Piazzolla's Tango on Stage

A clear view of the HK Philharmonic with social-distancing

Last night, for the first time in over a year, I attended a concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic in the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The concert, called "Piazzolla at 100!" featured the works of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, who would have been 100 on March 11. He is best known for his tango music, the most famous piece is Libertango.

When concertgoers entered the Cultural Centre, they had to either use the LeaveHomeSafe app, or write down their contact details. Seating inside the concert hall was quite spread out, with four people sitting together, separated by several seats and another set of four. 

The first three rows were blocked off, so I essentially sat in the first row! What a treat!

Piazzolla would have been 100 years old this year

All the orchestra members were masked except of course those playing wind instruments, who were separated by plexiglass partitions. Musicians usually sit in pairs sharing music, but now were spread out and each had their own music stand.

Argentine conductor Mariano Chiacchiarini, who is based in Germany, went through the 21-day quarantine in Hong Kong to lead a few concerts, including one on Brahms last week. I was surprised to see him come out with one of those plastic see-through masks, but realized he needed to show his facial expressions more clearly to the orchestra members.

He is very energetic and knowledgeable about Piazzolla, who was born in Argentina, but then moved to New York with his family when he was four years old. There he was exposed to tango through his father's records, and learned pieces by Bach on a bandoneon, a button accordion.

The first piece, Tangazo starts off slow and then becomes a very robust tango style. Piazzolla, Chiacchiarini explains, liked to use a lot of percussion in his work, even having the double bass musicians hit their instrument like a drum, or knock on it, while violinists make a funny squiggly sound, and even one that sounds like a quirky whip.

Tango purists did not like Piazzolla was doing to the music, and the conductor said that even taxi drivers refused to pick up the composer in protest, but he didn't mind -- he felt he was helping tango music not only gain a wider audience but also developed it further.

Piazzolla first learned music on the bandoneon

The second piece, The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, which is inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons, except Piazzolla's version starts with Summer, then Autumn, Winter then Spring. Here they played Winter and Spring. Originally it was only supposed to be played by a few instruments, and Piazzolla wrote it like a violin concerto, with the solo by the HK Phil's concert master, Jing Wang. 

He came out in a black T-shirt under a black jacket that had a dazzling silver spine at the back. One could tell he was itching to play and got a warm applause afterwards.

The orchestra also played music by Piazzolla's teacher, Alberto Ginastera called Estancia: Four Dances, op. 8a. When Ginastera was 25-years-old he was commissioned by the New York City Ballet's precursor to write a ballet score based on Argentine country life.

He wrote a one-act ballet where a city boy falls in love with the daughter of a cattle ranch owner, but he can only win her heart in a dancing contest with local cowboys. This piece had a very lively finish and we could imagine how the dancing went down in the competition!

Next up, some tango! Raymond Chu and Lily Cheng are well known in Hong Kong for their tango dancing and they came on stage -- very narrow due to the social-distancing of the musicians -- for them to dance. They seemed to look down on the ground often at first, perhaps a bit nervous about how much room they had to dance around in.

Lily Cheng and Raymond Chu danced the tango

But it was nice to see them dance to music by Piazzolla's contemporaries, like Gerardo Matos Rodriguez, and Julian Plaza. Chu and Cheng made it fun. In Piazzolla's Libertango, Cheng comes out on stage, but Chu hasn't arrived. Chiacchiarini turns around and she signals to him, Can you dance with me?

And he obliges and they twirl around a bit before Chu finally emerges on stage. Chiacchiarini points to his watch as if to say, "You're late!"

Check out this video of him conducting Libertango at the Lucerne Festival last year with fantastic tango dancers.

Afterwards the audience couldn't stop clapping for an encore (which sadly was a slow piece), but nevertheless, was a wonderful way to cap off a tough week for me work-wise and left me hoping to attend more concerts again in the future.

Piazzolla at 100!

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, April 16

Piazzolla: Tangazo

Piazzolla: The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: Winter, Spring

Ginastera: Estancia: Four Dances

Matos Rodriguez: La Cumparsita

Plaza: Nocturna

Piazzolla: Libertango

Film Review: Minari

Minari is about a Korean family making a new life in the US

 

When was the last time I saw a film? 

