There are no household names among the musicians and composers in the Musicarama '96 new music festival. But in conservatories all around the world, the names of Robert Aitken, Yeh Tsung and Peter Roggenkamp are spoken of with esteem and, sometimes, awe. This year, Musicarama '96 - celebrating almost two decades of contemporary music in Hong Kong - will include six concerts over a one-month period. They may not appeal to the Tchaikovsky-Andrew Lloyd Webber crowd, but names like Jean Rivier, Jean Francaix, Gabriel Pierne, Hans Werner Henze and Karl-heinz Stockhausen - nearly all of whom will have Hong Kong or world premieres - should make September an exciting month. The first concert on Sunday, September 1, brings one of the world's most exciting flautists, Aitken, with conductor Yeh (the latter highly praised by The New York Times' John Burns) and the Japanese saxophone quartet Les Quatre Roseaux with the HK Sinfonietta. Aitken will play his own Berceuse (1992) work for flute and orchestra; a piece dedicated to 'those who sleep before us' and particularly to his father, who died in 1991. He will also play fellow Canadian John Beckwith's A Concert of Myth, and the world premiere of Concerto For Orchestra by Hong Kong's Daniel Law. The following evening, the Japan saxophonists will give another world premiere: Poly Ng's A Traveller. Two relatively familiar quartets, by Alexandre Glazunof and Jean Francaix, will highlight a full programme of saxophone music. On September 6, Law Wing-fai will be the featured composer. Law is possibly the most innovative composer in Hong Kong. His works for Western orchestra are complex, grandiose and possess an almost furious sense of dance and rhythm. The California-trained composer's Concerto for Pipa has been called one of the most original works of the past decade. Wong Ching will play his Stroke (1995) for pipa solo. Perhaps the most eclectic concert is the finale on October 4. Professor David Gwilt, teacher, pianist, violinist, conductor and composer, will have the world premiere of his Variations for Piano Trio performed by pianist Roggenkamp, violinist Michael Ma and cellist Ray Wang. A performance by Roggenkamp would be an honour for any composer. This German pianist has written a book on contemporary performances which is a classic in the field.
