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Dear Friends of the CCOHK,
We are pleased to launch the TENTH issue of CITY RHYTHM.

Contents of This Issue

A. Coming Events
Join the CCOHK for some Great Sax at Le French May 2004.

B. Spotlight
Interview with Ms. Hyang Yoo, violinist of the CCOHK.

C. Sounding Board
Audience feedback from our "Venetian Delights " concert with violinist / guest concertmaster Lorenzo Colitto, recorder virtuoso Richard Harvey, soprano Tessa Miller and CCOHK violinist Chiu-tan Lee.

D. Artist Scoop
Artist featured in this issue: French saxophonist Claude Delangle.

E. Music Amuses
Did you know that orchestral musicians greeted the invention of the saxophone with outrage and jealousy?

F. CD Corner
Recommended CD : A disc featuring tango music.

G. Quiz
Answer the quiz and win FREE concert tickets to our January concert.

Enjoy the newsletter now !

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A. Coming Events

***** AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX *****

This programme is an event of Le French May 2004.

Date : 11 May 2004 (Tuesday)
Time : 8 pm
Venue : Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall

Saxophone Soloist : Claude Delangle
Guest Conductor : Andrew Sewell

The melting sensuality and exotic sound of the saxophone is featured in this knockout programme of music from Paris to Buenos Aires.

Programme

Honegger : Pastorale d'ete
Ibert : Concertino da camera for alto saxophone & orchestra
Debussy : Rhapsody for alto saxophone & strings
Ravel : Pavane pour une infante defunte
Piazzolla : Oblivion & La muerte del Angel
Piazzolla : Two tangos for string orchestra

Ticket Information

Tickets $ 280 $ 200 $ 150

Available at URBTIX

50% discount for full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities

10% discount for Friends of LCSD performing venues

Ticketing Enquiries & Reservation : 2734 9009

Credit Card Telephone Booking : 2111 5999 (10 am ¡V 8 pm daily)

Internet Booking :http://www.urbtix.gov.hk/

Programme Enquiries : 2857 2402 OR info@ccohk.com

CCOHK Website : http://www.ccohk.com

Le French May 2004 Website : http://www.frenchmay.com

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B. Spotlight

Interview with Ms. Hyang Yoo, violinist of the CCOHK.

Where are you from and how long have you been in Hong Kong?
I grew up in Seoul, Korea. I moved to Australia in 1982 and lived there until 1996. Then I came to Hong Kong.

What brought you to Hong Kong?
In 1996, whilst we were still living in Canberra, Australia my husband was offered an appointment with the Faculty of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. It was a difficult decision to leave Canberra, but we have enjoyed living in Hong Kong and have no regrets coming here.

What do you enjoy most about playing in the CCOHK?
I appreciate the orchestra's innovative programmes as well as the enthusiasm and friendliness of its players.

Which CCOHK guest artist has made the biggest impression on you?
I was most impressed by the recorder virtuoso Michala Petri, whose playing was absolutely beautiful.

What CCOHK concert has been the most memorable for you?
The two candlelight concerts at St. John's Cathedral and the "Mandolin Magic " concert. I dub the latter the "SARS Masked Concert" because it was held at the height of the SARS (**) outbreak in Hong Kong in April 2003. At that time everyone put on masks to avoid catching the disease, as did the CCOHK players and the audience members at this concert. The performance turned out to be the most serene one ever. Everyone refrained from coughing!

** Editor's note: "SARS" is the acronym for "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome"

You studied in Australia for some time. Could you tell us about your experience there?
After completing my Master's degree in music in Seoul, I went to Melbourne, Australia to do my postgraduate course. I studied there with the Russian violinist Nelli Shkolnikova, who gave me excellent advice with regard to musical _expression and technique. I later moved to Sydney to further my studies with Chris Kember, who helped me to expand my repertoire. This has been a valuable asset in my teaching career.

Your father was also a violinist. What special influence did he have on your career?
I was very lucky to be born into such a musical family. In fact my sister is also a violinist: she plays in the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. When we were growing up we were surrounded by the sound of violins, so it was only natural that we started to learn the violin at an early age. My father never forced us to practise but gave us invaluable advice regarding different means of interpretation. He was a former member of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and I still remember how excited he was when my sister and I passed the audition for the orchestra.

Name one of the most important milestones in your music career.
It was when I played in the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. The experience gave me opportunities to meet world-class soloists. In particular, I had the chance to hear Itzhak Perlman perform. His violin playing moved me beyond words.

What message do you have for our friends?
What I value most is the strong and continuous support from our audience members. Please attend our concerts regularly!

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C. Sounding Board

Friends who attend our concerts and are successful in having their comments published will win TWO FREE TICKETS to one of our future concerts.

In this issue we are pleased to share with you COMMENTS FROM OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS who attended our "Venetian Delights" concert on 15 and 16 January 2004.

