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The following is issued on behalf of the Provisional Urban Council:

Music lovers will soon have the chance of appreciating the one and only violin concerto composed by Tchaikovsky when it is performed by renowned violinist Xue Wei with the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra next month.

Presented by the Provisional Urban Council, the concert will be held at 8 pm on September 10 (Friday) in the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Dr Yip Wai-hong will be the conductor.

Apart from Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D Op. 35", the programme will include an overture - "Adagio from Spartacus" and the popular Chinese melody "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto", a sad love story about a young couple who turned into a pair of butterflies after death. .

Born in 1963, Xue Wei began his violin lessons at the age of eight and was admitted into the Central Conservatory at the age of 19. In 1985, he attended masterclasses at the Guildhall School of Music in England.

His numerous awards include the silver award at the Eighth Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in Moscow and the gold prize at the Carl Flesch International Competition in London in 1986. He was also winner of Young Soloist of the Year Award in Britain in 1986.

At 26, Xue became a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, thus making him the youngest professor ever in that institute as well as the first Asian to hold such a position. He has performed in over 1,000 concerts and co-operated with some of the world's best known conductors and orchestras.

He was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when he took part in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Thousands of listeners were impressed by his musical skills.

Strad, CD Review and other internationally acknowledged journals put Xue on their covers. The Guardian has described Xue as "a devastating performer, combining formidable technical process with great breadth and variety of expression".

His records have won first place in the American Record Monthly, third in the British Classical Record and first in the CD World Monthly Award in Hong Kong while his works on "Butterfly Lovers Concerto" and the Chinese music "Homeland Dreams" were very well received.

Acclaimed as the "Father of Children's Choir" in Hong Kong, Dr Yip Wai-hong has just celebrated his 30 years in a career of providing music education to children. Founder of several local children's choirs in Hong Kong, Dr Yip is also the music director and conductor of the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra since 1976.

By using idioms of popular music and organising concert talks, the orchestra has successfully introduced serious music and Chinese orchestral music to the public and, at the same time, brought about an awareness of the indigenous culture.

Ticket at $130, $100 and $70 are now available at all URBTIX outlets with half-price concessions for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students. Programme enquiries can be made at 2734 2007 and reservation at 2734 9009.

End/Thursday, August 26, 1999

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