| CITY RHYTHM is the newsletter of the CITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA of Hong Kong (CCOHK) sent to Friends of the orchestra. ***************************************************************** Dear Friends of the CCOHK, Contents of This Issue A. Coming Events B. Spotlight C. Sounding Board D. Artist Scoop E. Artist Scoop F. Music Amuses G. CD Corner H. Quiz
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ A. Coming Events The CCOHK's 2003/2004 season kicks off with some OPERA PASSION! Don't miss our next concert which features Alison Pearce, star soprano of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and the English National Opera. Here are the concert details: ***** OPERA PASSION ***** Date : 30 September 2003 (Tuesday) Time : 8:00 p.m. Venue : Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall Programme Includes a fabulous selection of opera arias, duets, overtures and intermezzos by Handel, Rossini, Mozart, Donizetti, Puccini, Cilea, Mascagni and Gershwin PLUS a lesser-heard gem: excerpts from Verdi's string quartet in E minor for string orchestra. Tickets $ 250 $ 180 $ 150 (with half-price concessions) Now available at all URBTIX outlets Tel. No. : 2734 9009 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ B. Spotlight Interview with Mr. Francis Kan, principal violist of the CCOHK. Where are you from and how long have you been in Hong Kong? I was born in Hong Kong and have stayed mostly here. What do you enjoy most about playing in the CCOHK? The players in this orchestra are very professional and yet amazingly warm. I have played and conducted in many different parts of the world but rarely find such warmth among orchestral members. Which CCOHK guest artist has made the biggest impression on you? Randall Wong, the male soprano who performed with us in the "Sounds of Castrati at Christmas " concert in December 1999. Which CCOHK concert has been the most memorable for you? The concert mentioned above. It was the first concert I ever worked with the CCOHK as a conductor. It was also the first time I worked with a male soprano! How did you become interested in music whilst growing up in Hong Kong? I suppose I have always been musically inclined. Moreover, I have been fortunate to have very good teachers - among them Mr. Thomas Wang - to guide me along the way. Why did you choose the viola over the violin? I only made the choice around 1989. At the time my teacher Mr. Thomas Wang was about to emigrate to Canada, and he suggested that I try the viola. I did and just fell in love with the rich sound of the instrument. You are a conductor as well as an instrumentalist. Which "job" do you like better and why? I love both jobs. However, if I were forced to make a choice, I would choose to be a conductor. Conducting is something I have always wanted to do. Every time when I step onto the podium, I am able to convert the whole orchestra into MY instrument and use it to express the music the way I like. If you ever have a chance to conduct an orchestra, try it. Trust me - you'll love it! Name one of the most important milestones in your music career. It was when I went to Portugal in 1994 to participate in the "International Competition for Young Conductors " and won! It was the turning point for me since it meant that I could continue my studies in conducting. I was also extremely fortunate to meet the great maestro Sergiu Comissiona there and had the opportunity to study under him. What message do you have for our friends? Dear friends, please come to our concerts. Let us have your feedback too. With your support, we will always be in top form and play you the best music you will ever hear! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ C. Sounding Board Friends who attend our concerts and are successful in having their comments published will win 2 FREE tickets to one of our future events. In this issue we are pleased to share with you the following COMMENTS FROM OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS who attended our "Mandolin Magic" concert on 2 April 2003: Charming and delightful! Just what we need at this difficult time with SARS! The mandolin is a cheerful instrument. All the pieces were well chosen. The singer and the orchestral players clearly enjoyed themselves, and so did we! I am moved and touched by the fact that every artist was fully participating in the performance with enthusiasm and energy even under the mask! I will certainly remember this performance. This kind of performance is rare in Hong Kong! The music with mandolin and baritone was fascinating and was with me the entire evening. Alison Stephens performed the mandolin so well and with precise skill. Richard Frewer sang beautifully and captivated everyone's heart. An excellent programme of music combining familiar and accessible pieces with those which extend one's understanding of the mandolin's range. The music for mandolin is seldom performed in Hong Kong. I'm so glad to hear such lovely music. I hope the CCOHK will bring us more Baroque music. Well balanced, beautifully delivered and breathtaking mandolin playing by Alison Stephens. All aspects blended nicely to give us a highly enjoyable evening of entertainment. Congratulations to these seven friends, who have each won 2 FREE TICKETS to one of our future concerts. We will be in touch with you soon! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ D. Director's Note Dear Friends, What can I say? Our 2002/2003 season was unique. We battled typhoons and the SARS crisis, appeared on Hong Kong and Australian television and performed in concert halls, churches, airports and private homes together with exotic instruments such as the balalaika, mandolin and erhu. Whether we appeared "behind the mask" or "by candlelight", each concert was an event to remember. The highlight, however, would have to be our Lucia concert with the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir. Apart from the candles blazing on Lucia's head and the beautifully-blended voices, the genuine warmth of the Swedish people has also left a special memory lingering ...... And to add to an unforgettable year, the CCOHK became the recipient of the "Rising Artist Award" in the "Music" category granted by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. A presentation ceremony was held at Government House on 9 May 2003. The Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr. Patrick Ho, JP was the officiating guest, and the CCOHK was one of three awardees chosen to perform at the ceremony. The awards were aimed at giving formal recognition to artists and groups who have