Dear Friends,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you all peace and happiness in 2010!!
November/December 2009 were big months of celebration for the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong in more ways than one. On 15th December I was delighted to receive a commendation certificate from the Secretary for Home Affairs of the HKSAR for contributions to the development of arts and cultural activities. This was rather unexpected but very much appreciated and I would like to thank everyone for all the warm words of encouragement extended to me. I was also thrilled to discover that the SCMP listed the CCOHK’s 10th Anniversary concert with Michala Petri as one of the best classical concerts of 2009 in its summary of arts events in 2009. To view the article click here. Also during November and December, we gave as many as five concerts – some of them marking the anniversary celebrations of music greats such as Haydn and Handel, while others were part of bigger events such as the East Asian Games.
On the 9th of December we gave the first ever performance at the Tai Po Waterfront Park Amphitheatre. This was a televised event held during the week of the East Asian Games. The varied programme was a marathon of musical styles, ranging from Chinese music with erhu virtuoso Hsin Hsiao-hung and cellist Artem, Konstantinov, to Vivaldi greats with internationally acclaimed Japanese violinist Takako Nishizaki. We also enjoyed playing some Piazzolla chamber music with pianist Chen Jie. Our brief afternoon encounter with drizzle on the day faded into a lovely (and dry!) evening of continuos music that was enjoyed by all the VIP guests inside the concert area and by as many as 2,000 people watching via the screens outside. Here are some of the photos of the event:
On the 6th of December we had lots of fun working with Norwegian clownductor Melvin Tix for two very colourful and interactive children’s concerts. These concerts marked Melvin’s 25th anniversary of giving children’s concerts worldwide!! Here are some of the photos of the event:
AEDAS kindly provided balloons for all the kids after the show and many families lined up to have their photo with Melvin Tix – smiles all round! I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Margaret Yeung who organized several underprivileged families to attend what was their first concert at City Hall Concert Hall – and to the many generous and Christmas-spirited individuals who sponsored tickets and bus fares for them to attend. If you are interested to learn more about Melvin Tix, click here to read his interview in Time Out magazine.
Throughout 2009 the CCOHK led by Jean Thorel embraced the anniversary celebration of Haydn’s music with a succession of mostly early Haydn symphonies. These included Nos. 30, 39, 73, 63, 96 and the intriguing but rarely performed No. 67 with its hurdy-gurdy trio movement. You can listen back to Radio 4’s broadcast of this symphony and of course the brilliant fortepiano playing of Geoffrey Lancaster in Haydn’s Concerto in D by clicking here. I would like to add that all the cadenzas played by Geoffrey Lancaster in this recording were improvised in the true sense of the word - breathtaking! Jonathan Douglas’s fascinating interview with Geoffrey Lancaster which was broadcast on Artbeat on 26 November is also worth listening to. Click here to learn more about Geoffrey’s remarkable rise as a specialist of the fortepiano at a time it was completely unheard of. Besides performing Haydn in 2009, I also enjoyed the opportunity to present a five-part series on Haydn’s symphonies on RTHK Radio 4. This was a real pleasure as Haydn is one of my favourite composers! These programmes are available for listening on line by clicking here.
Our 2009 musical year ended by paying homage to another musical great - George Frederic Handel - with a performance of highlights from The Messiah. This programme was the annual RTHK Radio 4 Christmas concert in the Park. It was a pleasure to work with Colin Touchin and with the team at RTHK Radio 4, who always work so hard to package the Christmas concert into a special and unique event for the Hong Kong community. No wonder people cue up at the park for several hours to get in! The TV broadcast and radio recording can be accessed by clicking here. Here are some photos of the concert:
On an administrative note, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Gordon Leung who has joined the orchestra as a full-time Assistant Administrator with support from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council as of 2010. Welcome Gordon!
Coming up soon on 19 January we have our much anticipated Tango Passion concert with bandoneonist Daniel Binelli, pianist Polly Ferman and tango dancers Pilar Alvarez and Claudio Hoffmann. This programme promises to be a feast for the ears and the eyes!! Tickets for this event are already quite limited - so best to book asap! Hope to see you there.
Leanne Nicholls
Founder & Artistic Director
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
