Liu Yang, Zhonghu Principal of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and his mentor, Prof. Liu Changfu of the Central Conservatory of China, will be giving a concert with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra at the City Hall Concert Hall on April 25 and 26, 8pm. Appropriately named "The Poignant Sounds of the Huqin: Liu Changfu and Liu Yang", the concert features some of the bravura classics of huqin, the Chinese two-stringed fiddle.

    Prof. Liu was the first erhu artist to receive a master's degree in China. Currently on the faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music and a supervisor of the master’s degree programme, he has published many highly acclaimed academic papers on the subject. In the four decades of his teaching career, he has groomed many outstanding talents in erhu. As a professor at the Conservatory, he has been instrumental in the compilation of the course contents leading to professional examinations. Many items on the programme of this concert are examination pieces for Hong Kong candidates seeking admission to the Central Conservatory of Music of China.

    He will be performing The Sanmen Gorge Capriccio, a work that celebrates the aspirations of those who have contributed to the construction of the reservoir project; The Red Plum Capriccio, which describes how the red plum tree braves cold and wind and still stands tall, a symbol of steadfast virtues in face of dark forces and of unswerving dedication to a noble cause; and Torrents of the River, which captures the devastations of a widow crying alone by the river as she mourns her husband’s untimely death. Through the vivid voice of the erhu, Torrents traces the emotional changes of 'weeping', 'recalling' and 'paying the last respects'.

Li    u Yang was trained by Prof. Liu at the Conservatory. Currently the Zhonghu Principal of the HKCO, he started learning the huqin under his father at a young age. He was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music in 1991 to study Ethnic Music. The teaching of Prof. Liu gave him insight into the performing practices of the erhu, which was conducive to his later career as a performing artist. On this occasion, he will be playing The Sun Shines on Taxkorgan, an exotic interpretation of Tajik music; The Great Wall Capriccio, a paean to one of the greatest monumental constructions of the Chinese and of all mankind; The Ballade of the Orchid Flower, a lyrical piece that tells the story of a courageous young girl in northern Shaanxi; and A Spray of Flowers, an arrangement based on a piece of folk music in the Shandong region and describes the sad and lonely life of a woman worker.

    It is the first collaboration between Prof. Liu and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. "I look forward to not only the exciting experience of making music with the Orchestra and the reunion with old friends, but also meeting the audience of Hong Kong," he says. As for Liu Yang, he is thrilled to be sharing the stage with his mentor. Seeing his teacher again reminds him of the days when he was studying at the Conservatory. Nevertheless, he also expresses anxiety over this important occasion, and he is working hard to make this a memorable concert for the listeners, he says.

    Tickets for "The Poignant Sounds of the Huqin: Liu Changfu and Liu Yang" concert are now available at all URBTIX Outlets at $250, 180 and 100. Half-price tickets are offered for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students. Please refer to the programme leaflet for more details on discount schemes. Enquiries: 3185 1600; Booking Hotline: 2734 9009. Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk.

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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.

Liu Changfu
Liu Changfu was the first erhu artist to receive a master's degree in China. He is currently on the faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music and is a supervisor of the master’s degree programme. In the four decades of his teaching career, he has groomed many outstanding talents in erhu performance, some of whom have become full-fledged artists in their own right. Liu has published a substantial collection of etudes for erhu and written many solo works with a distinguished style. His papers on the subject are recognized to be of high academic standard. He has given highly acclaimed performances and lectures in Asia, Europe and Africa. In China, he has been featured in media reports which covered his achievements and artistic directions. He is listed in The Famous Figures of the Contemporary Arts Circles in China, A Dictionary of Outstanding Persons in Culture and the Arts in China, Who’s Who in Chinese Education, A Dictionary of Chinese Musicians and the Cambridge Who’s Who registry by the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England.

Liu Yang
Liu Yang joined the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in 2002 and is currently Zhonghu Principal and an executive committee member of the Erhu Society under the Chinese Musicians’ Association. Liu learned to play the erhu at a young age under his father. In 1991, he entered the Central Conservatory of Music to study Folk Music, and was taught by Professor Liu Changfu. As a musician, he has played with the China Broadcast Chinese Orchestra and the Central Folk Orchestra of China. In 1999, Liu came top at the Tianhua Cup National Competition for Young Erhu Artistes. In 2000, he went on tour to Korea and Japan as part of a Korean-Japanese-Chinese delegation, the Asian Orchestra, performing as a principal. He gave a solo recital in Beijing in the same year, and performed as a solo at the One Hundred Years of Erhu concert series in 2001.