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An outstanding recitalist among the new generation of Chinese musicians, pipa player Zhang Hongyan will give two recitals next month.
The first concert will be at 2.30pm, January 9, 2011 (Sunday), at the Xiang Hai Xuan Multi-purpose Hall, Nan Lian Garden. Zhang will collaborate with zheng player Ng Hiu-hung in performing "An Ancient Tune - Snow on a Sunny Spring Day", "Lamentation - On Reading Bai Juyi's 'Song of the Lute'", "Dragon Boat", "Flowery Moon Light of Spring River", "Buddhist Chant", "Please Stay, Guests from Afar" and "King Chu Doffs His Armour".
Also featuring pianist Joseph Liccardo, the second concert will be at 7.30pm, January 10 (Monday), at the Theatre, Sheung Wan Civic Centre. The programme includes symphonic poem "Flowery Moon Light of Spring River", as well as "King Chu Doffs His Armour", "Song of The Pipa Lute" and "Little Sisters of the Grassland".
Zhang Hongyan is a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, a supervisor on the Conservatory's Master's programme and formerly a visiting scholar at Columbia University in the United States. Having garnered attention in both the local and international music scenes, she has built an extensive repertoire, and her playing exhibits a masterful combination of virtuosity and musicality. She has given numerous solo recitals and touring performances in cities across the Mainland. In recent years, her collaboration with the Macao Orchestra has taken her to Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Macao and Hong Kong, and overseas to the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Zhang has appeared onstage with the China National Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Her performances have graced world-famous concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In a bid to fuse Chinese and Western music, Zhang experimented with different performing formats, such as pipa with a symphony orchestra, and eclectic ensembles of Chinese plucked-string instruments. She was the first instrumentalist to give a concerto performance with a Western symphony orchestra using a Chinese instrument.
"Pipa Recital by Zhang Hongyan" is a programme of the Nan Lian Garden Chinese Music Series, presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets priced at $150 and $200 (Sheung Wan Civic Centre) and $220 (Nan Lian Garden) are now available at URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients may receive a 50% discount (limited tickets for students and CSSA recipients on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20% is offered for the Nan Lian Garden Chinese Music series package and group bookings.
Other attractions in the Nan Lian Garden Chinese Music Series include "The Classic Charm of Kunqu", "The Chinese Flute with Quaint Charm - Xiao Recital by Tam Po-shek" and "Zheng Recital by Wang Zhongshan".
Nan Lian Garden is situated at 60 Fung Tak Road, Diamond Hill, Kowloon, adjacent to the Chi Lin Nunnery. To make enquiries, please call 2329 8811.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp. Ticketing enquiries can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:40
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