https://www.scmp.com/rss/309416/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alexis Alrich Alexis Alrich San Francisco Opera’s premiere of The Monkey King is a visually enchanting retelling of the timeless Chinese folk tale and a thrilling landmark in cultural exchange. With music by Huang Ruo and libretto by David Henry Hwang, this new opera follows the mischievous antics of Sun Wukong, the macaque born from a rock, who discovers this simple truth on his path towards enlightenment and immortality: “You cannot find the land of bliss with a leap and a bound.” The sets and puppetry by Basil Twist are... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3333357/san-francisco-operas-monkey-king-thrilling-landmark-cultural-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3333357/san-francisco-operas-monkey-king-thrilling-landmark-cultural-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:15:09 +0000 Dream of the Red Chamber – the popular 18th-century Chinese literary classic written by Cao Xueqin – has been told and retold through so many media and art forms that any trip down this well-trodden path risks banality and predictability. But that has not stopped the San Francisco Opera from adapting this romantic, political tale, which follows the fortunes of several aristocratic families in Qing dynasty China. For its general director, David Gockley, it’s high time Western audiences get to... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2062713/hong-kong-arts-festivals-dream-red-chamber-accentuates-love-story-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2062713/hong-kong-arts-festivals-dream-red-chamber-accentuates-love-story-its?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Jan 2017 04:00:00 +0000 The year began with news of the appointment of Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, to head the New York Philharmonic, succeeding Alan Gilbert. The Dutch conductor will serve as the prestigious ensemble’s music director designate in the 2017–18 season. It was subsequently announced van Zweden’s contract with the HKPhil had been extended to 2022. It was a year without much high drama bar a light installation by visual artists Sampson Wong and Jason Lam that... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2057381/hong-kongs-2016-arts-highlights-countdown-clock-flap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2057381/hong-kongs-2016-arts-highlights-countdown-clock-flap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Dec 2016 04:30:00 +0000 Chan Hing-yan, one of many Hong Kong composers with Western musical training, stands out for his ability to mix poetic Chinese themes with Western techniques. A composition professor at the University of Hong Kong, the 53-year-old has been commissioned by major arts groups and companies including the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, City Contemporary Dance Company and the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and his works have been performed for international audiences. His music uses images from nature and classical... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2046545/hong-kong-composer-chan-hing-yan-multiple-strings-his-bow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/2046545/hong-kong-composer-chan-hing-yan-multiple-strings-his-bow?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2016 21:15:15 +0000 Yo-Yo Ma is a bit like a US president after his final term – he has done it all, has nothing left to prove, and can now devote himself to whatever he likes. The cellist has been stitching the globe together with music – founding the Silk Road Ensemble and collaborating with the likes of Bobby McFerrin, American bluegrass musicians and tango musicians. It was rewarding to hear him come full circle to Chinese-inspired music, as he did in the lovely concerto for cello and sheng, Duo, by Zhao... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2018540/cellist-yo-yo-ma-spins-musical-magic-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2018540/cellist-yo-yo-ma-spins-musical-magic-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Sep 2016 04:04:06 +0000 City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong is not afraid to use unexpected instruments as soloists – from glass harmonica to mandolin and tuba – so the accordion and bandoneon fit right in for this concert with Richard Galliano. The soloist swept away the audience with a Piazzolla concerto and his own equally colourful composition, La Valse à Margaux. Galliano also was the soloist in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, and the accordion was superb at the quick, darting violin figures as well as haunting slow... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1974294/review-richard-galliano-and-city-chamber-orchestra-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1974294/review-richard-galliano-and-city-chamber-orchestra-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jun 2016 04:53:31 +0000 Hong Kong Philharmonic music director Jaap van Zweden signed a new extension of his contract today, which will add three years, from 2019 to 2022. He will also serve as music director-designate of the New York Philharmonic in the 2017-18 season before taking over from incumbent Alan Gilbert in the 2018-19 season, and so will be leading both ensembles at the same time. Van Zweden said, “[the orchestra and I] have a great marriage. We think it is an excellent time to be in Hong Kong. I am very... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/1970985/hkphil-music-director-jaap-van-zwedens-contract-extended-until-2022?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/1970985/hkphil-music-director-jaap-van-zwedens-contract-extended-until-2022?