https://www.scmp.com/rss/324643/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com United States congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was left unable to speak with severe brain injuries after being shot in the head by a would-be assassin in 2011. Her slow recovery included music therapy, which trained her to engage the undamaged right side of her brain and pair words with melody and rhythm. Ready for a sadomasochistic Japanese satire inspired by Gulliver’s Travels author Jonathan Swift? She was able to sing a word before she could speak it, as the music helped her to bypass the... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3039703/can-robot-love-inspired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3039703/can-robot-love-inspired?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2019 03:46:16 +0000 When speaking of Cantonese opera, most people think of the elaborate costumes, dramatic movements and vocal styling that, to the uninitiated, appear jarring and intense. Yet the tradition was born out of a practical reason: back in the days when performing venues lacked advanced acoustics, stage performers needed to project their voices loud enough for the whole audience – even those right at the back – to hear. “Cantonese opera performers started training from a young age and it would usually... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3038258/gen-z-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3038258/gen-z-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:54:05 +0000 Japanese art and culture has long been a source of inspiration for Western artists. Since the 1850s, when Japan’s era of isolation came to an end, the craze for all things Japanese has had a huge impact on Western visual arts. For example, Edo period (1603-1867) woodblock prints, called ukiyo-es, inspired painters including Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Gustav Klimt – whose work led to the development of art nouveau. We would like to make some kind... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3036748/ready-sadomasochistic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3036748/ready-sadomasochistic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Nov 2019 09:02:19 +0000 We live in a hyper-connected world where our computers and smartphones have become so much a part of our lives that many people feel as if they cannot survive without them. If a child or teen is only getting six hours’ sleep per night because of their time on their screens, the sleep deprivation will lead to irritable mood, increased stress, attention problems, lower school marks and quality of work, and relationship difficulties Mike Brooks, psychologist United States-based psychologist Mike... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3035184/put-down-your-mobile-phone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3035184/put-down-your-mobile-phone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Oct 2019 08:51:51 +0000 Belgian dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has been a creative force in the world of dance for almost two decades. Known for an egalitarian artistic approach to dance moves and body language, he has curated a wide variety of performances, ranging from contemporary dance to ballet and opera. The complex themes in Puz/zle, such as evolution, society and human relations are the building blocks of how we behave everyday … it's interesting to step back and see the ways we do the things we... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3033372/puz/zle-award-winning-dance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3033372/puz/zle-award-winning-dance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2019 07:51:49 +0000 Today’s young classical musicians play to a higher standard than those of 30 years ago, says Gabriel Kwok, one of Hong Kong’s piano greats – and it’s all thanks to the internet. “Youngsters today can easily get hold of music recordings, for example, on YouTube or via downloading, whereas when I was young, we had to buy LPs [long-playing vinyl records] and then CDs, says Kwok, professor and head of keyboard studies at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Youngsters today can easily get hold... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3031798/remember-lps-why-internet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3031798/remember-lps-why-internet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Oct 2019 02:10:22 +0000 As people become more familiar with different music styles from around the world, musicians are increasingly looking to appeal to these multilingual audiences with surprising blends of styles and contemporary reinterpretations of traditional classics. Chinese musical virtuoso Xu Ke – described as the “Paganini of the erhu world” – is known for revolutionising the erhu. “I started learning to play the erhu when I was six,” says Xu, who will play in Hong Kong in December. “I was a fan of Peking... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3030459/how-xu-ke-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3030459/how-xu-ke-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 06:31:29 +0000 Jazz is, by its nature, multilingual. Originating in the African-American communities of New Orleans in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it evolved from a meeting of African and European musical traditions with its roots in blues and ragtime. Yet jazz is also a mindset that can be applied to playing other styles of music. A few years ago, many people claimed jazz was dying, but I don’t hear that any more. Even major commercial music stars, from Lady Gaga to Kendrick... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3027382/jazz-lovers-can-expect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3027382/jazz-lovers-can-expect?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Sep 2019 03:11:06 +0000 Contrary to popular belief, classical music is alive and kicking. In fact, it is thriving in Hong Kong, according to local musicians. “I often hear people say that opportunities are scarce and classical music is dying, but I actually find it quite nurturing and enriching here for young artists,” pianist Wong Ka-jeng says. “Classical music is taught widely in Hong Kong, so there is no shortage of students, nor concerns about struggling to sustain a livelihood as a musician. If music graduates... