Mid-Autumn Festival is a very important festival which is traditional and romantic. On the Eve of it, HKCO will present ¡§For Whom the Moon Glows ¡V Mid-Autumn Festival Concert¡¨, and the Moon is the theme. Apart from such perennial favourites as Full Moon and Blossoming Flower, The Moon Represents My Heart and Message from the Moon, there will also be special guests and specially commissioned works on this joyful occasion.
Kong Xiangdong, the Chinese pianist of international fame, will be performing three items on the programme with the Orchestra: Dance of the Axi Tribe Under the Moon from Yunnan, Autumn Moon on a Placid Lake from Guangdong, and Clair de Lune, an arrangement based on Debussy¡¦s Impressionistic work for the piano. Would the moon look the same from an eastern window and from that of the west?
Nancy Sit, the bubbly star of film and television with a face that is recognized by all Chinese communities in the world, will be singing some delightful tunes accompanied by the Orchestra. They include Theme from Virtues of Harmony, Dreamin the West Chamber and The Happy Woman Cha Cha Cha
Hsin Hsiao-hung, Erhu Principal of the HKCO, will be performing How Often Do We Have a Bright Moon? with the Orchestra. Written by Chen Ning-chi, a composer based in Hong Kong, the music was commissioned by Hsin herself in 1988 and premiered on the occasion of her visit to Beijing where she performed with the Chinese National Orchestra. Since then, it has become one of the audience favourites among Hsin¡¦s repertoire, having been heard in mainland China, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong and touching myriads of hearts.
The concert also marks the premiere of a number of commissioned arrangements and compositions. Hong Kong composer Mui Kwong-chiu has drawn inspiration from Beautiful Clouds Chasing the Moon by Ren Guang (1900-1941) and created Rhapsody of Colour Clouds Chasing the Moon, a chamber piece for five harmonicas, sheng and piano. On this occasion, he has arranged it for the Chinese orchestra, highlighting the folk colours for a different effect. The Yellow Plum Opera Capriccio, a new composition by Shang Tingwen from Anhui Province in China, is a vivacious and flowing tune inspired by the regional music in Zhejiang called Huangmeidiao, or Yellow Plum Tune. Greetings Fanfare by Doming Lam was commissioned by RTHK¡¦s Radio 4 in celebration of its 30th Anniversary, and will be making its world premiere at this concert. All these happy sounds come together to add to the celebratory mood.
For Whom the Moon Glows ¡V Mid-Autumn Festival Concert will be held at 8pm on September 24 and 25, 2004, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets are available at all URBTIX Outlets at $300, 220, 160 and 100. Half-price tickets are offered for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students. Please refer to the programme leaflet for details on other discount schemes. Enquiries: 3185 1600; Booking Hotline: 2734 9009. Internet Booking: www.urbtix.gov.hk
¢w End ¢w
Press Enquiry¡G Ms.Vivian Ip (Public Relation & Publicity Executive)
Tel ¡G3185 1601 / 9553 2244 Fax¡G2815 5615
E-mail¡Gvivianip@hkco.org HKCO Website¡Gwww.hkco.org
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Artists Biography
Yan Huichang Conductor
National Class One Conductor. As a conductor who has worked with all professional Chinese orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, Yan has won the acclaim of the music circles in China and abroad for his artistic and conducting talents. Under his baton, and in collaboration with the famous composer Zhao Jiping, the Symphony Orchestra section of the China National Symphony Orchestra made the soundtrack recordings for such award-winning films as Raise the Red Lantern, Ballad of the Yellow River, and Five Girls and a Rope. Yan was awarded the ¡§Cultural Medallion (Music)¡¨ by the National Arts Council of Singapore in September 2001. Since 2004, he has been a Visiting Professor in many music conservatories. Yan was awarded a Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Chief Executive of HKSAR in 2004 in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Chinese music as well as his efforts in promoting Chinese music.
Kong Xiangdong Piano
Arguably the best and the most active Chinese pianist on the international music scene, Kong Xiangdong is acclaimed by the media in the west as ¡§an artist of truly electrifying gifts---the kind of musician who comes along only once or twice in a generation.¡¨ Kong has won numerous accolades, including the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, the 1987 Santander International Competition in Spain, the Gold Award at the 1988 Gina Bachauer International Competition, and the First Prize as well as four other special merit awards at the 5th Sydney International Competition in 1992. Kong is dedicated to promoting the art of piano music in China. The Kong Xiang-Dong Music Organization was set up in August 2004 to spearhead a nationwide enterprise dedicated to music education and performing art.
Hsin Hsiao-hung Erhu
As a renowned huqin performer and awardee of Ten Outstanding Young Persons 2002 (Hong Kong), Hsin Hsiao-hung is currently the Erhu Principal of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and an instructor of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She has a passionate style that is at the same time endowed with subtlety, and her interpretations have full of a moving quality that plucks at her listeners¡¦ hearts. Apart from classical music, she has also added pop, jazz and east-meets-west music to her repertoire. She has cut albums with jazz artist, Dave Packer, and her performance in it was praised by hi-fi critic Leo Fung as ¡§refreshing, exquisite, with a scenic panorama that is almost tangible. To promote Chinese music and education of the genre, she has established ¡§Hsin Hsiao-hung Institute of Art¡¨ in 2003.
Nancy Sit Vocal
A well-known name on the Hong Kong entertainment scene, Nancy Sit began learning Cantonese Opera singing, martial arts and ballet when she was young. She first appeared on the movie screen at the age of eight, and won a large following as a child actor and later, for her teenage roles. She made a comeback to the entertainment scene in 1996, and since then has appeared in many television series that have made her a household name not only in Hong Kong but also in all Chinese communities around the world. Her career spans film, radio and cyberspace. She acts, hosts radio shows and online cooking programmes, and produces a series of books on computers, all with outstanding results. Her image as ¡§Mom Nancy¡¨ has also won her an increasing number of fans.
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