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2016 12:45:45 +0000 This was a thinking person’s piano recital. The hall was packed with attentive listeners, and they were engaged, if not swept away, by the first half. British pianist Stephen Hough did justice to the music’s logic, but like his jacket, the impression was a bit grey with just a hint of a scarlet lining. Franz Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A minor, No 14, is a personal soliloquy, a blog rant rather than a classical drama. It opens with a dry morsel of a theme, curiously twining together major and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/1960440/review-stephen-hough-piano-recital-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/1960440/review-stephen-hough-piano-recital-control?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 May 2016 08:45:00 +0000 Two works, by Brahms and Rimsky-Korsakov, made for the ideal programme to bask in the Philadelphia Orchestra sound. No concerto, no overture to get in the way, just non-stop orchestral magic. Like a great Hong Kong milk tea, the beauty of orchestral sound comes from the complex depth and blend of flavours. The rich string legato is key but so are faultless brass, singing woodwinds and crisp percussion. The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of the so-called Big Five orchestras in the United States, was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/1948522/review-philadelphia-orchestra-hong-kong-non-stop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/arts-music/article/1948522/review-philadelphia-orchestra-hong-kong-non-stop?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2016 06:30:45 +0000 There is much buzz around the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2016-17 season – the first season after its music director, Jaap van Zweden, was named the next head of the New York Philharmonic. In the words of Raff Wilson, the troupe’s director of artistic planning, the appointment “has a huge impact on all sorts of levels. This announcement puts him as a successor to Bernstein, Mahler, Maazel – it puts him in the very top tier of conductors in the world, and here he is, with our... https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/1946716/yo-yo-ma-open-2016-17-season-hkphil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/music/article/1946716/yo-yo-ma-open-2016-17-season-hkphil?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 May 2016 05:00:15 +0000 When Narek Hakhnazaryan becomes a familiar name - and it will - people will think back to his Hong Kong debut recital, in which the young Armenian-born cellist enchanted the audience with his impeccable technique and luminous tone in an all-French programme. The first singing note from his cello, in Faure’s Élégie, seemed to expand the concert hall itself. The lines were long and connected, the music romantic but restrained and elegant. Hakhnazaryan had eloquent control of his bow arm and shaded... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1943583/review-narek-hakhnazaryan-cello-recital-impeccable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1943583/review-narek-hakhnazaryan-cello-recital-impeccable?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 May 2016 08:00:56 +0000 This Le French May programme was one of the most successful Hong Kong Sinfonietta concerts in recent memory, with elegant Haydn, sparkling Mozart and powerful Richard Strauss. Having a player from within an ensemble lead music from the pre-Romantic era is becoming more common, and concertmaster James Cuddeford led from his seat the orchestra’s performance of Haydn’s Symphony No 6 in D, Le Matin (“Morning”). He deserves a big bravo. With only slight nods and upward bow gestures for guidance, the... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1942588/review-michel-dalberto-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1942588/review-michel-dalberto-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 May 2016 05:00:30 +0000 Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel, in his Hong Kong recital debut, proved to be a virtuoso with a vein of modesty. He slipped into the skin of the composers and brought their music to life from within. This approach is ideal for the music of Haydn. The composer’s piano sonatas are not showstoppers, but his Sonata in C Major, the last he composed, is particularly imaginative. It was dedicated to a woman pianist, like many of Mozart’s piano pieces. The first movement is built on a light,... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1938599/review-louis-schwizgebel-virtuoso-pianist-cloaks-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/1938599/review-louis-schwizgebel-virtuoso-pianist-cloaks-his?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Apr 2016 09:00:45 +0000 Composer Du Wei, like many of her fellow graduates of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, is a magician with orchestral colours. In her new piece, Seven Nights, which was receiving its world premiere, she found unusual instrumental combinations to set a mood of dreamlike disquiet. The trumpet was the central voice, and the fragmented phrases had a lovely questioning tone, becoming fervent by the end. The piece began with a graceful flute solo, a clever twist on Debussy’s Prelude to the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1933506/review-also-sprach-zarathustra-hong-kong-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1933506/review-also-sprach-zarathustra-hong-kong-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Apr 2016 06:15:45 +0000 The dry, fine-spun, transparent sound of the baroque ensemble Concerto Copenhagen took some getting used to, like a low-salt diet. But once the ear adjusted, the blend of brass, woodwinds, timpani and strings was exquisite. Director and harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen led performances of music by Telemann, Vivaldi and Handel with rhythmic vitality and colourful imagination. Telemann may not be as popular as Vivaldi or Handel, but this performance showed how appealing his music is. His... