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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department's "Great Music" series will present a top-class concert by the guitar quartet Los Romeros in October.
Los Romeros hold a pre-eminent position in the world of classical guitar quartet music, and members of the Romero family have enraptured audiences worldwide since the group's establishment half a century ago. As the New York Times wrote in 1958, the legendary Celedonio Romero, a soloist and the founder of Los Romeros Guitar Quartet, delivered a "warmth of tone and defiantly Romantic rhythmic flexibility". Starting with Celedonio, the Romero family has been blessed with having many virtuosi. The quartet now consists of second- and third-generation guitarists, and the musicians' natural bonding gives their performances unprecedented vigour and vitality.
Hong Kong will welcome the return of the US-based "Royal Family of the Guitar" in a programme that will consist of music by composers such as the Spanish master Isaac Albéniz and the eminent Brazilian Heitor Villa-Lobos as well as music specially written and arranged by members of the Romero family.
The sterling reputation of Los Romeros has been confirmed in countless recital performances and orchestral appearances all over the world, and they have also made frequent international festival appearances. Los Romeros have performed on multiple occasions at the White House. In 1983, they appeared at the Vatican in a special concert for John Paul II, and in 1986 they performed for the Prince of Wales. In 2000, King Juan Carlos I of Spain knighted Celin, Pepe and Angel Romero into the Order of 'Isabel la Católica'.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Los Romeros is the creation of an entirely new repertoire for guitar quartet, including chamber ensemble works and solo performances. Los Romeros have inspired distinguished composers, including Joaquín Rodrigo, Federico Moreno Torroba, Morton Gould, Francisco de Madina and Lorenzo Palomo, to either write new works or arrange existing ones.
"Los Romeros Guitar Quartet" will be staged at 8pm on October 12 (Sunday) at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $450, $350, $250 and $150 are now available at URBTIX. 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 full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). "Great Music" package booking discount is available. Please refer to programme leaflets for details.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries call 3761 6661. For telephone credit card bookings, call 2111 5999. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk. For more information on the programme, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_556.html.
Ends/Monday, August 25, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:35
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