Pianist Choi Sown-le spent 15 years of his childhood in Macau and came to love the slow, almost sensuous rhythm to life in the enclave. For him, the pace made it like going to Europe.
This appreciation has spilled into his music. His recital on Sunday to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death partly reflects Macau's unhurried approach, he says.
'The choices are a good balance and a mix of my favourites. I play some slow mazurkas and nocturnes. This is the music that touches people's hearts the best and you also approach the music much more closely.' The enduring appeal of Chopin fits well with the demands of SAR audiences, he adds. 'I think it's about feeling the music rather than just hearing it. And Hong Kong people like to feel it and not just hear it.' The programme includes the popular Ballade No 4 in F Minor, a long, dramatic piece of music, a stirring and poetical ballad.
It is a personal favourite of Choi.
Choi, who graduated from the Royal College of Music in London and the Conservatoire de Musique of Geneva, where he was awarded the Premier Prix de Virtuosire with distinction, is also partial to the Polonaise Fantaisie in A flat with which he will start the programme. The piece is inspired by one of Poland's national dances in simple triple time, which tends to be more of a procession than a dance.
All 13 of Chopin's polonaises provided a vehicle for him to vent his patriotic feelings during his voluntary exile. The one that Choi is performing is special in that it has a coda that is dazzling to the listener, he says.
'It is 11 minutes of gradual build-up and in the last minute or so it's an explosion.' The five mazurkas provide an interesting addition to the recital. They are based on a traditional Polish country dance, also in triple time with the accent on the second beat, and they tend to have an aristocratic bearing. It was Chopin who established their place in concert music, but he chose to refine their style, and the tempo and rhythm are often changed from the traditional version.