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1927015/review-concerto-copenhagenlars-ulrik-mortensen-telling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1927015/review-concerto-copenhagenlars-ulrik-mortensen-telling?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Mar 2016 09:00:30 +0000 The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's Beethoven Symphony Cycle was a deeply satisfying set of concerts and a milestone for the ensemble. The final concert, pairing the First and the Ninth, was a portrait of Beethoven's career and also a revealing snapshot of the philharmonic's own evolution. The orchestra plays to a high standard but perhaps is not fully mature, with room still to grow. The First was an elegant gem, played with such clarity it was like watching the musical score. The Ninth had... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/music/article/1888073/review-hong-kong-philharmonic-beethoven-1st-and-9th-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/music/article/1888073/review-hong-kong-philharmonic-beethoven-1st-and-9th-symphonies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Dec 2015 04:04:43 +0000 For a special anniversary, some people might want a party or a new brand-name handbag, but for Maggie Holmes, commissioning an orchestra piece seems like a better idea. A flautist with the SAR Philharmonic Orchestra, Holmes – who this year celebrates her 25th wedding anniversary and 20th year in Hong Kong – realises that there are two areas of life that give her great pleasure: playing with the orchestra and hiking in Tai Tam Country Park. “It’s gives me profound happiness when it’s a beautiful... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/music/article/1873685/local-composer-lam-fung-making-music-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/music/article/1873685/local-composer-lam-fung-making-music-order?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Oct 2015 10:00:30 +0000 Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki  has a gentle face and gracious old-world manner. Dressed in a blue suit and wearing a silk pocket square, he hardly appears the leading member of the musical avant-garde that he has been for  more than half a century. His abstract but expressive style came to international prominence in the  1960s. Now aged 81 but    still a forward thinker, he said recently: “Never in  history was there such a time as now, where so much music is played from all the epochs.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1871402/avant-garde-81-composer-krzysztof-penderecki-how-he?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1871402/avant-garde-81-composer-krzysztof-penderecki-how-he?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Oct 2015 00:15:00 +0000 This weekend international conductor Christoph Eschenbach will make his debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in what promises to be a high point of the ensemble’s season. The programme includes Tzimon Barto as soloist in Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, and also Dvorak’s Carnival Overture and Brahms’ Symphony No 1. Fresh from a four-week Asian tour with the Vienna Philharmonic, Eschenbach was full of praise for the Hong Kong players. “The orchestra was so receptive, and technically was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1870837/conductor-christoph-eschenbach-his-inspirations-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1870837/conductor-christoph-eschenbach-his-inspirations-and-how?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2015 22:01:06 +0000 Despite its flaws, this collaboration between Opera Hong Kong and the Taormina Opera Festival can be counted a success. The music of Puccini, one of the last Romantic masters, worked its dramatic magic, and the opera flooded the senses with light,  colour, sound and passion. The audience was immediately drawn into the drama with the glowing red doorways of the set, which had the depth and detail, including real candlelight, to stir the imagination.  This performance starred soprano Svetla... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1865507/review-opera-hong-kongs-tosca-success-not-without-flaws?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1865507/review-opera-hong-kongs-tosca-success-not-without-flaws?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2015 05:45:15 +0000 Serious arts aficionados in Hong Kong get out their wallets when advance sales for the Hong Kong Arts Festival are announced, whatever the quibbles about repertoire or ticket prices. The festival's 44th edition is eclectic indeed, comprising genres from circus to Shakespeare. Tisa Ho, festival executive director, announced the line-up of programmes she said are "in, of and for Hong Kong". The festival will last 32 days, from February 19 to 20 March 2016, and will feature 50 performing groups and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1864608/circus-shakespeare-hong-kong-arts-festival-2016-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1864608/circus-shakespeare-hong-kong-arts-festival-2016-line?