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The Singapore Chinese Orchestra will visit Hong Kong for the first time in October and demonstrate its artistic virtuosity under the baton of its Music Director Tsung Yeh in two concerts.
In the first performance, entitled "Ruan Lingyu's 'The Goddess' - A Silent Film Concert", which will be held at 8pm on October 17 (Saturday) at the Auditorium of Tsuen Wan Town Hall, the orchestra will perform alongside a screening of the 1930s silent film classic "The Goddess", a movie featuring legendary Chinese actress Ruan Lingyu. With music composed by Law Wai-lun and Lincoln Lo to pluck the heartstrings, the programme features a sizzling synergy between sight and sound that received critical acclaim on its premiere in Singapore in 2014. Yazhou Zhoukan once wrote of the performance, "What one sees and what one hears live are such a perfect fit."
The orchestra's second performance will take place at 8pm on October 18 (Sunday) at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Featuring music in Nanyang style, the programme will include Eric Watson's "Mahjong Kakis", Tan Dun's "Fire Ritual", Simon Kong's "Izpirazione II - Rambutan" and selections from the symphonic poem "Marco Polo and Princess Blue" featuring tenor Warren Mok and soprano Wu Bixia as well as traditional Cantonese music in "Thunder in a Drought".
Founded in 1997, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra is one of Singapore's flagship arts groups. The orchestra takes on the twin role of preserving traditional arts and culture and establishing new frontiers through the incorporation of Southeast Asian cultural elements. The orchestra, with around 85 musicians, is distinguished for its high-octane performances and versatility. Since its inception, the orchestra has impressed a wide audience with its blockbuster presentations and is fast establishing itself among its counterparts around the world. In 2009, the orchestra made history by becoming the first Chinese orchestra to perform in the opening week of the Edinburgh Festival.
Tsung Yeh began his study of conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1979, and later pursued his postgraduate study at Yale University under Otto-Werner Mueller. Yeh joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as Music Director in 2002. His perseverance and diligence have taken the orchestra's performances to new heights, both musically and technically. In 2013 he was awarded the Cultural Medallion, the highest award given in the field of the arts in Singapore.
The concerts by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra are among the programmes in the Great Music 2015 series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD). Tickets with prices ranging from $160 to $450 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 Great Music 2015 package and group booking discount schemes. A masterclass and a pre-concert talk will be organised by the LCSD. Please refer to the programme leaflet or the website for details.
Highlights of Great Music 2015 also include "Piano Recital by Nelson Freire" (September 8), "Hagen Quartet" (October 6), "Vienna Boys Choir" (October 10 and 11), "Concert by Ian Bostridge (Tenor) and Xuefei Yang (Guitar)" (October 25), "Violin Recital by Itzhak Perlman" (November 8) and Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" by Musica Viva (December 11 to 13).
For enquiries on programmes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_940.html (October 17 concert) and www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/program_830.html (October 18 concert). For telephone credit card booking, please call 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Issued at HKT 11:52
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