Here are comments from some of the audience members:

Extraordinary! Tessa Miller has an exquisite voice and Richard Harvey, the flautino player, was stunning. The acoustics of St. John's cathedral were impressive.
---------- Mr. Wun (Kowloon)

Vivaldi in the cathedral is hard to beat, but also for me, was hard on the seat.
---------- Mr. Beveridge (Hong Kong)

Absolutely excellent! Incredible standard and very emotional performance.
---------- Mrs. Cook (Clearwater Bay)

This was my first time listening to a concert in a church. It gave me a very different feel. I truly enjoyed the performance. I especially liked Mr. Harvey's recorder-playing. Wonderful music poured from his recorder, which sounded like a "magic flute".
---------- Ms. Ma (Kowloon)

CCOHK has excelled themselves on all accounts for this concert - especially the concept of marrying the dazzling Vivaldi works with Venetian orphans together with Mother's Love, the orphanage in China which was the beneficiary of the concert. The organization of the seating in the cathedral, the attention to staging the performance, the delicious refreshments after the concert with opportunity to meet the outstanding performers and, above all, the breathtaking virtuosity of the world-class soloists made it an evening to remember!
---------- Mrs. Krieger (Repulse Bay)

What a fantastic evening of Vivaldi's unique style of music with brilliant guest artists. I never knew the recorder could reach such heights - wonderful!
---------- Mrs. Matsumura (Hong Kong)

Scintillating performance! I was touched, moved and impressed.
---------- Ms. Lee (Wanchai)

The CCOHK played with splendor and passion in a venue worthy of the majestic.
---------- Mr. Noakes (Hong Kong)

Congratulations to these eight friends, who have each won TWO FREE TICKETS to one of our future concerts. We will be in touch with you soon!

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D. Artist Scoop

Frenchman Claude Delangle comes from an exclusive, top-rank of classical saxophonists and is celebrated for his flawless technique and control of dynamic and sound. He has performed as a member of Pierre Boulez's famed Ensemble InterContemporain and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and enjoys an international solo career appearing with major orchestras such as the French National Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestras of Moscow, Florida, Zagreb and Colorado. He has also collaborated with Kent Nagano, Leonard Bernstein, Myung-Whun Chung, Leonard Slatkin and Luciano Berio and has made several recordings under the BIS record label. Mr. Delangle is currently a teaching professor at the Paris National Conservatory and President of the International Saxophone Association.

Don't miss the rare opportunity to hear one of the world's top-rank classical saxophonists at the CCOHK's Le French May 2004 debut performance.

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E. Music Amuses

Did you know that orchestral musicians greeted the invention of the saxophone with outrage and jealousy?

Apart from its appearance in a handful of orchestral works by composers such as Bizet, Prokofiev and Ravel, the saxophone never really took off as a permanent orchestral instrument. It was invented as late as 1840 by a Belgian named Adolphe Sax and is thus the youngest of all the orchestral instruments. As is common with new inventions, its arrival caused a storm. In fact this outstanding advancement in music was greeted all round with outrage and jealousy. Composers and contemporaries of Sax who wanted to incorporate the saxophone in their scores met all sorts of stumbling blocks, especially from orchestral musicians. Donizetti wanted to use the saxophone in his opera "Don Sebastian " for a special tonal effect. The musicians in the orchestra strongly objected, however, and Donizetti had no choice but to remove it from the s core. Bizet also had a similar experience. The grand and beautiful saxophone solo in his "L'Arlesienne " was eventually substituted by a clarinet in the premiere. Thankfully Bizet did not change the original score, and today we can still enjoy what has become one of the most famous saxophone excerpts in the history of orchestral music.

Some of the most beautiful music written for the saxophone will be featured in the CCOHK's upcoming AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX concert.

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F. CD Corner

If you love tango music, then this disc should be in your collection!

Title : Paris-buenos Aires / Tango Futur
Composers : Astor Piazzolla, etc.
Ensemble : Tango Futur
Release Date : 25 February 2003
Label : BIS
Catalog No. : 1170
Spars Code : DDD

This CD will be available for sale at the CCOHK's upcoming AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX concert. There will also be a session after the concert at which the saxophone soloist Claude Delangle will sign the CDs for patrons.

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H. Quiz

Answer the quiz and win FREE concert tickets to our AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX concert.

Question 1
Who invented the saxophone?

Question 2
What is the name of the Festival which features the CCOHK's upcoming AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX concert?

(For answers to these questions please check our website: http://www.ccohk.com )


Send your answers by email to maryanne@ccohk.com before NOON on 17 April 2004 (Saturday) together with your name, telephone number and postal address.

The first TWO persons to submit the correct answers to all the questions together with his/her name, telephone number and postal address will win TWO FREE TICKETS to our AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX concert on 11 May 2004 (Tuesday).

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We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. Do feel free to forward this newsletter to others so that they can join in the fun and win free concert tickets too!

The editor of CITY RHYTHM is Mary Anne Pun.

If you have any questions, please e-mail her at maryanne@ccohk.com

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