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Press
Release
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For
Whom the Moon Glows - 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. The HKCO
has therefore lined up a programme with eclectic appeal. 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 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.
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Highlights
of the Programme |
Performed with the suona, sheng and percussion, Greetings Fanfare
is a witty, glorious and rousing feast ?a fitting celebration on the occasion
of the 30th Anniversary of RTHK’s Radio 4. The composer Doming Lam
has been an old friend of the HKCO, having written many outstanding pieces for
our repertoire. The music of Greetings integrates the traditional sounds
of celebration of Chinese gong-and-drum music and the “opening fanfare?of
Chinese opera with a neo-classical touch. The rich sound texture is the high
point of appreciation here. If you speak Cantonese, you would even hear the
greeting vernacularised in the music, “Congratulations to you, RTHK Radio 4!?/span>
Huangmeixi (Yellow Plum Opera)
is also called Huangmei diao or “Yellow Plum tunes? It is an operatic
genre popularly found in the Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Jiangsu regions of
China. It originated from the county of “Huangmei?in Hubei, and first emerged
as a song-and-dance performance that incorporated singing narratives. Its vocal
style showed the influence of the Qingyang song type. Traditionally, a
Huangmei diao performance involved an ensemble set-up of ‘three
percussions and seven singers? with the three accompanists playing the
percussions as well as serving as the chorus. By the 1940’s, the huqin
was added to support the singing. The music of the Huangmei diao is
characterized by a simple yet lyrical appeal. The melodic line is fluid,
flowing and light-hearted in mood. It is basically pentatonic, and there are
meaningless sounds and phrases inserted in the melodic flow for effect ?a
feature often found in Chinese folk songs. The operatic form, Huangmeixi,
found its way to Shanghai in the 1930’s, then onto the silver screen after
1949. By the 1950’s and 60’s, this type of films grew to be very popular in
Hong Kong. The Yellow Plum Opera Capriccio, a new composition by Shang
Tingwen, a composer from Anhui in China, will be premiered in this concert.
Some of the familiar phrases taken from Huangmei diao might bring back
fond memories for seasoned filmgoers of Hong Kong as they recall popular films
of decades ago such as The Seventh Fairy Maiden, The Princess’s Consort Is a
Woman, The Emperor Travelling Incognito Meets a Beauty, and The Butterfly
Lovers.
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My choice |
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The concert I would recommend is For Whom the Moon Glows, which is held around
the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The programme features many works on the
‘moon?theme performed by Kong Xiangdong, the famous piano artist of
international standing; How Often Do We Have a Bright Moon performed by Hsin
Hsiao-hung on the erhu; the new composition by Shang Tingwen, The Yellow Plum
Opera Capriccio; and the new arrangement by Mui Kwong-chiu, Rhapsody of Colour
Clouds Chasing the Moon. With famous local artist, Nancy Sit, also on the
programme, it will be a happy family concert for the festive season.
Barbara Fei, famous vocalist
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Ensemble The Yellow
Plum Opera Capriccio (Commissioned by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra/World
Preiemere) Shang Tingwen
Ensemble As the Moon Rises Ancient Melody Arr. by Peng Xiuwen
Ensemble How Often Do We Have a Bright Moon? Chen Ning-chi
Erhu: Hsin Hsiao-hung
Vocal and Orchestra
Virtues Harmony (In Period Costume Version) (Arrangement Commissioned
by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra/Premiere) Composed and Lyrics by Purple C.Y.
Lee Arr. by Chew Hee-chiat
Dream in the West Chamber (Arrangement Commissioned by Hong Kong
Chinese Orchestra/ Premiere) Lyrics by Ho Zi-joi Ancient Melody Arr. by Chew
Hee-chiat
Happy Woman Cha Cha Cha (Arrangement Commissioned by Hong Kong Chinese
Orchestra/Premiere) Lyrics by Purple C.Y. Lee Yao Min Arr. by Chee Hee-chiat
Vocal: Nancy Sit
Ensemble Greetings Fanfare (World Premiere) Doming Lam (Commissioned by
RTHK Radio 4 in celebration of its 30th Anniversary)
Piano and Orchestra
Autumn Moon on a Placid Lake Lu Wencheng Arr. by Chew Hee-chiat
Clair de Lune Claude Debussy Arr. by Ng Cheuk-yin
Dance of Axi Tribe under the Moon Arr. by Kuan Nai-chung
Piano: Kong Xiangdong
Ensemble Rhapsody of Colour Clouds Chasing the Moon (Arrangement
Commissioned by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra/Premiere) Arr. by Mui Kwong-chiu
based on his own composition
Symphonic Poem Flowing Water Chan Pui-fang |  |
| Date: 24
- 25.9. 2004
Time: 8:00 pm | |
Venue:
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Concert Hall |
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$300, 220,
160, 100 |
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Yan Huichang
Conductor |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Nancy Sit
Vocalist |
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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.
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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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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 “a truly gifted pianist that can go to
your heart, the rare one or two that the world has the honour to have in a
century?and “the pride of 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.
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Hsin Hsiao-hun
Erhu |
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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.
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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.
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To promote
Chinese music and education of the genre, she has established
“Hsin Hsiao-hung Institute of Art?in 2003.
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