This year saw Hong Kong moving another step closer to realising the West Kowloon Cultural District development, with all of its major management appointments now in place. Leading the pack is chief executive Graham Sheffield, who was artistic director of the Barbican Centre in London for the past 15 years. Lars Nittve, director of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm between 2001 and 2010, will take up his post as executive director of its visual culture complex M+ next month, while former chief executive of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Louis Yu Kwok-lit is executive director for the performing arts.
Public consultation on the three masterplans for the district designed by architects Norman Foster from Britain, Rem Koolhaas from the Netherlands and Rocco Yim Sen-kee from Hong Kong ended last month. The decision on which model will be adopted is expected to be made by the end of the first quarter of next year.
In the meantime, the local arts scene continues to bubble along, with particular strong showings in both classical music and opera.
Classical music
Mobile phones may well be chirruping less during classical concerts, but texting is on the increase, clapping at injudicious moments continues, and the practice of admitting latecomers between movements periodically rears its head with all the sensitivity of a rhino's rump.
Tardy ticket-holders at the Emerson String Quartet's recital in June at least provided a welcome diversion from the disappointing action on stage; but those at the City Chamber Orchestra's delightful airing of Poulenc's Sinfonietta last month did not.
It would be only a touch outrageous to say that the most consistent aspect of this year's classical concert scene has been the standard of the programme notes. The rosette goes to Marc Rochester, supplier to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, who continues to bind his interesting commentary with a fluent prose style imbued with a certain lyricism.