I saw a short documentary back in mid-November, but the last time I saw a film was probably about a year ago.

The 45th Hong Kong International Film Festival kicked off yesterday but not without controversy. 

Where the Wind Blows was pulled last minute

The opening film was supposed to be Where the Wind Blows and was pulled at the last minute by the film's owner for "technical reasons", a euphemism in China for censorship.

Starring Aaron Kwok Fu-shing and Leung Chiu-wai, Where the Wind Blows is about two resourceful detectives who forge dangerous alliances with organized crime in 1960s Hong Kong. 

As it is a joint production between a Hong Kong and Chinese companies, the film may not have received the proper approval on the mainland, or perhaps the subject matter was too sensitive with the portrayal of the police.

In any event, I watched Minari, the Golden Globe winner for foreign film (because the film is half in Korean and half in English) this afternoon at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's Grand Theatre. 

Alan Kim plays David in Minari

Every person who entered the Cultural Centre building had to either scan the QR code on the LeaveHomeSafe app or leave their contact details at the door, and everyone had to wear a mask, no consuming drinks or food inside.

Then inside the theatre, several seats were blocked off here and there where people could not sit. 

Minari is about a young Korean immigrant family that moves from California to Arkansas, the father Jacob played by Steven Yeun, is determined to make something of himself. 

He buys a plot of land with a trailer home with the intention of growing Korean vegetables, but his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) is hardly impressed, and tensions flare up between the two.

Then there is the sub plot of the adorable son David (Alan Kim) and older sister Anne (Noel Kate Cho) who desperately want their parents to stop arguing.

Youn is a very famous actress in Korea

When their maternal grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) comes to visit, there's some comic relief, but also three generations of cultural differences are revealed that make the film endearing.

Director Lee Isaac Chung wrote Minari based on his own parents coming to the United States to make a new life for themselves.

In an interview with Time magazine, Chung says: "When my dad was in junior high, all these American films started to be introduced into Korea for the first time. My dad started to watch westerns at dollar cinemas in Seoul and felt like America was a miraculous place. 

"His family had lost a lot of land during the Korean War and the Japanese occupation. That affected him a lot as a kid. He always felt like he needed to come to the US and get land. It's an old Hollywood pioneer story he was working on."

Chung with his daughter during Golden Globes

For many immigrant children the story in Minari resonates deeply, the heated arguments about sacrifice and money, how to raise Asian children in the west, and feelings of isolation. 

The film has been nominated for six Academy Awards this year and hopes are high it will win big following the momentum of Parasite!

Music from the Madness

Ning Feng (centre) talking about the joy of suffering in life and music

After this week's nonsense from the government about how barbecues emit more air pollution than tear gas, and blaming protesters for delays in the opening of the Sha Tin-Central MTR link, when in reality there have been a series of construction scandals at the Hung Hom Station, my friend YTSL and I escaped temporarily to the Concert Hall at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre for some music.

In October the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra won the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year which is quite a feat, but thanks to music director Jaap van Zweden, the orchestra has improved significantly in the past few years.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic the best orchestra in the world

Tonight though, the orchestra was led by principal guest conductor Yu Long, with an interesting programme that featured violinist Ning Feng.

The uncertainty of the protests resulted in the concert hall being just barely half full which was a pity because those who didn't buy a ticket missed a good show. To start, Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite that was very lively and lots of percussion involved.

Ning came out for the second piece called La joie de la souffrance for Violin and Orchestra. La joie de la souffrance means "the joy of suffering", and composer Chen Qigang was commissioned by Yu to write a contemporary Chinese music piece.

At first we found it hard to understand; at times the violin would follow the musical motif of the orchestra -- shouldn't it be the other way around? And also the music didn't seem to have many technically challenging aspects to show off Ning's amazing skills on the violin.

