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The following is issued on behalf of the Provisional Urban Council:

Three world-renowned musicians will render the great works of Frederic Chopin in the "Chopin Festival" to be held in mid-October in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of the music giant. Music lovers should not miss the concerts featuring the patriotic and romantic music of the famed composer.

Chopin who devoted his whole life to the piano and being acclaimed as the "Pianist Poet" has captured countless audience by his frail frame and delicate emotion. His nocturnes and polonaises form an important part of standard piano recital repertoires and also among the best of piano works.

Presented by the Provisional Urban Council, the Chopin Festival to be staged in the Hong Kong City Hall will feature concerts of three charming artists: pianist Melvyn Tan, soprano Barbara Bonney and guitarist Timo Korhonen.

Kicking off the Festival will be the piano recital by Melvyn Tan on October 16 (Sat). He will play Chopin's works including "24 Preludes", "Ballade", "Polonaise No. 5 in F-sharp minor ", "Nocturnes " and "Fantasie in F minor ".

It will be followed by the vocal recital by Barbara Bonney on October 17 (Sun). Programmes will include not only Chopin's "Seize ans", "Plainte d'amour", "Berceuse", "La coquette" but also works of Mozart, Schubert and Richard Strauss.

The finale of the Festival will be a recital by the "new Tarrega of the guitar", Timo Korhonen, on October 22 (Fri). He will perform five "Mazurkas", "Seven Preludes" and two "Nocturnes".

Born in Singapore, Melvyn Tan is a highly versatile keyboard artist. He studied at the Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music. He devoted himself initially to harpsichord and fortepiano and performed internationally with a repertoire extending from the early Baroque to Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin.

In his tour to Europe in 1992, he performed on Beethoven's own Broadwood fortepiano made in 1817. He also played complete cycles of Beethoven Sonatas in Tokyo, Osaka and London; recitals of Schubert, Beethoven and Mozart Sonatas in The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Lincoln Centre in New York and the Chatelet in Paris.

In 1996, he performed in his 40th birthday concert at the Wigmore Hall on both fortepiano and modern piano and the complete Chopin Preludes on the modern piano in Australia and London in 1996 and 1997. The Australian praised his rendering as "spacious, ample poetic breath......" and The Herald of Glasgow found his music "wonderful limpidity and charm..."

Barbara Bonney is widely recognized as one of the world's most accomplished lyric sopranos. She has been praised for her radiant tone, interpretative gifts, and stylistic versatility in a broad repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to 20th century music.

The New York Post described Bonney's voice as "passages of unearthly purity and shimmering tone came through" and "Bonney's ability to accent a word and then let it vanish slowly in a perfectly graded diminudendo is heart stopping."

She has recorded more than seventy recordings which fully reflected the breath of her artistic interests. Her discography comprises sacred music and choral works from Bach to Faure, complete opera recording ranging form Le Nozze di Figaro to the Merry Widow and Leider of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Wolf, Strauss and Schubert. Bonney also gave recitals at festivals in London, Vienna, Paris, San Francisco and toured Japan and Korea.

Born in Finland, guitarist Timo Korhonen gave his first public recital at the age of 14. His international career started in Munich when he was the youngest ever guitarist to win the music competition run by the German Broadcasting Companies. He was also the first European to win the prize for the interpretation of a Latin-American work at the international guitar competition in 1986.

He has given numerous recitals, appeared as soloist and chamber musician with many of the leading orchestras. His wide spectrum of repertoire ranges form Renaissance to the music of present day.

His musicality has won high praise from critics and audiences. The Helsingin Sanomat found "his slow, changing tempi sentimental nuances and in general improvisatory approach made the Mazurkas of Chopin ever so gracious and sensitive."

Ticket prices for the piano recital by Melvyn Tan are at $150, $100 and $60. Those for the vocal recital by Barbara Bonney are at $350, $250 and $150 while those for the guitar recital by Timo Korhonen are at $140 and $90.

Tickets are now available at all URBTIX outlets. Senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students can enjoy half-price concessions. There will be a 10 percent discount for each purchase of four or more tickets for a single performance; a 15 percent off for purchasing tickets for two performances of the Chopin Festival and a 20 percent off for each purchase of tickets for three performances of the Chopin Festival. Programmes enquiries can be made at 2734 2925 and reservation at 2734 9009.

End/ Saturday,October 2, 1999

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