https://www.scmp.com/rss/12010/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brahms - The Four Symphonies HK Philharmonic Orchestra Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: November 15 The recent Hong Kong Philharmonic's concerts were given in memory of Lorin Maazel, the American conductor who died in July, aged 84. Maazel had been booked to conduct Brahms' four symphonies across the two evenings. David Atherton was his replacement; Saturday's programme featured symphonies 2 and 3. There was a time when Brahms' first and last symphonies overshadowed the middle two, but... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1642133/hk-phils-brahms-four-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1642133/hk-phils-brahms-four-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2014 02:29:59 +0000 Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium Reviewed: November 7 The City Chamber Orchestra opened its new season on Friday under the distinguished baton of Sir Neville Marriner, the British conductor who founded The Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 1958 before going on to build an illustrious discography. The programme opened with Elgar's Serenade for Strings. The first movement blended nuances and balanced sonorities to allow all the melodic strands to sing, while the central movement's introspective... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1636624/sir-neville-marriner-and-city-chamber-orchestra-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1636624/sir-neville-marriner-and-city-chamber-orchestra-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:26:29 +0000 HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: November 1 The Academy of St Martin in the Fields gave its first performance 55 years ago, where its fresh-faced musicianship built a reputation that continues to this day. Saturday's programme comprised of four spirited pieces in which the orchestra was at its best when self-directed, driven by sharp ears rather than a baton. This was particularly evident in the opening work, Mendelssohn's String Symphony No 7. The academy infused the four movements... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1631191/murray-perahia-and-academy-st-martin-fields?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1631191/murray-perahia-and-academy-st-martin-fields?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2014 02:15:30 +0000 HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: Oct 17 Those of a certain age will remember when performances of Mahler's supersized symphonies were a rarity, perhaps hard to imagine with their current level of popularity. Past difficulties in developing devoted audiences for the works are understandable. Built on diverse strands - febrile terror, radiant optimism, nature's harmony, to name a few - conductors are faced with the Frankenstein challenge of bolting together these disparate parts into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1620658/mahler-5-hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1620658/mahler-5-hong-kong-philharmonic-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2014 02:41:26 +0000 Opera Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre Reviewed: October 10 Marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss, Opera Hong Kong presented what is arguably his most powerful stage work, Salome, in a co-production with the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet of Ljubljana. Based on Oscar Wilde's dramatisation of the biblical story, the work mixes dysfunctional family relationships with religion, abusive lust and decapitation. Herodes, the wheedling, lecherous stepfather of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1615754/salome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1615754/salome?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2014 09:15:30 +0000 HK Philharmonic Orchestra City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: September 19 I recall the last time I heard Jakub Hrusa conduct the Hong Kong Philharmonic and, six years on, the fresh brushstrokes he applied to Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition remain a vivid memory. To have him back directing music by two fellow Czech composers promised to be a significant meeting of minds, and the now music director and chief conductor of the Prague Philharmonia didn't disappoint with his account of Dvorak's... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1597989/czech-dances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1597989/czech-dances?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2014 08:45:00 +0000 HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: September 5 This opening concert in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's 2014-15 season carried some significant markers: the orchestra turned 40 earlier this year, a milestone in musical maturity that audiences now anticipate will be regularly showcased; Jaap van Zweden was on the podium, entering his third year as music director and increasingly expected to evidence an established marriage with his excellent team of players, rather than a heady... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1587831/hk-phils-season-opening-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1587831/hk-phils-season-opening-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2014 08:02:29 +0000 A Midsummer Night's Dream     HK Philharmonic Orchestra   Cultural Centre Concert Hall   Reviewed: July 4 This was the Hong Kong Philharmonic's closing concert of the season. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan, the all-Mendelssohn programme proved more of an artistic challenge than an end-of-term jolly. The main item was a collage from the incidental music written for Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Music of this kind is generally ephemeral, being suitable only for the original stage... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1548809/review-midsummer-nights-dream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1548809/review-midsummer-nights-dream?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2014 11:13:01 +0000 Romeo and Juliet HK Philharmonic Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: June 20 Those who stayed away from this concert in large numbers missed a few treats. The centrepiece of the all-Russian programme was Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No 2, which Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja (right) played as if there was no tomorrow. Although her speaking voice barely made it beyond the lip of the stage when announcing her two encores, their impact was substantial. Concertmaster... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1538984/review-romeo-and-juliet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1538984/review-romeo-and-juliet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jun 2014 02:49:17 +0000 40th Anniversary Gala - Symphonie Fantastique HK Philharmonic Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: June 13 This concert marked the 40th anniversary of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra achieving professional status. Music director Jaap van Zweden was on the podium to share his insights into Berlioz's magnificent oddball, Symphonie fantastique; Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky (right) was slated to give an exemplary reading of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini;... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1534113/review-40th-anniversary-gala-symphonie-fantastique?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1534113/review-40th-anniversary-gala-symphonie-fantastique?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jun 2014 02:01:38 +0000 Emanuel Ax plays Beethoven Hong Kong Philharmonic HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: May 31 Whatever plan was negotiated between the distinguished pianist Emanuel Ax and noted conductor Carlo Rizzi for this performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No4, it wasn't good enough. The slow middle movement is the least problematic. Soloist and orchestra go their separate ways in a short question-and-answer episode; the orchestra growls at a whimpering piano, before succumbing to its gentler... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1523835/review-emanuel-ax-plays-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1523835/review-emanuel-ax-plays-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2014 02:51:33 +0000 Rachmaninov Paganini Rhapsody Hong Kong Sinfonietta HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: May 30 German conductor Christoph Poppen and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta achieved something remarkable by producing a performance of Mendelssohn's Symphony No3, Scottish, that almost made me like the work. I'm not alone in being sceptical about the piece, but the warmth of the applause suggested I wasn't the only convert. It took Mendelssohn 13 years to write his last symphony. It contains little that brings... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1523833/review-rachmaninov-paganini-rhapsody?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1523833/review-rachmaninov-paganini-rhapsody?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2014 02:51:33 +0000 The King's Singers City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: May 23 I attended one The King's Singers' early concerts, in 1970, before their adoption by television and the recording industry. The recital was held in a gloomy reading room at Christ Church College in Oxford, where the sextet's cultured voices floated through sacred Renaissance works before leaping to a light-hearted medley, introducing the audience to what was to become one of their trademark... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1519679/review-kings-singers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1519679/review-kings-singers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2014 03:14:18 +0000 ALEXANDRE THARAUD PIANO RECITAL Le French May   Le French May's classical music offering on May 18 is a piano recital by Alexandre Tharaud. His easy-listening programme comprises 15 bite-sized movements from works by four composers. Fellow Frenchman Maurice Ravel completed his Miroirs (Reflections) in 1905, and Tharaud has opted to play the middle three of its five movements: Sad Birds, A Boat on the Ocean and The Jester's Aubade. The music is every bit as colourful as the titles, each being... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1508370/alexandre-tharaud-performs-easy-listening-classical-music-le-french?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1508370/alexandre-tharaud-performs-easy-listening-classical-music-le-french?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2014 15:14:40 +0000 Charles Gounod's five-act opera Faust has defied gravity for so long that if you don't already know the work, it's well worth the outlay to find out why. Courtesy of Le French May, the opportunity to do so is just around the corner: Opera Hong Kong (OHK) is presenting the work in a co-production by Opéra Nice Côte d'Azur, Opéra Grand Avignon and Opéra Théâtre de Saint-Étienne this coming weekend at the Cultural Centre. Director Paul-Emile Fourny oversees an international cast of soloists and the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1502542/eternally-popular-opera-fausts-secret-striking-balance-moods?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1502542/eternally-popular-opera-fausts-secret-striking-balance-moods?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 May 2014 05:55:44 +0000 HANDEL VS PORPORA Philippe Jaroussky and the Venice Baroque Orchestra   Celebrated French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and the Venice Baroque Orchestra are teaming up for a programme of baroque opera arias and instrumental interludes at this year's Le French May. Presented by artists with well-established names in the genre, an authoritative, authentic and highly appealing evening is guaranteed. Jaroussky comes equipped with a broad repertoire spanning the 17th and 18th centuries and a... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1496729/arts-preview-philippe-jaroussky-perform-handel-and-porpora-le-french?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1496729/arts-preview-philippe-jaroussky-perform-handel-and-porpora-le-french?