However, after the concert, Ning and Yu gave a short talk. Ning explained "the joy of suffering" with having a child. He had a second child, a girl this past March -- which may explain his weight loss -- and he said that while he was so happy to hold her in his arms, it also meant he would lose more sleep.

Yu Long and Ning Feng talk about tonight's concert

Ning said the piece was quite difficult to play and it took him a while to learn the piece. The piece is titled in French because Chen lives in France.

Meanwhile Yu explained that Chen wrote the piece incorporating a 2,000-year-old piece of Chinese music, called The Song of Yangguan, and tried to make it contemporary sounding. He also wrote the piece mourning the loss of his son, which made the music quite emotional to play. Apparently this composer likes to write different versions of this piece, and tonight was the Hong Kong premiere of it.

The final work of the evening was Carmen Suite by Rodion Shchedrin. YTSL showed me the program indicating it was 44 minutes long with 11 movements in it. We wondered if we would last. But I didn't read through the program and was pleasantly surprised by the Carmen excerpts that used a lot of percussion that kept the music lively and the momentum going. Was I the only person in the room nodding my head to the beat?

Afterwards Yu explained that he had conducted Bizet's Carmen many times and the music is not something that can or should be altered. However Yu says Shchedrin keeps the most important bits and strings them together along with using a lot of percussion, including drums, gong, triangle, xylophone, snare drum and tubular bells.

When the short talk was over, Ning obliged to take pictures with some fans and then went over to greet his uncle who came to see him perform. Looking forward to seeing him back in Hong Kong early next year!

Yu Long: The Firebird and Carmen
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Stravinsky
The Firebird Suite

Chen Qigang
La joie de la souffrance for Violin and Orchestra (Hong Kong premiere)

Rodion Shchedrin
Carmen Suite (After Bizet)

Star Wars in Concert

Darth Vader in the house outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

In case you're suffering from anti-extradition protest fatigue, this afternoon I did something a bit different and attended a screening of Star Wars: A New Hope at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, with music accompanied by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra!

On July 4 and 6 they performed A New Hope, and July 5 was The Empire Strikes Back. This was my first time going to a concert or screening like this and didn't know what to expect.

The harpist was in the way but in the end didn't matter

But the Star Wars fans were out in force, wearing their fan T-shirts or backpacks. One older gentleman sort of had the Darth Vader look minus the helmet and even carried a homemade light sabre with him.

There were even models dressed as Darth Vader and two storm troopers flanking him and people could pose for pictures with them. The line was too long...

I had a ticket three rows from the front on the far left so the harpist was blocking my view of the main screen, though there was another smaller one to the left. Around me were people who probably don't normally go to concerts, and this is probably the whole point of these concerts for the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

The conductor, Benjamin Northey waved a small glowing red stick and gave a short speech, explaining this concert was not like typical ones where you aren't supposed to clap until the end. He encouraged us to clap and react to the music or the film whenever we wanted. That got a big applause from the audience.



And then the orchestra started with that familiar theme by John Williams and everyone clapped with excitement just as the film began. I had completely forgotten the first few scenes of A New Hope, and it was a good refresher. I also loved the feisty dialogue between Princess Lei and Han Solo.

Carrie Fisher was so pretty back then! She was only 19 when she took on the role. But she took on the character with a lot of confidence.

Very young Han Solo, Princess Lei and Luke Skywalker...

Here's one fantastic line: "Governor Tarkin, I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board," she says upon meeting the Imperial officer.

Ouch!

Or how about "Will someone get this big walking carpet out of my way?" she says, pushing Chewbacca.

My only complaint about this concert format is that there were some points where the live music was a bit too loud and we couldn't hear the dialogue, though there were subtitles in Chinese. And no one seemed to laugh during the witty one-liners except for me...

Just as the Millennium Falcon gets sucked into the Death Star, there was a 20-minute intermission, and more people lined up again to take pictures with Darth Vader and his two storm troopers.

After we got back to our seats, Darth Vader (the model) made a brief appearance in the concert hall behind me. And then the film restarted again and played until the end. Even though I have watched the film a few times, I was nervous about everyone getting back to the Millennium Falcon in one piece, and the last action sequence where Luke Skywalker has to do the most important mission.