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3025803/young-performers-celebrate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3025803/young-performers-celebrate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:25:37 +0000 The Imperial Emperor of Heaven is one of the most well-known deities in Chinese mythology. He rules the heavenly court, leading an army of gods, goddesses and the heavenly troops to safeguard humanity and justice on Earth. Stories about him have been widely read and inspired creative and artistic works through generations. The elaborate rendition of this folklore performed as Cantonese opera – one of Chinese opera’s vibrant art forms featuring opera, drama, music and even acrobatics – only... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3024650/how-two-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3024650/how-two-cantonese-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2019 03:24:17 +0000 Pianist and conductor Sir András Schiff seems to enjoy a good joke. His spirited approach to music is apparent in the chamber orchestra he founded, Cappella Andrea Barca. The ensemble was named after a little-known peasant who turned the pages for Mozart as he played. He went on to become a musician and compose an important Tuscan opera called La Ribollita Bruciata, which translates as The Burned Ribollita, named after a traditional Italian soup of bread, beans and vegetables. Many websites... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3022888/expect-best-greats-when-sir?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3022888/expect-best-greats-when-sir?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2019 05:00:39 +0000 War, colonialism, identity and what it means to be human – Akram Khan, one of the world’s most respected contemporary dancers and choreographers, has never shied away from big themes. For his last full-length solo dance performance, XENOS, which is coming to Hong Kong on 15 and 16 November, he once again explores the human condition, this time through the story of an Indian soldier drafted to fight an empire’s war. “I don’t do small themes. I’ve always been interested in accessing and exploring... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3021479/celebrated-choreographer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3021479/celebrated-choreographer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Aug 2019 08:54:08 +0000 Most people’s daily communication is verbal – through words, be they spoken or read. But non-verbal communication can be powerful. The performing art, in various forms, from mime to puppetry to dance, have long investigated how to communicate meaning and emotion without words, but instead using movement and facial expressions, music or sound, visual effects and onstage props. I hope the audience start to think about time and space through the experience of stillness. I use tables, chairs, dishes... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3020010/when-actions-speak-louder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3020010/when-actions-speak-louder?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jul 2019 03:03:44 +0000 Asia offers great potential for the growth of classical music, says Sir Simon Rattle, the British conductor and music director of one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). Rattle will be bringing the LSO to Hong Kong for three spellbinding evenings in September to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. I believe there are more people in mainland China learning the piano than the population of Germany. If I was an investing man,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3018582/sir-simon-rattle-more-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3018582/sir-simon-rattle-more-people?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2019 02:57:00 +0000 Society can be a cruel judge of artistic merit. History abounds with examples of artists, actors, musicians and writers dying in poverty only for the world to realise years later that their ideas were ahead of their time. Yet perhaps even more unjust is when the blame for an artist’s obscurity lies much closer to home: when his or her brilliance is overshadowed by an even more famous sibling. Anne Brontë Emily Brontë, who wrote Wuthering Heights, with its famously dark characters Cathy and... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3017231/was-mozarts-sister-real?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3017231/was-mozarts-sister-real?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jul 2019 06:05:44 +0000 Among the rich and diverse traditions and schools of Chinese opera, Cantonese opera is arguably one of its most well-known art forms among Hong Kong audiences. It is currently in the spotlight at the city’s 10-year-old Chinese Opera Festival – organised by the Hong Kong government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department – which runs until August 18 and offers a range of quality programmes from different parts of China to various audiences and opera aficionados. Our goal is to preserve the... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3015713/how-chinese-opera-festival-can-save?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3015713/how-chinese-opera-festival-can-save?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jun 2019 01:09:54 +0000 While Cantonese opera has become a hot topic – since April’s satirical Cantonese opera in Hong Kong, Trump on Show, detailing the life of US President Donald Trump – a forthcoming arts festival will allow Hongkongers to enjoy the most internationally renowned form of Chinese opera at home. The Peking opera, also known as Jingju, has been fully developed since the 19th century and is listed on the Unesco List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The performance, known internationally as the... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3014351/spotlight-peking-opera?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3014351/spotlight-peking-opera?