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:30:15 +0000 This sparkling stage adaptation of Singin’ in the Rain didn’t efface the memory of the classic musical film, but live performers and splashing water made for a joyous evening. Starting with a brisk backflip in the first scene, the  show was hopping all night. The audience already knew the songs, story and gags, more or less, but the surprises and jolts of delight kept coming. The staging was a marvel of effortless scene changes from indoors to outdoors, onstage to backstage, a mogul’s office to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1864185/review-singin-rain-soaks-audience-delight-and-laughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1864185/review-singin-rain-soaks-audience-delight-and-laughter?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2015 03:55:47 +0000 Christoph Poppen's debut as principal guest conductor with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta showed real promise for the ensemble's future growth. In this concert of Romantic music, he brought out the best in the strings and instilled discipline in the winds, brass and percussion. Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture highlighted rich brass chords that were played solidly in tune. The strings dug in with a warm, full sound. The music had an appropriate German "accent" (Poppen is German), with the unique... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1857944/review-pianist-ben-kim-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1857944/review-pianist-ben-kim-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2015 03:45:45 +0000 In a gutsy move, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra opened its season with two recent works by a living artist, Hunan-born composer Tan Dun. His music communicated a refreshing blend of simplicity and complexity, and an entirely original world of sound. The Symphonic Poem on 3 Notes rose from nothingness with ghostly scrabbling in the strings. Chimes intoned the three titular notes, "la si do", followed by the same for brass chorale. Inventive variations on this simple idea ensued. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1855966/review-tan-duns-nu-shu-opens-hong-kong-philharmonics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1855966/review-tan-duns-nu-shu-opens-hong-kong-philharmonics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Sep 2015 14:00:30 +0000 The Asian Youth Orchestra have been rehearsing together since mid-July for their tour of Asian cities and they sounded strong and united in works by Bach, Shostakovich and Mahler. Only the occasional tentative tone or stiff phrasing hinted at the members' youth. The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, composed by Bach for organ solo and arranged for orchestra by Leopold Stokowski, is a romp, fun to play and fun to hear, but it's not in the top rank of compositions. Conductor James Judd led the group... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1850186/review-asian-youth-orchestras-25th-anniversary-concert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1850186/review-asian-youth-orchestras-25th-anniversary-concert?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:15:15 +0000 This performance of J.S. Bach's landmark work by the youthful choristers of the SingFest Choral Academy and 2015 Youth Chorus was a fitting tribute to the German composer's 330th birthday. And if it continues to be sung with such spirit and precision, it may still be performed 330 years from now. These Hong Kong secondary school students showed discipline in the details. They highlighted the important voices in the intertwining counterpoint and they flew through the semiquaver passages with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1848227/review-hong-kong-sinfonietta-bachs-mass-b-minor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1848227/review-hong-kong-sinfonietta-bachs-mass-b-minor?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:45:55 +0000 Violist Ba Tong is no stranger to performing on stage. But when the Shanghai Conservatory of Music graduate was rehearsing for a Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra concert in May as an "apprentice", her excitement was palpable. "This is the first time I have worked with [the troupe] so I have high expectations," says the 28-year-old through an interpreter. Ba, who has a master's degree in music, is among the first intakes of the newly established Shanghai Orchestra Academy, which runs a number of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1846120/worlds-orchestras-help-ready-chinas-apprentice-players-perform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1846120/worlds-orchestras-help-ready-chinas-apprentice-players-perform?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Aug 2015 16:52:10 +0000 Flautist Travis Jones from the United States will join the Shanghai Orchestra Academy's three-year master of fine arts course at the end of August, demonstrating the appeal of the programme to young orchestral musicians outside  China. The 24-year-old University of Michigan graduate is among the few non-Chinese intakes for the coming year. He was in Shanghai last spring for a final live audition. "The biggest thing that struck me was the facilities. They're beautiful. A lot of things make it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1846122/why-american-flautist-travis-jones-studying-music?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1846122/why-american-flautist-travis-jones-studying-music?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Aug 2015 16:51:34 +0000 From the chocolate sound of her first bow stroke, violinist Veronika Eberle immersed herself in Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1 and played like a star. In the first movement, Nocturne: Moderato, her smoky low range melted into the bassoon and low woodwinds. Supported by the Sinfonietta with conductor Yip Wing-sie, the music rose and fell through moods from pleading to angry to the final luminous note. Shostakovich occupies a curious niche. There is a bitter, war-weary edge to his harmony and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1844002/review-veronika-eberle-plays-shostakovich-flawless?