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Local Chinese music troupe Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble will stage its "Cantonese Music and Its Roots" concerts in November and December. Well-known virtuosi Ko Tit-kwan, Chan Hung-yin, Zeng Qiujian and Guo Jiaying have been invited to collaborate with the troupe for the concerts, in which audiences will be taken back to the sources of Guangdong music. The programmes trace Cantonese music's development though presenting the different types of music born out of unique configurations such as wind-and-percussion and wind-and-strings, as well as music of the modern Chinese ensemble and instrumental solo works. Chan will perform on November 11 only.
Under the baton of conductor Ko Tit-kwan, a selection of famous tunes from Guangdong will be performed, with Chan Chiu-yin serving as docent in Cantonese. Different programmes are included in two performances. The first performance (on November 11) will feature "Spring Comes Early to the Mountain Villages", "Weaving a Rainbow Miles Long", "A Song of Joy from Guangzhou", "Getting on Board the Fishing Boat", "Song of the Full Moon", "Spring Comes to the Fields", "Spring Comes to Baiyun Mountain" (debut performance in Hong Kong), "Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake", "Lovers' Sorrow", "A Welcome Shower in the Plantain Forest" and "The Song of Victory". Dizi virtuoso Chan Hung-yin will perform two pieces, "The Swallow Spreads Its Wings" and "Thunder in a Drought", with the troupe. The second performance (on December 27) will include some of the songs from the first performance as well as "The Dragon Boat Race", "Lovers' Reunion at the Milky Way", "Pacing Horses in the Countryside in Spring" and "The Lament of Lady Zhaojun".
The Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble was founded with the mission of promoting Chinese and Hong Kong local music culture. Apart from researching and studying traditional Chinese folk music, the ensemble dedicates itself to exploring the unique charms and styles of Chinese ensemble music. The ensemble holds regular music activities including concerts, workshops, music camps, master classes, talks, cultural gatherings and exhibitions featuring various instruments performed by Chinese virtuosi and young musicians from Hong Kong. The troupe seeks to introduce the public to Chinese music's traditional and modern repertoire, covering dizi music, Guangdong music culture and original compositions by local composers.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Cantonese Music and Its Roots" by the Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble will be staged at 4pm on November 11 (Sunday) at the Theatre of Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, and at 8pm on December 27 (Thursday) at the Auditorium of North District Town Hall. Tickets priced from $80 to $160 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 CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for the Guangdong Music Series package. A group booking discount scheme is also available. Please refer to the programme leaflets for details.
Other Guangdong Music Series programmes include "A Concert by the Cantonese Music and Song Art Troupe" and "A Tribute to Wan Chi-chung, Guiding Light in Cantonese Saloon Music in Hong Kong".
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries, call 2734 9009. For credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999. Internet booking is available at www.urbtix.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/00000424.html.
Ends/Monday, October 22, 2012
Issued at HKT 10:01
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