***************************************************
Renowned pipa virtuoso Ku Hui-man will perform alongside huqin legend Wong On-yuen in the long-awaited "Chinese Instrumental Concert" in January.
The concerts will take place at 8pm on January 19 (Thursday) at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, and at 2.30pm on January 21 (Saturday) at the Xiang Hai Xuan Multi-purpose Hall, Nan Lian Garden. The shows are part of the celebration programme for the 50th anniversary of Hong Kong City Hall. The two respected musicians, who have not collaborated for more than two decades, will perform a series of masterpieces, including "Snow in Springtime", "Falling Flowers Colouring the Green", "Reflections of the Moon on the Water", "The Forlorn Drifter", "Spring Scenery" and "Moonlit Night by the Riverside in Spring".
Ku Hui-man entered a primary school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of 9. At the school, she learned the pipa under the tutelage of such famous virtuosi in the genre as Wei Zhongle, Ye Xuiran and Lin Shicheng. Since giving a performance in the Shanghai Spring Music Festival at the age of 11, she has accumulated decades of performing experience. Ku joined the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as a musician after graduation and has given overseas performances in Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia. She has also given demonstration performances and lectures at UCLA Berkeley and the University of London.
Wong On-yuen, whose musicianship has built up a strong following in Hong Kong and Taiwan, was the recipient of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council's Award for Best Artist (Music) 2009 and the first erhu master to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York. The New York Times wrote of his playing, "The varieties of color he produced were enough to make a listener momentarily regard the four strings of Western fiddles as needless luxury." Wong was the concertmaster of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for 27 years and held 130 performances. He was made an MBE in 1997.
"Chinese Instrumental Concert - Ku Hui-man and Wong On-yuen" is one of the programmes in the Nan Lian Garden Chinese music series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets ranging in price from $120 to $260 (for the Hong Kong City Hall performance) and $220 (Nan Lian Garden, free seating) are now available at URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for the Nan Lian Garden Chinese music series package. A meet-the-artist session (conducted in Cantonese) will be held after the Nan Lian Garden performance.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/00000329.html. 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.
Other programmes in the Nan Lian Garden Chinese music series are "Nanyin Concert - Those Lamentable Bygone Days", Zheng Recital by Ng Hiu-hung, "The Legacy•Stories Retold" Sheng Recital by Loo Sze-wang, Korean Traditional Music Concert and Erhu Recital by Hou Shihchieh.
Ends/Thursday, December 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:54
NNNN
