Hong Kong Philharmonic Theresa Santiago, soprano David Atherton, conductor City Hall, April 12 The crowds turned out for a mixture of moods created by the Hong Kong Philharmonic and David Atherton. But was it for the familiar Haydn Surprise symphony, the equally well-known Finlandia or the very rare Schubert Salve Regina ? Salve Regina is one of several settings of the hymn to the Virgin Mary set by Schubert. This one for string orchestra was totally new for this listener, but it is an ethereal piece.
The melodies of the verses are not exceptional in themselves for Schubert, but the little variations and harmonic surprises showed nuances of inspiration demonstrating that the composer was more concerned with the intimate beauty of the piece than being clever.