HK City Hall Concert Hall Oct 11 to 17, 7.30pm
This celebration of the bicentenaries of Frederic Chopin and Robert Schumann not only features works by the two composers but also chamber music, an art form that is still relatively under-represented in this city.
One of the highlights will be the Chopin piano concertos played in quintet form. These chamber versions are rarely performed, says Dr Andrew Freris, chairman of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong, the organiser of the festival. 'Which is a great pity as they are stunning,' he says.
'Chopin composed his orchestral pieces with emphasis on the piano, hence the quintet version draws out the strength of the composition without detracting from the strings.'
Freris says Chopin promoted the quintet versions of his compositions purely for commercial reasons.
'He earned his living by giving lessons, doing very, very few public performances and selling sheet music of his compositions. Selling a full piano concerto, which required a full orchestra, was clearly a non-starter in an era where there were very few orchestras.
