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The Wonderful World of Reeds - East West Rendezvous

Reed instruments have a long history in the world, and are found in almost all nations. The first pipe organ, the most majestic of all reed instruments, was recorded in history more than two thousand years ago. The Chinese traditional instrument, sheng, and the instrument that has found a universal identity, the harmonica, have developed families to enrich their range. The concert brings together these instruments and for additional interest, there will be a musical guide on the range of reed instruments in the world presented by Chan Ming-chi.

Hu Tianquan, who will turn 70 next year in 2004, is as active as ever on the musical stage. In this concert series, he will be demonstrating his exceptional virtuosity and versatility gleaned from a career that spans half a century.

# The Rieger Organ, which was inaugurated with the opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 1989, was made in Austria. It has 93 stops and 8,000 pipes, the tallest of which reaches a height of 20 metres. It is one of the largest pipe organs in the world.

See what five harmonicas can do when you hear the King's Harmonica Quintet play two rhapsodies as different as their ethnic origins. Rumanian Rhapsody – No. 1 in A by G. Enesco (1881-1955) is a ballad rich in folk colours and an orchestral showcase piece. Beautiful Clouds Chasing the Moon, a traditional piece by Ren Guang (1900-1941), was rearranged by Mui Kwong-chiu for the Quintet into the Beautiful Clouds Chasing the Moon Rhapsody. Capture the rhapsodic thoughts in their different yet equally brilliant tone colours.

Hu Tianquan's legendary tonguing techniques in playing the Chinese free-reed will be on full display in the section featuring the sheng family of instruments. He will be playing the tenor sheng in Phoenix in the Sky (with accompaniment by four pipas only) and the bawu sheng (which is a hybrid of the bawu and the sheng) in Song of the Ah-Si Tribe, two highly challenging pieces for any Chinese reed player. Other items on the programme such as Jin Melody (tenor sheng), Red Flowers Blooming (alto sheng), Ode to the Yellow River – Second Movement of the Yellow River Concerto (bass sheng) and The Happy Luosuos (miniature sheng) may show you why Hu earns his name as the master of the genre.

Kuan Nai-chung's Symphony No. 2 is an example of how music crosses all boundaries. By using music idioms that are familiar to the modern day concert audience yet introducing innovative orchestration, he invites the audience to enter a world of pure music and easy transposition. The piece allows the expansiveness of the pipe organ to go hand in hand with the rich timbres of the Chinese orchestra.

Sheng>>The Pipe Organ>>China

Archaeological findings have led the world to believe that the ancient sheng of China might well be the forerunner of the organ of the west. Though unconfirmed, it was conjectured that as China's reed instruments travelled to Europe, it gave birth to the pipe organ at a later stage.

As early as the Ming dynasty (the turn of the 17th Century), the pipe organ was already introduced into China by the western missionaries. But it was only in the imperial courts and in church that organ music could be heard. As a result, the introduction of organ music into China did not cast a significant influence on Chinese music.

Registration Fee for each of the workshops above: $50
(for FoHKCO: $38)
Reservations: 3185 1670