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More than 50 outstanding trainees and members of the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will perform at the "Music Office Chamber Concert" at 7.30pm on October 30 (Sunday) at the Theatre of Hong Kong City Hall. A diverse repertoire of solo, duet, quartet, quintet, ensemble and chamber choral works from golden classics to contemporary works will be featured to showcase the performers' artistry and passion for music.
The Piano Quintet will perform Schubert's "Piano Quintet in A Major, D667, 'Trout', 1st movement", which was written in traditional sonata form. The Piano Quintet members Law Wai-ting (piano), Alvin Leung (violin), Yu Ho-yin (viola), Tang Chor-yin (cello) and Lee Yik-chung (double bass) are frequent prize winners in music contests. The four became friends at the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra and formed the quintet to share the fun of playing chamber music.
Violist Kitty Ho will play Hindemith's lively and exciting piece "Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 11, No. 4". Ho won many prizes in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and attained an LTCL in viola recital with distinction. She has also visited Shanghai and Singapore for music exchanges.
The Marimba Quartet, formed by Lau Chi-kio, Leung Cheuk-lu, Tseng Tsz-chuen and Wong Kei-fung, will present Westlake's "Omphalo Centric Lecture", which employs vigorous rhythmic patterns to praise life. The performers got to know each other in the advanced course of the Instrumental Music Training Scheme and joined together to explore the joy of percussion ensemble playing.
Bach's "Erbarme dich, mein Gott" from "St. Matthew Passion", which expresses Peter's great regret for resisting recognition of the existence of God, will be performed by the Saxophone Duet of Chris Lo and Sze Pui-ying. They both received their music training in the Music Office and attained ATCLs in saxophone recital.
Bassoonist Tommy Liu will perform Weber's unique work for wind instruments, "Andante and Hungarian Rondo". Liu started learning the bassoon at the age of 7 and attained ABRSM Grade 8 with merit at the age of 13. He has actively participated in different training and performances and went to Japan with the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Band for music exchange.
Violinist Lun Long-yuet, who believes that music enriches life by bringing to it pleasure and vivacity, will play Saint-Saens' "Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28", a song full of strong Spanish accents with contrasting rhythmic patterns and passionate melodies. Lun took her first violin lesson at the age of 7 and later joined the Instrumental Music Training Scheme. She has also actively participated in music performances and competitions.
The concert also features Chinese music repertoire performed by outstanding trainees and members of the Music Office. The Ruan Quartet will play Joshua Chan's "Game", which has a strong flavour of Chinese lyricism. The quartet is made up of Most Outstanding Trainees/Members of the Orchestras of the Music Office and the Young Music Maker 2011: Chan Sze-tung, Cheung Ka-yan, Ho Man-hin and Liberty Lam. Ten advanced-level erhu trainees, who started music training in the Music Office at an early age and are frequent prize winners in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, will perform Chen Yao-xing's fast-tempo work "Battle Steeds Galloping Ahead".
Zheng player Bou Kwan-ying will perform the happy and warm "Prelude and Dance of Mukamu", which features Xinjiang Uygur characteristics. Bou, who started learning the zheng at the age of 8, was awarded Most Outstanding Trainee of the Music Office and obtained a Performance-level Grade from the Central Conservatory of Music (China) Practical Examination. She has also won various awards in music competitions.
Lu Shao-en's "Five Heroes in the Langya Mountain" will be performed by pipa player Fan Yan-wing. The piece employs rich tones and diverse playing techniques to describe the heroic legend of five Chinese soldiers during the Sino-Japanese War. Fan started learning the pipa at the age of 10 and has won different awards in pipa competitions. She attained Grade 9 from the Central Conservatory of Music (China) Practical Examination.
Sheng player Wu Ting-fung will perform Wen Jia-liang's "Winter Hunting", which is a contemporary work to describe the cheerful scene of a hunter setting out for his winter hunting. Since starting to learn the sheng in 2004, Wu has won awards in various competitions and has frequently appeared as a sheng soloist.
Not to be missed are two chamber choral works in different styles, namely Bennet's "O Weep Mine Eyes", which is one of the best-known English madrigals and has a sad mood, and Barber's warm and beautiful work "Sure on this Shining Night". Both songs will be performed by the Music Office Youth Choir Chamber Ensemble, made up of 24 selected members from the Music Office Youth Choir. After making its debut at the "A Voyage of Songs" International Choral Festival in 2009, the ensemble was awarded a Gold Diploma in the Festival's Chamber Choir Competition.
The Music Office runs three training programmes: the Instrumental Music Training Scheme, Ensemble Training, and Outreach Music Interest Courses. The programmes together provide music training to more than 8 000 trainees each year. Performers in the chamber concert are some of the outstanding trainees under the Instrumental Music Training Scheme or members of the ensembles.
Tickets priced at $100 and $80 for the "Music Office Chamber Concert" are now available at all URBTIX outlets. Half-price concessions are available for full-time students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients.
For programme enquiries, please call 2796 7523 or 2582 5311, or visit the website www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/MusicOffice/en/events_2011_09_28.php. Internet bookings can be made at www.urbtix.hk and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999.
Ends/Saturday, October 22, 2011
Issued at HKT 11:01
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