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Shortcut to Classical Music - Musical Terms 'Therapy' Session II

Hong Kong Sinfonietta with Jim Chim Sui-man

City Hall Concert Hall

Reviewed: July 23

Children love Jim Chim Sui-man. Apart from a series of stand-up hits and film appearances that mainly appeal to adults,  the  associate artistic director of Theatre Ensemble is also a veteran in children's theatre. Thus,  the actor was able to make  every gesture and grimace elicit waves of laughter from the younger audience at  Musical Terms 'Therapy' Session II.

The sold-out  Hong Kong Sinfonietta concert at City Hall,  a sequel to last year's Session I,  was part of the International Arts Carnival. The performers  brought out classical music education  with fun and without  being patronising.  Chim (below) must be awarded the lion's share of credit for his marvellous  acting and spicy Hong Kong humour.

He did a stand-up in Cantonese, using  one musical term after another as his themes, while the Sinfonietta played demonstrative excerpts under the baton of Yip Wing-sie.

Starting  with an explanation  of tutti, Chim proceeded on  to items related to tempo, articulation and expression, punctuating his discourse with genre words  such as overture, concerto, symphony, aria and suite - for each of which the Sinfonietta played an  example.

The audience could hear Glinka's  Russlan and Ludmilla Overture and excerpts from the likes of Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto (with the Sinfonietta's keyboard player Peter Fan as soloist), Verdi's   La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto (of which Chim even sang a bit) and Dvorak's New World symphony.

The orchestra's performance was straightforward, usually fluent, and served the purpose. But the true star was Chim:  the  comedian  never failed to delight. The show more than deserved its success.



Shortcut to Classical Music - Musical Terms 'Therapy' Session II