Pen-maker pulls strings for launch of new shop
Classical crossover violin star David Garrett performed in Hong Kong on Monday. Too bad hardly anybody was there to hear him.
The violinist was flown in by Italian fancy pen-maker Montegrappa to cut the ribbon at its Elements shop opening in the West Kowloon mall. Then the guests waltzed over to the atrium for a Genio Creativo award presentation to young mainland violinist Huang Mengla. Montegrappa likes to associate itself with the arts and its latest line of pens is a 'tribute' to another artist, violin-maker Antonio Stradivari, with which Garrett's appearance fitted perfectly.
'I'm only here for one day really,' the New York-based Garrett admitted, still slightly bleary-eyed. 'I'll be touring the rest of the year. This is a corporate gig but I don't mind it as long as I can fit it into my schedule. I made time for this one. Asia is very important to me.'
The hunky fiddler played a 30-minute set of a very technical but populist pseudo-classical repertoire, sometimes accompanied by pianist Phoebus Chan Chun-hin. Even as pop crossover kitsch, much of it went over people's heads. 'The next song is called Nothing Else Matters, written by Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.' Nobody giggled, smiled or even noticed the unusual source material in their smattering of applause.
Sadly, Monday night in the mall was not exactly a bustling bazaar, though the stage was next to an HMV. Why the mall and shop wouldn't do more advertising to promote the show is beyond me.