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2019 07:53:36 +0000 The Greek myths – full as they are with cruelty and death, mystery and perversion – have never shied away from mankind’s most disturbing imaginings. Indeed, these stories, told by the ancient Greeks dating from 1100BC revel in the unsettling. Take Tantalus, for example. He killed his son, roasted him, and served him up to the gods at a dinner party. The gods were so enraged that they made him stand, thirsty and ravenous, for eternity in a pool of water with a heavily laden fruit tree nearby.... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3012902/unsettling-dance-great-tamer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/3012902/unsettling-dance-great-tamer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jun 2019 09:56:08 +0000 The Korean drumming group TAGO, which has received rave reviews around the world for its spectacular performances, will be playing in Hong Kong at the end of the month. The young male percussionists take their name from the word “tago”, which means “lighting up the world by beating drums” – and they certainly do that. The group’s two Hong Kong shows, titled “TAGO: Korean Drum” – which mark their Asian debut outside Korea – will feature a heady mix of vibrant rhythmic drumming, using a range of... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2179113/korean-percussionists-tago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2179113/korean-percussionists-tago?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Dec 2018 09:00:00 +0000 Once upon a time, a king sent his two sons away to two of his country’s rivals as hostages in exchange for peace for his prosperous kingdom. However, when the king died a few years later, the kingdom’s enemies raced to send their hostage princes back to claim the throne – and gain control for themselves. One of the princes arrived in his homeland first and became king. But his reign of terror brought enormous suffering to the people. Having witnessed the evil deeds of the new king, the other... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2175659/blood-sweat-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2175659/blood-sweat-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:00:15 +0000 Inside a solemn auditorium lies a fantastical stage. Skilful dancers with perfectly toned bodies are moving with elaborate, flowing steps – turning, skipping and leaping in time to the music. The audience is sitting quietly in the dark admiring the dancers shining on stage. No one dares to make a sound or snooze. Dance is not something high up and out of reach. It is about breaking boundaries and finding happiness. Andy Wong Ting-lam, choreographer and adviser of Dance Day That is the typical... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2173985/5-steps-ensure-you-enjoy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2173985/5-steps-ensure-you-enjoy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2018 09:55:03 +0000 Cantonese opera – which originated in China’s southern region, notably Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau – remains one of the most celebrated forms of Chinese performance art today. The elaborate stage shows performed in Cantonese, which combine singing, music, acrobatics and martial arts, continue to make Hong Kong proud. We want to reach out [during Cantonese Opera Day] to people who have never had a chance to experience Cantonese opera Sun Kin-long, veteran Cantonese opera star The... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2172296/dispelling-5-common?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2172296/dispelling-5-common?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Nov 2018 08:17:37 +0000 As every parent knows, telling stories can be a good way to entertain children while helping them to learn about the world around them. Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano’s classical music journey brings him to Hong Kong – at last Watching stories brought to life on the stage of a theatre can be even more amusing. Theatre and shows can be a fun way for children to explore different cultures in an engaging way that’s easy on children’s attention’s spans Lora Lee, child psychologist Just as in books or... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2170614/reimagined-red-riding-hood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2170614/reimagined-red-riding-hood?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Oct 2018 03:48:00 +0000 Sir Antonio Pappano is a musical force to be reckoned with. Known primarily for being the music director of London’s esteemed Royal Opera House, he also holds the same position with Italy’s Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma. While the Italian orchestra has almost 100 years of history, the academy to which it belong is one of the oldest institutions of music in the world, having been founded in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V. Jazz greats Ron Carter and Pablo Ziegler and their... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2169595/conductor-sir-antonio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2169595/conductor-sir-antonio?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Oct 2018 03:52:48 +0000 A jazz band can be almost as diverse in terms of the number of members, variety of musical instruments and style of play as the music itself. Yet there are some standard components: most jazz bands have a horn section, which is paced by a rhythm section. Pianist Evgeny Kissin and Hungarian, Italian ensembles to play Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Mozart classics in Hong Kong In full jazz bands, the instruments usually include saxophones, trumpets, trombones, a piano, bass, guitar and drums. They... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2167446/jazz-greats-ron-carter-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2167446/jazz-greats-ron-carter-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Oct 2018 06:19:18 +0000 Hong Kong music lovers have three outstanding shows to look forward to during the next two months. The performances, covering 200 years of some of the finest classical music ever written – with a particular focus on Beethoven – also showcase some of today’s exceptionally skilled musicians. Russia’s Evgeny Kissin, who first rose to fame as a child prodigy and has been described as the greatest living pianist, plays Rachmaninov and Beethoven. The highly acclaimed and award-winning Kodaly Quartet... