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Oliver Chou

29th Macau International Music Festival
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Macau Cultural Centre
Hong Kong's flagship orchestra got a standing ovation on Tuesday from an appreciative Macau audience after a concert that took 13 years to materialise.
After its last appearance in 2002, the 85-strong Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra returned with an eclectic programme of gems it has toured around the world with. The exquisitely powerful sound awed the attentive music lovers, including officials of the local Cultural Bureau, organiser of the festival since 1986.
No work is better than The Grand Victory to open a return concert, warming up the players and the audience with rousing percussion and woodwind passages in the folk style of Shanxi  Province. The biting rhythm was matched by the equally impressive nine suona players, whose double-tonguing technique over an extended note drew rapturous applause.
The boisterous atmosphere turned pensive with Zhao Jiping’s masterpiece on memory. The slow introduction on soft strings was reminiscent of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. But the lyricism in the erhu theme was distinctly Zhao’s. The tempo change midway, signifying homecoming, was delightful, and the surging and fading music evoked a rich array of emotions.
Hong Kong composer Chan Ming-chi’s Jing-Qi-Shen, one of the orchestra’s signature pieces since it premiered in 1998, was the only modern work on the programme. Conductor Yan Huichang gave a brief explanation before eliciting a dramatic account of the atonal work.
With Song of the Black Earth, the audience was treated to a work that caused a stir on the orchestra’s recent Scandinavian tour. The playing and singing of sanxian soloist Zhao Taisheng was as captivating as the exotic instruments rarely seen on stage.
After some heavy notes in A Va Mountain by Guo Wenjing, the orchestra turned mellow in A Beautiful Night, a famous solo erhu piece arranged by the conductor. In The Yellow River Capriccio, the audience was invited to join in by rattling hand drums at Yan’s cue, creating a spectacular aura. After three encores, the orchestra was allowed to call it a night, and the audience exited with a smile and the little souvenir drum.


Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra shines in Macau with eclectic programme in triumphant return after 13-year absence

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra performs at the Grand Auditorium in Macau Cultural Centre. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Hong Kong's flagship orchestra got a standing ovation on Tuesday from an appreciative Macau audience after a concert that took 13 years to materialise.


Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra shines in Macau with eclectic programme in triumphant return after 13-year absence

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Hong Kong's flagship orchestra got a standing ovation on Tuesday from an appreciative Macau audience after a concert that took 13 years to materialise.

Hong Kong's flagship orchestra got a standing ovation on Tuesday from an appreciative Macau audience after a concert that took 13 years to materialise.