A company is selling kits to make the Millennium Falcon...

Now when you watch the film, the technology of the planes and space ships look very rudimentary compared to computer generated images of today, but the magic of Star Wars and the concept of "the force" is still there. Alec Guinness as Obi One Kenobi is awesome, while Harrison Ford's cockiness is perfect for Han Solo.

The orchestra kept playing as the credits rolled, and this is probably the only time that the audience will sit through the whole thing! We clapped and clapped, with conductor Northey coming out twice for bows, but sadly no encore.

Still it was lots of fun! Lots of nostalgia and one couldn't help but think of the analogies of the rebel forces against the Evil Empire with what's happening in Hong Kong at the moment...

Star Wars in Concert
A New Hope
July 6
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall
Music by John Williams

A Banging Percussion Orchestra

The Li Biao Percussion Group was established in 2005

In an orchestra setting, the percussionists are always in the back. They have big drums and other instruments like xylophones, triangles, a gong, and the occasional bird call.

It's pretty cool they can play a lot of different things, but usually they don't get much "air time" during a concert, which is why my friend YTSL and I chose to listen to a concert only featuring percussion, part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Called From Baroque to Tango, the Li Biao Percussion Group is made of Li, who is originally from Nanjing, and five other musicians four from Germany one from Denmark. They don't seem to come together often, as they all have teaching jobs -- the Dane is based in Rio de Janeiro -- so having them perform together was a treat. Two of them also composed pieces we heard.



Li's specialty seems to be the marimba, as he played that the most, while the other musicians would alternate between marimbas, drums and other intriguing instruments making unique sounds. We heard pieces like Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major, RV93 with marimbas and drums, and even Johannes Sebastian Bach's Italian Concerto, BWV 971. It's different hearing classical music played with the marimba in particular, but Bach seems to match the instrument, with the accompaniment of a harpsichord.

Interesting set up of the instruments! Including a harpsichord

Then there were other pieces like Japanese composer Minoru Miki, who wrote Marimba Spiritual specifically for marimba virtuoso Keiko Abe. It starts off with Li playing a marimba solo and then gradually builds to include drums and ends with an energetic finish.

One arresting piece minus Li was Steve Reich's Music for Pieces of Wood. Five musicians have tuned claves, or short, thick wooden dowels and two of them are constantly playing throughout the 10-minute piece. Meanwhile others chime in and shift their speed.

Reich likes to describe it as "imagine listening to a kaleidoscope. A pattern is established, then shifts as with the click of the kaleidoscope". We were mesmerized by the synchronized beats and how well they played together.

Li had his own solo in Crossover for Snare Drum Solo by Wolfgang Reifeneder, playing four different kinds of music, military, Viennese waltz, pastoral and then "spirited", where Li even got down on his knees and hit his chair legs and anything else around him. It was fun.



The last piece was American composer Russell Peck's Lift-Off! Before they played the piece, Li warned it involved nine drums so it would be very, very loud. It required a lot of stamina to play the drums that long and together in time, rolling like waves, one set of drums very loud, then the next set, then then next, and then back again. It was thrilling to watch and hear!

After each piece, the musicians would point at Li with their marimba or drum sticks, while Li would point back at them, as if to say, "You're da man!" It was quite amusing.

Nevertheless, that was my last concert from the Hong Kong Arts Festival and glad it ended with a bang!

From Baroque to Tango, The Li Biao Percussion Group
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Rudolf Alexander Bauer, Seven Seas

Antonio Vivaldi (arr. Li Biao), Concerto in D Major, RV93
Allegro
Larghetto
Allegro

Steve Reich, Music for Pieces of Wood

George Hamilton Green, Ragtime Suite

Minoru Miki, Marimba Spiritual

Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. Li Biao), Italian Concerto, BWV 971
Allegro
Andante
Presto

Wolfgang Reifeneder, Crossover for Snare Drum Solo
Military, traditional
Highly Viennese
Pastoral
Spirited, hilarious

Philipp Jungk, Taklamakan

Astor Piazzolla (arr. Li Biao), Escualo, La Muerte del Angel, Libertango

Russell Peck, Lift-Off!