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2166029/pianist-evgeny-kissin-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2166029/pianist-evgeny-kissin-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2018 09:41:42 +0000 Think of puppets and bright, fun shows for children often come to mind. Or perhaps religious performances, such as the shadow puppets of India or Indonesia. Yet not all puppet shows are family friendly and even some of those that are, on closer inspection, have disquieting undertones. Hong Kong to enjoy fusion flamenco ballet dance extravaganza Two such productions are on their way to Hong Kong in September and October – featuring elements of Gothic horror, death, insanity, mystery and black... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2164494/matter-life-and-death-puppet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2164494/matter-life-and-death-puppet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Sep 2018 04:50:15 +0000 Classical music concerts do not have to be staid. They do not have to involve a group of musicians taking their place on stage, playing their set, and walking off again, to polite applause.  In some classical music performances, musicians lie on piano stools, with their legs in the air, and play the keys upside down. Hong Kong to enjoy fusion flamenco ballet dance extravaganza Or musicians waltz up and down the stage on wheeled chairs, ride an imaginary merry-go-round, or take a drive in an... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2163026/expect-unexpected-classical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/arts-culture/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2163026/expect-unexpected-classical?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Sep 2018 06:45:15 +0000 Seeing a live flamenco performance for the first time can be an unforgettable experience. The music that builds to an urgent crescendo, the plaintive ferocity of the singer’s voice, and the loud, stamping footwork and bold flicking of wrists by the dancers creates an emotionally powerful scene. This unique dance, with its passion and drama, has become one of the world’s most beloved dances. “Flamenco is characterised by a degree of energy and passion that is hard to find in other musical... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2151779/hong-kong-enjoy-fusion-flamenco-ballet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2151779/hong-kong-enjoy-fusion-flamenco-ballet?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jun 2018 05:20:20 +0000 Culturally and geographically linked to Guangdong, Hong Kong takes pride in being where Cantonese opera continues to flourish. The city is also a centre-stage for other genres and regional styles of Chinese opera, including Peking opera and Kunqu that are familiar to audiences locally and abroad. Audiences curious about the depth and diversity of Chinese opera will be treated with a feast at this year’s Chinese Opera Festival, from June 14 to August 12, as a number of troupes specialising in... https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2149725/what-chinese-opera-fans-hong-kong-can-look-forward-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/arts-entertainment/article/2149725/what-chinese-opera-fans-hong-kong-can-look-forward-during?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Jun 2018 01:30:40 +0000 Her long limbs and exquisite elegance are an unmistakable feature of the British ballet stage. Next month, Hongkongers will have a rare opportunity to watch Belgian-born Stina Quagebeur dance. Quagebeur will grace the stage at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Akram Khan’s groundbreaking retelling of the classic ballet, Giselle. She will be dancing one of her most mesmerising roles: Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, vengeful supernatural spirits who are deceived by their lovers, die as virgins, and... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2148084/dancer-stina-quagebeur-give-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2148084/dancer-stina-quagebeur-give-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 May 2018 01:33:18 +0000 The Kreutzer Sonata is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9, which he wrote in 1803. Russian writer Leo Tolstoy used Beethoven’s demanding, difficult sonata as the dramatic centrepoint of his eponymous 1889 novella on love, sexual jealousy and violence. In 1923, Czech composer Leoš Janáček wrote his String Quartet No. 1 as a response to Tolstoy’s short story, also called The Kreutzer Sonata. Each of these works is intense, challenging and controversial in its own way. The controversy... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2147011/artemis-quartet-will-play-beethovens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2147011/artemis-quartet-will-play-beethovens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 May 2018 02:52:49 +0000 The Baroque, that ornate, sometimes even extravagant, style of art, architecture and music, is something that most of us associate with past and distant glories. Indeed, the Baroque flourished in the early 17th to late 18th centuries in Europe, and the most well-known examples of Baroque architecture can be found in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. The façade of the Vatican City’s St Peter’s Basilica, and London’s St Paul’s Cathedral are two... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2145459/world-renowned-early-music-specialist-ton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2145459/world-renowned-early-music-specialist-ton?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 May 2018 02:48:43 +0000 A young boy learns to play the piano in a bomb shelter in war-torn Vietnam. The piano, brought to the relative safety of the countryside on a cart pulled by water buffalo, is broken and infested with rats. When the bombs fall, he takes shelter underground, practising his finger exercises on a keyboard drawn on cardboard. Against these odds, the boy goes on to become a world-respected pianist and an icon of Asian classical music. This may sound like the plot of film, but it’s the real-life story... