*********************************************************

Bryn Terfel is the biggest Welsh singing star to come along in years. Whether in opera, concert or song recital, his astonishing range of tonal colour and inflection creates twists and shadings that focus attention on the words. The award-winning bass-baritone will be staging a recital at 8pm on October 15 (Monday) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Works by Schubert, Schumann, Ibert, Finzi, Heggie, and a medley of Welsh folk songs will be featured in the recital, with piano accompaniment by Malcolm Martineau.

The Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Arthur Reckless and Rudolf Piernay, winning BBC Music Magazine "Artist of the Year" 1999, the solo vocal category in the Gramophone Awards for his album "An Die Musik", the "People's Award" voted by listeners of Classic FM at the Gramophone Awards for his recording of "The Vagabond", and a Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal performance for his recording of "Opera Arias". Renowned for his portrayal of Mozart roles, Terfel has performed "Figaro", "Leporello", "Don Giovanni", etc. in the world's leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera of New York, La Scala of Milan, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera House of London, the Chatelet of Paris, Lyric Opera Chicago, San Francisco Opera and the Salzburg Festival. He has an equally distinguished career on the concert platform, appearing with James Levine in Mahler's "Eighth Symphony", Claudio Abbado in Brahm's "Ein Deutsches Requiem". Terfel made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 1998. In summer 2000 he hosted his own festival in Faenol, North Wales.

Malcolm Martineau was born in Edinburgh, read Music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Music. His teachers have included Geoffrey Parsons, Kendall Taylor and Joyce Rathbone. He accompanied at masterclasses at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh for Dame Joan Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Suzanne Danco and Ileana Cotrubas. He presented his own series at St Johns Smith Square of the complete songs of Debussy and Poulenc and a Britten series at the Wigmore Hall that was broadcast by the BBC. Martineau has accompanied many of the world's leading singers including Dame Janet Baker, Thomas Allen, Sarah Walker, Della Jones, Bryn Terfel, etc. Among many noted instrumentalists he accompanies clarinettist Emma Johnson. He has appeared throughout the United Kingdom, North America, Australia and at the Aix-en-Provence, Vienna, Edinburgh, Hohenems and Salzburg Festivals.

One of the programmes in Encore Series presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and sponsored by Credit Suisse, tickets priced at $400, $300, $200 and $120 are now available at all URBTIX outlets. Half price concessions will be granted to senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistant Recipients (Limited student and CSSA tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis). A 10% discount is also available for Friends of LCSD performing venues and for each purchase of tickets for "Cello Recital by Janos Starker" and "Bryn Terfel (Bass-baritone) in Recital".

In addition, members of the public are encouraged to hire the VIP Box and Lounge for private gathering while enjoying the performance. The patrons who have bought the package of VIP Box and Lounge can enjoy their own receptions and entertainment at the Lounge in private as well as two complimentary car parking spaces. Interested parties of the above packages are advised to check the details at 2734 2941. Limited sale packages are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Programme enquiries can be made on 2734 2935 while ticketing enquiries and reservation on 2734 9009.

End/Friday, September 7, 2001

NNNN