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1844002/review-veronika-eberle-plays-shostakovich-flawless?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2015 04:53:07 +0000 Brahms' Piano Concerto No2 is a big, unruly piece, but Yuja Wang's playing was so dazzling that it even outshone her gown, which shimmered like a chandelier. The piece has a wealth of ideas and wonderful interplay between soloist and orchestra. The main theme in the first movement is a simple anthem like a school song, beautifully introduced by solo horn. The piano began by trading phrases gracefully with the orchestra, then erupted in angry chords. Conductor Jaap van Zweden followed Wang's lead... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1824786/review-pianist-yuja-wang-dazzles-performance-brahms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1824786/review-pianist-yuja-wang-dazzles-performance-brahms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:08:27 +0000 Listening to Stockhausen's 70-minute plus Stimmung begets an altered state of mind where time seems to spin in circles. Inspired by his own humming, in this piece the composer explored the possibilities inherent in one low drone and its overtones. The German word " stimmung" has various meanings including "tuning" and "mood". Overtones are natural phenomena - faint high pitches that hover above every sound. Central Asian throat-singers exploit these harmonics, which can be also heard by plucking... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1824784/review-concert-nasal-drones-and-tones-both-strange-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1824784/review-concert-nasal-drones-and-tones-both-strange-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jun 2015 22:03:29 +0000 Pianist Yuja Wang shone in Mozart's Concerto No 9, but Beethoven was the real star of the evening. The early Mozart concerto is light in texture, without the oomph to exploit Wang's full powers. It is among a number of Mozart's piano concertos premiered by women - in this case, his friend Louise Victoire Jenamy. Wang played Mozart's disarmingly simple themes with a warm tone. The cadenza showed her control in effortless left-hand octaves, bright trills and feather-light scales. The andantino... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1822241/review-yuja-wang-shines-mozart-hong-kong-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1822241/review-yuja-wang-shines-mozart-hong-kong-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2015 02:14:49 +0000 Jaap van Zweden has a master plan. The music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra wants his charges to join the upper echelon of international orchestras through an intensive course of touring, recording, polishing core repertoire and stretching its stylistic range. "We can be great ambassadors for the city in coming years," says the 54-year-old. But first, a more immediate task is to come up with a diverse and far-ranging new season, which is what the Dutch conductor announced in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1818349/jaap-van-zweden-talks-about-his-big-plans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1818349/jaap-van-zweden-talks-about-his-big-plans-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 00:00:15 +0000 Heroic! Strauss' Ein Heldenleben Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: June 6 Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben and Mozart's Symphony No 40 in G minor share a Viennese pedigree, but Strauss' great mastiff of a piece dwarfs Mozart's miniature poodle. However, conductor Jaap van Zweden imbued each with a radiant tone, crisp outlines and vivid details. At Van Zweden's brisk tempo, Mozart's busy opening flew by. The violin melody, quick up-beats with an upward... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1818350/concert-review-van-zweden-and-hong-kong-phil-bring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1818350/concert-review-van-zweden-and-hong-kong-phil-bring?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 22:53:20 +0000 J.S. Bach: The Complete Brandenburg Concertos Berliner Barock Solisten University of Hong Kong Reviewed: May 17 There are many sides to Bach, and baroque performance fashion changes all the time. The more historically accurate the effort, seemingly, the more modern the result. The Berliner Barock Solisten play with a mix of period and modernised instruments, use no conductor, and have a casual, egalitarian demeanour onstage, some sitting, some standing. Players are their own stagehands, at... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1802351/concert-review-berliner-barock-solisten-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1802351/concert-review-berliner-barock-solisten-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2015 22:02:14 +0000 Chamber Recital - 20th Century Masterpieces HK Philharmonic Orchestra soloists Tsuen Wan Town Hall Reviewed: May 8 This modern chamber recital was played by the champion team of Hong Kong musicians. Each piece, from light to heavy, was performed with urgent commitment by pianist Warren Lee and principals from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Malcolm Arnold's Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano is short and slight, but clarinettist Andrew Simon and pianist Lee played it like a masterpiece. The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1792825/concert-review-chamber-recital-20th-century?