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2143064/legendary-pianist-dang-thai-son-perform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2143064/legendary-pianist-dang-thai-son-perform?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Apr 2018 01:45:29 +0000 We have long been fascinated by the uncanny effect of wearing a mask. The earliest evidence of using masks dates to some 35,000 years ago when an early artist painted a figure wearing a horned mask on the rock walls of Fumane Cave in Italy. The figure, 18cm in length, has outstretched arms as if holding an object, while further down the body widens and two legs appear in the form of an arch. Some have suggested the mysterious figure was a witch doctor or sorcerer. Masks have also been depicted... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2141247/unmasked-hong-kong-lcsd-bring-exceptional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2141247/unmasked-hong-kong-lcsd-bring-exceptional?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Apr 2018 01:32:52 +0000 Art, literature, film, music – by their nature as creative pursuits the arts take inspiration from many sources, including each other. Jazz, described by many as a fusion of Western classical and African music, is one of the most eclectic and constantly evolving types of music, so it’s no surprise that its influence has reached beyond the borders of its own art form. Many great writers have professed a love for jazz, while jazz has been inspired by great literature. With Unesco’s International... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2140275/all-jazz-hong-kong-host-two-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2140275/all-jazz-hong-kong-host-two-day?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Apr 2018 01:30:44 +0000 The most well-known female roles in opera are most often sung by sopranos: Cio-Cio-san as the tragic figure of Madame Butterfly in Giacomo Puccini’s opera of the early 1900s; the sensational Queen of the Night in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute; doomed courtesan Violetta Valéry in La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi; and the delicate Lucia in Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, to name a few. Sopranos, able to reach the very highest notes, bring big voices and even bigger drama to the... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2138634/czech-mezzo-soprano-magdalena-kozena-sing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2138634/czech-mezzo-soprano-magdalena-kozena-sing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Mar 2018 01:31:34 +0000 It started with a seven-minute interval act during the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in April 1994. A soprano looking like a river fairy opened the performance, joined by a choir dressed in hooded capes, which emerged mystically from a cloud of dry ice. A woman in a short black skirt began to dance with her hands by her sides, performing an Irish step dance with a difference. And a man in a blue satin shirt, flowing like water, also began to step dance, but combined it with tap. Riverdance,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2124115/celtic-journey-five-riverdance-spin-offs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2124115/celtic-journey-five-riverdance-spin-offs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Dec 2017 01:30:15 +0000 Louis Cha Leung-yung’s wuxia novels, depicting a world of martial arts and chivalry, have been the creative inspirations for numerous films, TV dramas and stage productions. The essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong daily newspaper Ming Pao in 1959 and served as the newspaper’s first editor-in-chief, is a household name in Chinese-speaking communities around the world. He is 93. One of the latest adaptations is an acrobatic theatre. Known also by his pen name Jin Yong, Cha’s works have earned... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2122047/legendary-swordsman-guangzhou-acrobatic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2122047/legendary-swordsman-guangzhou-acrobatic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2017 01:48:19 +0000 How often does your life come in contact with dance? You may have gone to the ballet, or seen pop stars moving to the beat in live performances. You may have taken the dance floor on a night out or signed up for classes at the gym. But have you thought of using dance as a way to connect and communicate with people, every day? That’s what Andy Wong, one of Hong Kong’s veteran dancers and choreographers, hopes to see. He is the event adviser for the upcoming Dance Day at Tuen Mun Town Hall on... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2120999/dance-day-december-3-gives-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2120999/dance-day-december-3-gives-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Nov 2017 01:30:30 +0000 Hilvinn Wong Hai-wing has found Cantonese opera mesmerising since she was young. A native of Cheung Chau, an outlying island 10km south west of Hong Kong Island, Wong spent much of her childhood admiring dazzling Cantonese opera performances staged in bamboo theatres erected especially for festivals. She had a lot of fun. “My mother took me to see Cantonese opera performances at bamboo theatres when I was a child. Every time when there was a show, I wanted to go. We would eat snacks and we got... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2119129/celebrate-hong-kongs-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2119129/celebrate-hong-kongs-cultural-heritage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Nov 2017 01:33:04 +0000 When I first contacted the Berliner Philharmoniker to speak to one of the musicians in their string quartet, the first email I received asked: “Which quartet are you talking about?” The Berlin Quartett, Das Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, I answered, which is playing in Hong Kong on November 19. “I had to ask, as we have eight different quartets in the orchestra,” replied the head of public relations, Elisabeth Hilsdorf. She added that there were 34 chamber music groups “which is a big number”,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2117797/berlin-philharmonics-philharmonia-quartett?