made outstanding contributions towards the cultural life of Hong Kong. It is a great honour to be recognized in this way, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors, CCOHK members, friends, supporters, audience followers and guest artists for contributing to the orchestra since its inception in 1999. Your participation has made it possible for the CCOHK to carry on and contemplate a FIFTH year!! Here's a quick insight into the fabulous line-up of programmes and guest artists we have in store for you in our coming "BEYOND THE MASK" 2003/2004 season: In September Alison Pearce, star soprano of the Royal Opera, Convent Garden, and Derek Anthony, Hong Kong's eminent bass-baritone, will join us on stage for some "OPERA PASSION". A fabulous selection of arias, duets, intermezzos and overtures from some of the world's most celebrated operas can be heard alongside a lesser-known gem: Verdi's string quartet for string orchestra. To celebrate Christmas we will be giving the Hong Kong premiere of Howard Blake's "THE SNOWMAN" & "THE BEAR" (in Cantonese) based on the award-winning animated films by Raymond Briggs. Don't miss the songs to these two delightful film scores which made Aled Jones and Charlotte Church names to remember! In January 2004 we will step inside the inspirational surroundings of St. John's Cathedral for a programme of "VENETIAN DELIGHTS". Lorenzo Colitto, violinist and former leader of Fabio Biondi's Italian Europa Galante, and Richard Harvey, recorder virtuoso, will dazzle us with a plethora of Vivaldi concertos. And to round off the season, Frenchman Claude Delangle joins us at the Le French May 2004 for "AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX". Be sure not to miss us for this much and more ...... BEYOND THE MASK! Leanne Nicholls Founder & Artistic Director The City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Please visit our web-site at http://www.ccohk.com/ regularly for the latest details of these exciting events. OPERA PASSION 30 September 2003, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8 pm
THE SNOWMAN & THE BEAR 14 December 2003, Shatin Town Hall Auditorium, 3 pm ---------- Anthony Inglis, conductor VENETIAN DELIGHTS 15 January 2004, St. John's Cathedral, 8 pm
AN EVENING OF GREAT SAX 11 May 2004, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8 pm @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ E. Artist Scoop British soprano Alison Pearce enjoys a distinguished international career in opera, oratorio and recital. She appears regularly at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and at the English National Opera. She is also a vocal professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Her major prima donna roles include those in Tosca, Nabucco, I Lombardi, Fidelio, Aida, Ariadne auf Naxos, as well as Elsa in Lohengrin and Elizabeth in Tannhauser. For the Dublin International City of Culture celebrations she sang the title role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut, which she repeated in Israel, where she also sang the role of Amelia in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. In the Netherlands she is well known for her Verdi heroines, and in Italy her career culminated in a revival of Monteverdi's opera Orfeo in which she sang Eurydice. Ms. Pearce's operatic work also includes four recordings for the BBC in their "20th Century Britannia at the Opera" series. Her many distinctions include prizes at the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Competition. For more information on this renowned artist please visit the following website: http://www.impulse-music.co.uk/pearce.htm Alison Pearce will join the CCOHK in a performance of arias by Handel, Mozart, Donizetti, Puccini, Cilea & Gershwin on 30th September 2003. Don't miss this special concert! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ F. Music Amuses Did you know that Verdi wrote a string quartet? Let's face it: Verdi is not a composer we would normally associate with chamber music. As is widely known, his reputation today rests almost solely on his operas. However, he DID write a string quartet in 1873 during a three-week delay of the premiere of his opera Aida in Italy. Verdi followed the great classical quartets of Mozart and Haydn in writing the work but added his own themes. In particular, there are echoes of his operas in the various movements of the work e.g. Aida in the first movement, Rigoletto and Il Trovatore in the third, and a foretaste of his last opera Falstaff in the last. After the initial private performance for a group of friends, Verdi refused to allow the quartet to be played publicly. Later he overcame his qualms about the work. In a letter to a friend he wrote, "I still think that a quartet in Italy is like a flower in an unsuitable climate. Hence I suggested augmenting it t o become a work, not for four string players, but for a string orchestra. The work contains phrases that require a full, fat sound rather than a lean one. It should sound well if it is performed by many players." The CCOHK will feature this musical gem during its coming OPERA PASSION concert. Don't miss the chance to hear this rarely heard piece! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ G. CD Corner If you like to listen to Italian chamber works by opera composers, then the following CD recording is highly recommended: Title : Donizetti, Verdi: String Quartets Composers : Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi Performers : Michael Erxleben, Kleif Karnarius CD No. : Capriccio #10844 Release Date : 7 May 2001 This recording contains a fabulous collection of Italian chamber works by Verdi and Donizetti. It is available at the on-line store Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ H. Quiz Answer the quiz and win FREE concert tickets to our September concert. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Question 1 Name two artists who will be performing with the CCOHK in the coming 2003/2004 season. Question 2 Name the Hong Kong Arts Development Council Award which the CCOHK has recently won. (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 9 September 2003 (Tuesday) together with your name, telephone number and postal address. The first four persons to submit the correct answers to all the questions together with his/her name, telephone number and postal address will win 2 FREE tickets to our OPERA PASSION concert on 30 September 2003 (Tuesday). @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 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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