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Apr 2014 15:45:45 +0000 Ohlsson plays Brahms Hong Kong Philharmonic HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: April 25 For anyone with the nous to read between the bar lines, Beethoven's Fourth Symphony bursts at the seams with wit and sparkle, yet we always hear it's his least-played symphony. Andrew Grams' performance with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, at the Cultural Centre Concert Hall, was the sort of reading that went a long way to explaining why; the work demands imagination in the use of extremes to bring it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1499251/review-ohlsson-plays-brahms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1499251/review-ohlsson-plays-brahms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Apr 2014 03:08:28 +0000 PIANO RECITAL BY EVGENY KISSIN LCSD's Encore Series   Forty years ago, a youngster in Moscow sat at a piano and started to improvise. Unremarkable maybe, except that the young Russian was only two years old; four years later, he was absorbed into Moscow's centre for gifted musicians, the Gnessin State School of Music. That wunderkind was Evgeny Kissin, who went on to take the piano world by storm. He'll be appearing here for a recital in the Cultural Centre's Concert Hall. Get a ticket if you... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1459327/arts-preview-russian-pianist-evgeny-kissin-plays-schubert-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1459327/arts-preview-russian-pianist-evgeny-kissin-plays-schubert-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2014 14:44:15 +0000 JAAP’S GRAN PARTITA HK Phil   Sweet and sour isn't just an appealing combo in the kitchen, as this concert is out to prove. Conducted by Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil's music director, the programme juxtaposes two works from different centuries, countries, and corners of the heart. The occasion also gives the orchestra's wind and string sections an opportunity to strut their stuff as individual departments. Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony is scored for strings only, while Mozart's Serenade in B... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1454151/arts-preview-jaaps-gran-partita-matches-mozart-shostakovich?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1454151/arts-preview-jaaps-gran-partita-matches-mozart-shostakovich?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:35:42 +0000 When the mainland's decade-long Cultural Revolution ended in 1976, American violinist Isaac Stern was invited to reopen cultural channels between East and West. He advised Chinese orchestral musicians on Western classics and inspired students to lift their game in terms of their musical expression. It didn't take long for mainland composers to follow the flow, with their East-West fusion of musical styles. Amid all of this high-profile exchange, an American baritone was quietly starting to make... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1456250/baritone-teaches-students-how-improve-western-opera-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1456250/baritone-teaches-students-how-improve-western-opera-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2014 02:04:39 +0000 Images of Hong Kong HK City Hall Theatre Reviewed: March 21 This 80-minute collage of works by five young Hong Kong composers - Choi Sai-ho, Lam Lan-chee, Galison Lau, Joyce Tang and Ian Ng - was commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival. At its core was the poetry of Leung Ping-kwan, who died last year. He wrote under the pen name Ya Si and left a cache of poems housing his considerable passion for Hong Kong. The composers' brief was to embrace the poet's detailed memories of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1456249/review-images-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1456249/review-images-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2014 02:04:39 +0000 Kavakos, Pace and Beethoven HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: March 13 Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos (right) was in recital at this splendid Hong Kong Arts Festival event with his preferred accompanist, the Italian pianist Enrico Pace. The duo made an award-winning recording of Beethoven's 10 violin sonatas last year, which no doubt accounted for their flawless unanimity throughout the three sonatas chosen for this programme: Nos 1, 5 and 9. When Beethoven turned out his first sonata... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1450836/review-kavakos-pace-and-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1450836/review-kavakos-pace-and-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2014 02:50:30 +0000 London Symphony Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: March 8 Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto is notorious for its technical demands. Beyond that obstacle, however, lies the challenge of finding artistic touches to personalise a performance, which soloist Yuja Wang achieved chiefly by dint of her stunning technique. Being in such supreme digital control enabled her to highlight parts of the textures that are rarely brought to life. She was fearless in the finale, where many... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1445424/review-london-symphony-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1445424/review-london-symphony-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Mar 2014 02:14:29 +0000 Scottish Chamber Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: February 21 Robin Ticciati is in his fifth season as principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is committed to the chamber until 2018, which suggests a happy meeting of artistic minds. Indeed, there wasn't a single bar in this Hong Kong Arts Festival concert where they weren't on the same page. Interpretations had clearly been meticulously planned and were executed with equal precision; but one never felt that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1434181/review-scottish-chamber-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1434181/review-scottish-chamber-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2014 03:32:19 +0000 International Women's Day, which was inaugurated in 1911, is observed each year on March 8. The day gives pause for thought about the progress of the feminist movement since that milestone moment in history. In the field of classical music, for example, it took more than 100 years for a woman to be invited to conduct the BBC's I've wanted the choir to have an overseas tour for many years Bethan Greaves, music director Last Night of the Proms concert. When Marin Alsop took to the podium in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1434184/kassia-womens-choir-sing-new-yorks-prestigious-lincoln-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1434184/kassia-womens-choir-sing-new-yorks-prestigious-lincoln-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2014 03:32:19 +0000 HONG KONG SINFONIETTA & BENJAMIN GROSVENOR Hong Kong City Hall   Last year was a big one for anniversaries marking the centenaries of composers, including Wagner, Verdi and Britten. Although the New Year has already turned, there's an attractive line-up for this year's Hong Kong Arts Festival. The Hong Kong Sinfonietta's concert on February 28 has as its centrepiece Britten's Piano Concerto, featuring the outstanding young British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. Yip Wing-sie, the Sinfonietta's... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1427891/arts-preview-benjamin-grosvenor-tackles-composers-piano-concerto?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1427891/arts-preview-benjamin-grosvenor-tackles-composers-piano-concerto?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2014 15:09:21 +0000 Flamenco Passion City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium Reviewed: February 14 Flamenco and Valentine's Day aren't the most likely bedfellows: the Spanish dance trades off noisy, sweat-soaked aggression, the saint's day simmers in tenderness. This highly entertaining crossover programme, however, did a great job of marrying those emotional extremes in Valentines a la Flamenca!, featuring the artistry of dancers Rosana Romero and Adrián Santana (right), the conceptual... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1429668/review-flamenco-passion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1429668/review-flamenco-passion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2014 02:15:00 +0000 Sumi Jo Hong Kong Philharmonic HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: Feb 7 The celebrated South Korean coloratura soprano Sumi Jo has appeared in leading roles at New York's Metropolitan Opera and has sold more than 1.2 million copies of her crossover album Only Love. All of which gave her a lot to live up to in this modestly proportioned, 70-minute programme of solo arias and orchestral interludes. Conducting on his first appearance in the city was Jung-Ho Pak, described in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1425250/review-sumi-jo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1425250/review-sumi-jo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Feb 2014 03:01:59 +0000 Schumann Fest Hong Kong Phil HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: January 17 and 24   The Hong Kong Phil's Schumann mini-festival sandwiched two recitals devoted to lieder and chamber music between a meatier pair of concerts comprising his four symphonies and two of the concertos. While Schumann's songs and chamber works have always been objects of admiration, his technique in writing for orchestra has often been the target of scrutiny. The enthusiasm with which the composer approached... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1414968/review-schumann-fest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1414968/review-schumann-fest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2014 01:45:45 +0000 HK International Chamber Music Festival HK Academy for Performing Arts Jockey Club Amphitheatre Reviewed: January 16 The second programme in this week-long festival took "The Great German Lineage" as its theme, featuring works by Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms. The festival has an array of supporting events in addition to the performances. On Thursday, Dr Richard Kogan, the American pianist, physician and psychiatrist, gave a pre-concert talk on "Musical Genius and Mental Illness". He... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1409728/review-hong-kong-international-chamber-music-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1409728/review-hong-kong-international-chamber-music-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2014 03:11:29 +0000 HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: January 10 The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was on the cusp of its 40th birthday last Friday: January 11, 1974, marked its inaugural performance as a professional ensemble. Apart from the recent decision to lose the "orchestra" bit and become the HK Phil, one wonders what else has changed since that occasion. Although I wasn't around taking notes back then (but the current principal of the second violins was), I'd say quality of sound must be the most... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1404611/review-hk-phil-40th-anniversary-heritage-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1404611/review-hk-phil-40th-anniversary-heritage-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2014 14:36:57 +0000 HK PHILHARMONIC CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR'S EVE CONCERTS Hong Kong Cultural Centre   If you were among the 15,000 people who witnessed Symphony Under the Stars, the Hong Kong Philharmonic's recent outdoor performance at the New Central Harbourfront, you will know that versatility is one of the orchestra's strengths, enabling them to switch between a variety of styles with panache. That forté will again be on parade for the orchestra's final two concerts of the year that feature an international... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1379825/arts-preview-hk-philharmonic-showcasing-strauss-family-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1379825/arts-preview-hk-philharmonic-showcasing-strauss-family-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2013 13:30:30 +0000 Hayley Westenra City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: November 30 Hayley Westenra had her first break at the age of 14, and it was a big one. Signed by Decca Records for her crystalline soprano tones and girl-next-door personality, the teenager's first disc, Pure, marketed the sort of sound that everyone and their grandma could nuzzle up to, becoming the fastest selling debut album in the history of the British classical charts. The combination of a charming... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1371122/review-hayley-westenra-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1371122/review-hayley-westenra-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2013 13:15:30 +0000 Hong Kong-born cellist Trey Lee Chui-yee remembers his eureka moment very clearly: it happened during his studies in the US. Lee attended the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, then took a degree in economics at Harvard University, before making a return to music via a master's degree from the Boston New England Conservatory. While at Harvard, he decided to lock away all his musical aspirations and pursue a career in management consultancy. As a final fling before loosening his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1365434/cellist-trey-lee-mission-introduce-overseas-artists-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1365434/cellist-trey-lee-mission-introduce-overseas-artists-city?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:00:00 +0000 Leanne Nicholls, founder and artistic director of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, may be petite in stature, but the feisty way in which the Australian oboist has nurtured her ensemble since its inception in 1999 has proved a model of tenacity. Now in its 14th season and with 38 players on the books, there are certain aspects of the orchestra's administration that haven't budged an inch over the years. Fortunately, office space isn't one of them. It's an enigma, because the ADC should... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1356759/leanne-nicholls-guided-city-chamber-orchestra-success-arts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1356759/leanne-nicholls-guided-city-chamber-orchestra-success-arts?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2013 07:30:45 +0000 MAGDALENA KOŽENÁ AND PRIVATE MUSICKE Hong Kong Cultural Centre   It's not often that classical singers with pedigrees as colourful or varied as the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená breeze into town. The recipient of many awards for her recordings, the 2004 Gramophone artist of the year will perform a recital of early baroque music with the period instrument group, Private Musicke, on November 10. The fact that she is as critically acclaimed for her recital performances as for her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1345412/arts-preview-magdalena-kozena-and-private-musicke-ready-baroque?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1345412/arts-preview-magdalena-kozena-and-private-musicke-ready-baroque?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2013 14:38:53 +0000 The Ring Without Words Hong Kong Philharmonic Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: November 2   In the 1980s, conductor Lorin Maazel was asked by record label Telarc International to condense Das Ring des Nibelungen - Richard Wagner's 17-hour, four-opera epic - into a 70-minute symphonic fantasy. Having expertly pared all the best-known musical meat from the drama's bones, The Ring Without Words plays without a break, pitching from climax to climax with intelligently paced doses of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1347418/review-ring-without-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1347418/review-ring-without-words?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2013 11:25:03 +0000 THERE ARE A NUMBER of important anniversaries taking place in the classical music world this year, notably those marking the birth, 200 years ago, of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. Hong Kong's response has been to acknowledge both of these composers, with an Opera Viva performance of Verdi's Rigoletto scheduled for December, and Opera Hong Kong's production of Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, which runs until October 13. For anyone looking for a gentle entry into German master Wagner's fantasy... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1324494/opera-hong-kong-stages-flying-dutchman-wagner-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1324494/opera-hong-kong-stages-flying-dutchman-wagner-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Oct 2013 16:00:00 +0000 When Andrew Freris and his wife Anabella Levin-Freris bought a flat in London's Eaton Square in 1994, the Hong Kong-based couple discovered that Polish composer Frédéric Chopin had performed in their new apartment in 1848. Such salon recitals were common in Chopin's time, when music-making for a closed circle of well-heeled aficionados was a popular pursuit. This piqued their imagination, and when they returned to their home in Hong Kong, the couple wondered if they could recreate the practice... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1326476/perseverance-pays-couple-who-founded-chopin-society-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1326476/perseverance-pays-couple-who-founded-chopin-society-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Trey Lee Nostalgia - A National Day Celebration Hong Kong Philharmonic Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: September 27 There were three titles for this concert. If that doesn't suggest an identity crisis, the construction of the programme did. As though designed by a committee, the second half comprised a single masterpiece from the catalogue of Western music, balanced by a first half of seven items rooted in Chinese folk music. Averaging around six minutes each, they actually took much... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1321426/review-trey-lee-nostalgia-national-day-celebration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1321426/review-trey-lee-nostalgia-national-day-celebration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 ALTHOUGH MID-AUTUMN is upon us, there's some spring in the steps of the city's arts organisations this month as they embark on the opening concerts of the new season. Among them is Premiere Performances of Hong Kong, one of the few groups on the classical music scene that's devoted exclusively to chamber music. Premiere Performances, which were established in 2007, consists of the annual Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival (January 15-23, 2014) and the Recital Series, which presents... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1309110/alina-ibragimova-and-cedric-tiberghien-interpret-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1309110/alina-ibragimova-and-cedric-tiberghien-interpret-beethoven?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Emperor and New World Hong Kong Philharmonic Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: September 6 The Hong Kong Philharmonic opened its 40th anniversary season on Friday with music director Jaap van Zweden on the podium and newly appointed Jing Wang in the concertmaster's chair. The orchestra's first professional performance was on January 11, 1974. The programmes for the two occasions were remarkably similar - both featured an overture, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5 and a symphony dating from... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1307041/review-emperor-and-new-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1307041/review-emperor-and-new-world?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Beethoven and Brahms Hong Kong Sinfonietta City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: August 17 The 70 young singers drawn from choirs across the city and trained especially for a performance as the SingFest Festival Chorus faced the challenge of making their mark in two unknown, short works. What impressed most in Brahms' Schicksalslied was the quality and unanimity of their enunciation, a choral aspect that is crucial to producing a homogeneous texture, matched here by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta's... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1297781/review-rousing-beethoven-and-brahms-concert-held-back-duel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1297781/review-rousing-beethoven-and-brahms-concert-held-back-duel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 THE CREATION Hong Kong Sinfonietta City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: August 10 By the time Haydn penned his oratorio The Creation, he was not only one of history's most prolific composers, but also the most famous - and adored - European musician of his day. Acknowledged as a masterpiece at its first performance in 1799, the work is a model of Haydn's hallmark buoyancy, artless imagination and sheer fun. Following a simple, repetitive structure of recitative-aria-chorus, the work calls less... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1296133/art-review-creation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1296133/art-review-creation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 T he opening chapter of Chew Hee Chiat’s story will be familiar to those who once aspired to become musicians, but were restrained in the starting blocks by parental objections to a career unlikely to bring affluence. But the conductor and composer’s achievements over the past 30 years should encourage those more inclined to follow their hearts than conform to sensible stereotypes. Born in the Malaysian state of Penang, Chew is the resident conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO).... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1283772/pull-podium?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1283772/pull-podium?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2013 01:55:37 +0000 Benedict Cruft first visited Hong Kong in 1971 as a young violinist on tour with the London Symphony Orchestra. Little did he know that he would eventually go on to mark a milestone of his career by becoming as the dean of music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (APA). After all, back then, the academy didn't exist. Now, after a decade running the academy's music department, Cruft is stepping down to return to his London roots. There's a sense of him having come full circle: the last... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1273167/exiting-apa-music-head-leaves-formidable-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1273167/exiting-apa-music-head-leaves-formidable-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The stuffy image of classical music concerts - "sit up, shut up and put up with what we think is good for you" - is becoming a thing of the past. Although Hong Kong may be lagging behind in thinking innovatively to service audience needs, recent developments in concert arrangements reveal, at least, an awakening to new possibilities. One of the most recent examples was the Hong Kong Philharmonic's Swire Denim Series in April and May. Held on Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm at the Hong Kong Cultural... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1267944/classical-performances-benefit-flexible-schedules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1267944/classical-performances-benefit-flexible-schedules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In Search of Hui Sin DanceArt Reviewed: Friday Shouson Theatre, HK Arts Centre This new production from contemporary group DanceArt is a collaboration with theatre director Ho Ying-fung which purports to offer a modern take on the ancient Chinese folklore The Legend of the White Snake. The programme notes say the intent was to explore various questions surrounding the relevance and reimagining of the story in a 21st-century context. It's an interesting idea, but after 90 minutes of slow... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1267945/reviews-search-hui-sin-and-trpceskis-rachmaninov?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1267945/reviews-search-hui-sin-and-trpceskis-rachmaninov?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Dame Evelyn Glennie City Chamber Orchestra Concert Hall at City Hall Reviewed: May 30 The City Chamber Orchestra's four-item programme - by turns pastiche, inventive, cerebral and jocular - featured the celebrated percussionist Evelyn Glennie in the first two works, concertos written for her which she premiered in 2004. La Folia is an old Portuguese tune that has inspired many composers to write variations, including Mozart's rival Antonio Salieri and, more famously, the 17th century violinist... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1252620/review-dame-evelyn-glennies-impressively-offbeat-evening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1252620/review-dame-evelyn-glennies-impressively-offbeat-evening?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Ashkenazy Conducts Hong Kong Philharmonic Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: May 24 Vladimir Ashkenazy has a secure place in the pantheon of Russian pianists, made even more memorable by his defection from the Soviet Union to the West in 1963 and his subsequent transition to conducting, for which he is most visible today. Since 2009, Ashkenazy has been the principal conductor of the Sydney Symphony. The 75-year-old performs an eclectic repertoire, but last weekend's show with the Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1247462/arts-review-ashkenazy-conducts-slightly-unwieldy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1247462/arts-review-ashkenazy-conducts-slightly-unwieldy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000