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2117797/berlin-philharmonics-philharmonia-quartett?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 01:33:11 +0000 Just why is New York the epicentre of jazz? Jazz critic Ted Gioiapondered this question in the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal last year. It hadn’t always been like that: at the beginning of the 20th century every jazz player had to be in New Orleans; by the 1920s – the “Jazz Age” – the best players were in Chicago, which offered better economic opportunities for black musicians. And then by 1930, despite some of the top jazz musicians’ initial resistance and New York audiences’ initial... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2116208/four-great-new-york-jazz-concerts-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2116208/four-great-new-york-jazz-concerts-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Oct 2017 01:47:15 +0000 When Nederlands Dans Theater presents Safe As Houses during their Asian tour this autumn, they will be following on a well-lit path of using the ancient Chinese shamanic text, the I Ching – (also known as the Yijing or in English the Book of Changes – to create an extraordinary modern dance piece. The I Ching is said to have begun more than 3,000 years ago, on a cloudy mountaintop in Shensi province where a famous oracle spoke to people seeking an answer to their questions. It works on a system... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2112331/nederlands-dans-theater-takes-dance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2112331/nederlands-dans-theater-takes-dance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2017 01:47:29 +0000 You can make a puppet out of a sock, or a cut piece of paper, or a mug, or you can use a delicate, complicated piece of machinery that will look and move like anything you want – a car, a warhorse, a cartoon character. But how do you make that inanimate object come alive and – if you do it really well – how can you make it move people to tears? I asked the question of British puppeteer Molly Freeman, who is part of a team of three – from Smoking Apples and Dogfish companies – coming to Hong... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2113306/how-bring-puppet-life-cell-puppeteers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2113306/how-bring-puppet-life-cell-puppeteers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2017 01:34:22 +0000 As both the all-female Salut Salon from Germany and the all-male Vienna-based Janoska Ensemble make their debuts in Hong Kong next month, it’s a perfect time for looking at top classically trained music quartets where the music crosses over, does somersaults in the air and puts the “improv” into improvisation, the vaudeville into Vaughan Williams. Here are five of the best comedy quartets on the circuit right now – and, interestingly, each is either four women or four men. There are few mixed... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2111778/mozart-madness-five-great-videos-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2111778/mozart-madness-five-great-videos-comedy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Sep 2017 01:45:45 +0000 On the day I interviewed conductor, record label director and music entrepreneur Harry Christophers, I tuned in to BBC Radio 3 twice. Once in the morning, for about 15 minutes as I did my morning exercises, and then again for about half an hour on the drive to Wells Cathedral in southwest England, where the choir he founded, The Sixteen, was to give their annual Choral Pilgrimage concert. On both occasions, the presenter played choral music sung by The Sixteen. This choir, which is sometimes... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2110939/classical-music-impresario-harry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2110939/classical-music-impresario-harry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Sep 2017 01:30:45 +0000 It is unusual in Hong Kong to have the chance to hear exactly the same piece of music, played by two of the world’s greatest performers, within two weeks of each other. But at the end of September and the beginning of October, two winners of top prizes at recent Frédéric Chopin international piano competitions will perform the 25-minute Chopin Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor Opus 35. And those members of the audience who are lucky enough to hear them both will be able to be their own “competition... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2109064/musical-extravaganza-pianists-daniil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2109064/musical-extravaganza-pianists-daniil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Sep 2017 01:30:45 +0000 The first time I ever saw flamenco I was 23, in Madrid on one of my first business trips, and my Spanish colleagues had suggested we meet for a late night drink in a popular flamenco bar. I was early, and none of my colleagues had turned up. The bar had a very “local” feeling to it, with sawdust on the floor, rough walls and no pretensions – and not even any advertising of the flamenco. It was small; I couldn’t see how there’d be space for a performance. My friends still had not appeared. I had... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2107826/lets-dance-flamenco-one-valuable-lesson?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2107826/lets-dance-flamenco-one-valuable-lesson?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2017 02:15:45 +0000 It’s 1947 and a 24-year-old Austrian Jewish scientist (still reeling from meeting Jean-Paul Sartre a few months before, and with the manuscript written for his own first existential philosophy book as a result) meets a young British woman on her first European adventure , at a card game in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is, apparently, love at first sight. It’s not recorded who won the game, but two years later the philosopher André Gorz and his “supreme, beautiful, witty” wife Dorine were married,... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2106665/human-stories-puppetry-series-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/topics/sights-and-sounds/article/2106665/human-stories-puppetry-series-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Aug 2017 02:00:00 +0000