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1792825/concert-review-chamber-recital-20th-century?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2015 22:45:00 +0000 Florian Uhlig Plays Schumann Hong Kong Sinfonietta City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: April 25 Conductor Roberto Forés Veses and the Sinfonietta illuminated new connections between Beethoven's Leonore Overture No 3 and Sibelius' Symphony No 4. The bleak, suspenseful atmospheres were surprisingly kindred, separated by Schumann's buoyant Piano Concerto in A minor. Beethoven's Leonore Overture No 3 was intended as the opener for his opera Fidelio, but is now a stand-alone piece. Fidelio is about... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1777750/review-florian-uhlig-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta-play?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1777750/review-florian-uhlig-and-hong-kong-sinfonietta-play?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2015 22:30:15 +0000 Zhang Xian's Roman Festivals Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: April 17 This was a concert that almost delivered on its promise. Conductor Zhang Xian gave a high-energy, stirring performance, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was in fine shape after its European tour, and a new piece by composer Chen Qigang was engaging and original. Still, I was not quite satisfied. Ottorino Respighi's tone poem Roman Festivals uses massive forces including organ,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1772146/zhang-xians-roman-festivals-hk-philharmonic-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/article/1772146/zhang-xians-roman-festivals-hk-philharmonic-orchestra?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2015 22:45:15 +0000 Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Plamena Mangova HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: March 28 Hong Kong's own Sinfonietta is younger and smaller than some of the international ensembles seen at this year's Hong Kong Arts Festival, but it nevertheless provided an exciting concert with a world premiere, a Tchaikovsky crowd-pleaser and a challenging Sibelius symphony. It was an evening of subtlety and poetry, starting with Joyce Wai-chung Tang's evocative Clear Light. About inner clarity of mind, this... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1751084/review-hong-kong-sinfonietta-and-bulgarian-pianist-plamena?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1751084/review-hong-kong-sinfonietta-and-bulgarian-pianist-plamena?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2015 22:04:54 +0000 Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: March 20 Conductor Gustavo Dudamel has a way of setting up a groove that creates an irresistible momentum. Vivid rhythms, colourful orchestration and shaping the dramatic arc of the music are some of the things he and the Los Angeles Philharmonic do so well together, as they showed in performing John Adams' City Noir and Dvorak's Symphony No 9 From the New World. Adams was one of the founding fathers of minimalism,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1745387/review-gustavo-dudamel-and-la-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1745387/review-gustavo-dudamel-and-la-philharmonic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong Arts Festival Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: 19 March Playing Mahler’s Symphony No 6 is like riding a shaggy monster, but conductor Gustavo Dudamel guided the magnificent Los Angeles Philharmonic through the lurching ups and downs with passion and precision. This symphony in four movements, a full hour and twenty minutes long, is a conductor’s paradise, featuring big woodwind and brass sections and colourful percussion... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1742601/dudamels-mahler-6-seeing-world-new-pair-glasses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1742601/dudamels-mahler-6-seeing-world-new-pair-glasses?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2015 02:45:45 +0000 Seong-Jin Cho Piano Recital Concert Hall, City Hall Reviewed: March 6 This brilliant and beautiful recital showed that Seong-Jin Cho is an exceptional pianist, and if he finds a way to consistently dig deeper, he will be a remarkable artist. He did reach that level in an electrifying way in at least two pieces: Liszt's Transcendental Etude No 10 and his second encore, Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major. The balance of fiery brilliance and lyricism was just what the music demanded. Cho's playing... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1733502/seong-jin-cho-piano-recital-brilliant-uneven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1733502/seong-jin-cho-piano-recital-brilliant-uneven?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2015 22:15:30 +0000 William Christie and Le Jardin des Voix Academy Soloists with the Orchestra of Les Arts Florissants Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: March 3 It was fascinating to hear opera as we know it emerge over two centuries of music as presented in this sparkling concert. The Les Arts Florissants orchestra played with sprightly vigour as accompanists to the young virtuoso soloists from the Jardin des Voix Academy, who sang and acted in a semi-staged performance. Early music drama in the late... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1729236/fascinating-and-gorgeously-sung-journey-through-early-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1729236/fascinating-and-gorgeously-sung-journey-through-early-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2015 05:11:44 +0000 Liszt, Wagner and Strauss Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden Concert Hall, Cultural Centre Reviewed: February 28 I emerged from this concert with Christian Thielemann conducting the Staatskapelle Dresden having basked in a dreamland of German Romanticism, with Liszt's Orpheus, Wagner's Siegfried-Idyll and Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben. Liszt's Orpheus, Symphonic Poem No 4, is a touching depiction of Orpheus, his lyre and the loss of his wife. The opening was a quiet horn note... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1727664/concert-review-staatskapelle-dresden-dreamland-german?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1727664/concert-review-staatskapelle-dresden-dreamland-german?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2015 22:05:29 +0000 Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber City Chamber Orchestra of HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: January 31 If this concert had been a meal, I would have left the table still hungry. The pieces, except for one by Vivaldi, were a selection of slight English "rhapsodic miniatures" for string orchestra. The mood range was narrow, from pleasant to charming. Vivaldi was the spiciest composer on the programme. The strings sounded delicious, with a characteristic mellow English sweetness, but after four... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1699451/music-review-julian-and-jiaxin-lloyd-webber-made-dancing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1699451/music-review-julian-and-jiaxin-lloyd-webber-made-dancing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2015 23:00:00 +0000 The Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival Reviewed: January 14, 15, 18 Various venues   The magic of chamber music - fine soloists playing in a group as equals - is an addictive pleasure. There are different joys at a festival: one is to hear established groups playing polished renditions, and another is to hear players who have just met sparking ideas off each other on stage. On the opening night, a performance of Mozart's Quintet for Clarinet and Strings was masterful. Burt Hara,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1681886/hong-kong-international-chamber-music-festival-edgy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1681886/hong-kong-international-chamber-music-festival-edgy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:02:01 +0000 HK Philharmonic Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: November 7 I was sceptical about celebrating a building, but this concert gave me a warm feeling for the Cultural Centre. Conductor Perry So imbued the music with freshness. Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony exploded out of the gates with the first chord. It is a great tune and can be developed into light-footed dances, noble statements, or densely layered counterpoint. Six years ago the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra strings... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1636625/hk-cultural-centre-celebrating-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1636625/hk-cultural-centre-celebrating-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:26:29 +0000 A delegation of students, faculty and alumni from the Curtis Institute of Music in the US came to Hong Kong last week to spread the word about their school, and along the way give young students a taste of what it's like to be a touring professional. Six musicians were in town to take up mini-residencies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, St Paul's Co-Educational College, the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, Diocesan Boys' School and Baptist University. The ensemble, a string sextet,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1603941/us-music-school-makes-impression-hong-kong-music-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1603941/us-music-school-makes-impression-hong-kong-music-hopefuls?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2014 09:20:33 +0000 HK Chinese Orchestra Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: September 19 If a movie needs a soundtrack, does a live concert need visuals? Not really. Living, sweating and breathing players are plenty to keep us engaged. It's risky to add a possibly distracting element, but this concert with the combined Chinese orchestras of Zhejiang and Hong Kong made it work. The Yuan dynasty painting, Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Hong Gongwan, was projected on a large screen behind the players and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1597986/picturesque-music-yuan-dynasty-painting-reinvented?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1597986/picturesque-music-yuan-dynasty-painting-reinvented?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2014 08:39:53 +0000 Hong Kong Sinfonietta HK City Hall Concert Hall Reviewed: September 13 It's so easy to spoil Mozart's music - a few sloppy notes and the sparkle disappears. But porcelain perfection isn't enough. Only a balance of guts and polish reveals Mozart's true voice, and Michael Collins and the Sinfonietta found just that. Under Collins' baton, the Marriage of Figaro Overture, which kicked off the concert, was flawless, and the piece continued on frothy and fun, warm and unaffected. Pointed accents,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1593158/great-clarinet-concertos-michael-collins-plays-mozart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1593158/great-clarinet-concertos-michael-collins-plays-mozart?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:45:32 +0000