Hong Kong Sinfonietta
City Hall Concert Hall
Reviewed: Nov 15
The applause in all the wrong places probably came from students keen to hear Martin Grubinger give the Asian premiere of Avner Dorman's percussion concerto, Frozen in Time. The young Austrian didn't disappoint, fusing virtuosity, athleticism and charisma in the three-movement work that aims to portray snapshots of landmasses 'frozen in time'.
Prehistoric Indoafrica and the Americas of today only partly succeeded in establishing the temporal space. Both used mostly pitched instruments and rhythmic elements to link ethnic village music to Broadway, while Eurasia worked as an atmospheric soundscape.
Chung Yiu-kwong's Festive Celebration was also heavy on percussion, using seven players and 26 instruments. Balance in colour and dynamics weren't always priorities, but as a vibrant curtain-raiser there was little wrong with it.