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Sam Olluver
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Marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, Opera Hong Kong presented what is arguably his most powerful stage work, Salome, in a co-production with the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet of Ljubljana.

Those who stayed away from this concert in large numbers missed a few treats.

This concert marked the 40th anniversary of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra achieving professional status.

Whatever plan was negotiated between the distinguished pianist Emanuel Ax (above) and noted conductor Carlo Rizzi for this performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No4, it wasn't good enough.

German conductor Christoph Poppen and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta achieved something remarkable by producing a performance of Mendelssohn's Symphony No3, Scottish, that almost made me like the work.

I attended one The King's Singers' early concerts, in 1970, before their adoption by television and the recording industry.

Le French May's classical music offering on May 18 is a piano recital by Alexandre Tharaud. His easy-listening programme comprises 15 bite-sized movements from works by four composers.

Forty years ago, a youngster in Moscow sat at a piano and started to improvise. Unremarkable maybe, except that the young Russian was only two years old; four years later, he was absorbed into Moscow's centre for gifted musicians, the Gnessin State School of Music.

This 80-minute collage of works by five young Hong Kong composers - Choi Sai-ho, Lam Lan-chee, Galison Lau, Joyce Tang and Ian Ng - was commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival. At its core was the poetry of Leung Ping-kwan, who died last year.

Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos (right) was in recital at this splendid Hong Kong Arts Festival event with his preferred accompanist, the Italian pianist Enrico Pace.

Flamenco and Valentine's Day aren't the most likely bedfellows: the Spanish dance trades off noisy, sweat-soaked aggression, the saint's day simmers in tenderness.

The celebrated South Korean coloratura soprano Sumi Jo has appeared in leading roles at New York's Metropolitan Opera and has sold more than 1.2 million copies of her crossover album Only Love.

The Hong Kong Phil's Schumann mini-festival sandwiched two recitals devoted to lieder and chamber music between a meatier pair of concerts comprising his four symphonies and two of the concertos.

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