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Four talented Chinese musicians, whose ages range from 75 to 84 will perform in "Music Evergreen - A concert of representative repertoires by venerable Chinese music virtuosi" at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on April 25 (Sunday) at 8pm.
The concert is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
The four virtuosi are Zhang Rui (erhu), Lu Chunling (dizi), Lin Shicheng (pipa) and Lin Maogen (zheng).
Programmes include classical works such as "A Beautiful Night" (erhu solo), "Festive March" (dizi solo), "King Chu Doffs His Armour" (pipa solo) and "Pining for the Secular World" (zheng solo).
A celebrated erhu master and composer in the Mainland with more than 60 years of performing experience, Zhang Rui won critical acclaim overseas for his performances at the 1955 Prague Spring International Music Festival and the 1958 Paris Theatre Festival, and during his European tours. By employing violin playing skills in erhu, Zhang has developed a number of original techniques and a style of his own, characterised by forceful bowing, rich and varied tone colours and diverse vibrato techniques, grace and strength in his performance. He was awarded the Lifetime Medal of Honour under the First Chinese Golden Bell Award in 2001.
Reputed as the Magic Flute, the renowned dizi virtuoso Lu Chunling is a lifetime honorary professor of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Wuhan Conservatory of Music. Lu is famous for his fusion of northern techniques and southern music. His masterly performance has turned works such as "Festive March" and "Festival Dance" into classical pieces. He has also learnt the wind instruments from overseas, and has nurtured a number of outstanding musicians such as Yu Xunfa. He has toured and performed extensively in 59 countries. Lu won the first Shanghai Literature and Arts Award in 1985 and the first Chinese Gold Album Award with "Flying Partridge" in 1989. In 1999 the "70-year Art Career of People's Musician Professor Lu Chunling" concert and seminar was held at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in recognition of his musical achievements.
Born in 1922, Lin Shicheng is a famous music educationist and pipa performer and is the only exponent of the Pudong school of pipa. He is recognised for his mastery of uncommon playing techniques and his ability to perform difficult pieces. He attaches great importance to music themes. With thorough understanding of the themes and superb artistic touch, Lin gives accurate and appropriate renditions of works on different themes. He has also composed many new works and developed new playing techniques on the genre.
Zheng master Lin Maogen was born in 1929 to a family of Chaozhou music virtuosi and his father, Lin Daoyao, was a renowned yehu performer. He learnt zheng from Zhang Hanzhai, the famous virtuoso of Chaozhou music. Lin is the contemporary exponent of the Chaozhou school of zheng and is acclaimed as master of Chaozhou zheng. He has an elegant, refreshing style, and is particularly known for his performance of the "Dynamic Five Tune". In 1991, he was awarded an honorary certificate at the National Zheng Conference in Chaoyang, Liaoning. In 1998, he was engaged as a visiting tutor of the Folk Music Class at the China Conservatory of Music, Beijing. Between 1983 and 1990, he was invited to perform and lecture in Hong Kong.
Concert tickets priced at $160, $130 and $100 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 Assistance recipients.
For programme inquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing inquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for internet booking, visit www.urbtix.gov.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.
A pre-concert talk (in Putonghua) will be held at 3.30pm on April 24 (Saturday) at AC2, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The four virtuosi will share their experiences with participants. Admission is free with seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ends/Tuesday, March 16, 2004
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