Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Daniel Chu and CY Leo deliver Alice Yeung’s new concerto in style
The orchestra was joined by pianist Daniel Chu and the harmonica star CY Leo for the electrifying world premiere of Yeung’s Time (in-)Linear
From Haydn’s signature musical pranks to the megaphone-wielding conductor shouting German time stamps, the concert certainly kept the audience guessing.
Time and its manipulation were the programme’s through lines. Haydn’s Symphony No 64, subtitled “Tempora Mutantur” (which translates as “Times Change”), was a fitting aperitif, and not just in title.
The largo kept the audience on edge, with abrupt silences that left melodies suspended. Under Poppen’s baton, the orchestra treated these moments not as full stops but as commas – witty pauses that made the audience lean forward, waiting for phrases to complete themselves. The effect was one of exquisite anticipation. By the time it reached its fervent finale, the audience was primed for something bolder.
Yeung’s concerto began with an insistent chug, like a train pulling out of a station, conjured by gentle taps from principal percussionist Chau Chin-tung on the snare drum’s rim. Ho’s harmonica entered with quick-fire precision, its range veering from car-horn thickness to piccolo-like brightness – an immediate display of virtuosity. Chu’s piano, deliberately pedalled and muffled, let its high notes shimmer against dense chords, prioritising texture over flash.