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Erhu master Wang Guotong will give a concert in September to pay tribute to the Chinese composer Liu Tianhua, who is best known for his innovative erhu work.
The concert, entitled "In Commemoration of the 120th Birthday of Liu Tianhua", will be held at 8pm on September 5 (Saturday) in the Auditorium of the Ko Shan Theatre New Wing. The programme, which is devoted entirely to works by Liu, will include "A Beautiful Night", "Moonlit Night", "Meditation during Confinement in Sickness", "Red Decorations in Candle Lights", "Meditations in Retirement", "Birdsong on a Desolate Mountain", "The Song of Sorrow", "Melody on a Single String", "Autumn Moon in the Han Palace", "Song of the Warm Southerly Breeze", "A Song in Depression" and "Song of a Promising Future".
Also performing in the concert will be Ray Wong (erhu), He Xiaozhou (yangqin), Grace Koga (piano) and members of the Hong Kong Erhu Arts Centre.
Wang Guotong is trained in erhu under Chen Zhenduo and Jiang Fengzhi, disciples of the distinguished erhu maestro, Liu Tianhua. He has performed in more than 30 countries around the globe. He has written and arranged hundreds of pieces of erhu music and published over 20 books on the instrument. His artistic achievements have won him a place in many musical archives. He has also created, in collaboration with Man Ruixing, the square and round erhu, the low-register thick-stringed erhu and the flat octagonal gaohu. These inventions won him the Technical Achievement Award from the Ministry of Culture.
Wang is currently a distinguished professor at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, a visiting professor at the Central Conservatory of Music and the chairman of the Wang Guotong Erhu Fund Foundation.
"Erhu Concert by Wang Guotong - In Commemoration of the 120th Birthday of Liu Tianhua" is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Tickets priced at $120, $180 and $220 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 CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis). A maximum discount of 20 per cent is offered for the group booking package. Please refer to the programme leaflet or the website for details.
For enquiries on the programme, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_923.html. For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Thursday, July 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:01
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