Jazz from a Classical Pianist

Lively performance tonight by pianist Denis Matsuev and other musicians

Denis Matsuev, 43, is a prodigy pianist, starting his lessons at the keyboard from the age of three. It also probably helped that his mother was a piano teacher and his father a pianist and composer.

When he was 23 years old, he won the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1998, establishing himself as a classical pianist.

However, ever since he was young, he listened to jazz records his father played at home, and Matsuev's first TV appearance in 1990 on a show called Morning Star, he played his own jazz composition called Paris Memories.

He can easily play both classical and jazz on the piano

"My father used to collect recordings of outstanding jazz musicians. I listened to them all my life as far as I can remember myself, and I always tried to improvise," he recalled in an interview with TASS in 2017.

"I like it, and I do not see any reason why I should renounce this pleasure. And sometimes, I feel like taking it easy and making fun on stage to put smiles on people's faces."

That's what he did tonight, which contrasted with Thursday night when he gave a Tchaikovsky piano recital, and then last night performed with young musicians, both at Hong Kong City Hall.

This evening he still wore his white bow tie and evening coat but let it rip with an energetic jazz show that seamlessly integrated Russian music and instruments.

At the start of the show at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre that was almost full, Matsuev explained that while classical music is his "wife", jazz is his "lover".

He and several musicians played 10 pieces, some as solos, some as a group. It started with an enthusiastic rendition of improvisations on a Theme from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, followed by an accordion player, Aydar Gaynullin who performed Libertango by Astor Piazzola that had a tango flair.



Then a 12-year-old saxophonist, Sofia Turina came on stage and played Csardas by Vittorio Monti with the group, and a quick 43-second Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. When that piece is played on a sax, it really does sound like a buzzing bee.

Another drummer came out -- a young kid, Daniil Gulevich, who accompanied the group in Fly Away: Variations on Themes from Alexander Borodin and Paul Desmond arranged by Matsuev's double bassist Andrey Ivanov. During his solo, Gulevich couldn't resist and for about 10 minutes was banging away at the drums... cool, but past the five-minute mark we were wondering, when is this going to end? That was the only part that lagged in the concert.

Matsuev also showed off his composition skills with two lovely pieces, Baikal Samba in a tribute to Lake Baikal with a watery theme, and Ballad.

Andrey Gorbachev came out -- no relation to the former Soviet leader -- but this man is a virtuoso on the balalaika, a triangle-shaped guitar that only has three strings. He quickly showed us why he's so good, plucking and strumming the instrument so fast we were completely mesmerized. Then he joined in on variations of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the group that was lots fun, followed by improvisations on a Theme from Peer Gynt Suite. Here's an idea of what they played:



The final piece, Fiesta by Matsuev and Ivanov was definitely festive, and after playing their solo, each musician would leave the stage. In the end it was Ivanov on the double bass with Alexander Zinger on the drums, and then just the drum solo before they all came back on stage to finish the song.

We all clapped loudly, hoping for an encore, but sadly that was the end of the show, that ended as expected at one hour and 50 minutes.

 

Matsuev and Friends Play Jazz
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Improvisations on a Theme from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, arranged by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Libertango by Astor Piazzolla

Csardas by Vittorio Monti

Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolia Rimsky-Korsakov

Fly Away: Variations on Themes from Alexander Borodin and Paul Desmond by Andre Ivanov

Baikal Samba and Ballad by Denis Matsuev

Variations on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov arranged by Denis Matsuev

Improvisations on a Theme from Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg, arranged by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Fiesta by Denis Matsuev and Andrey Ivanov

Stellar Classical Music Performance

The audience thoroughly enjoyed tonight's concert in the Cultural Centre

The 47th HK Arts Festival kicked off this evening with a concert by the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop.

Alsop is known as one of Leonard Bernstein's best students, and last year was busy performing for his 100th anniversary global celebrations.

Conductor Marin Alsop was a protege of Leonard Bernstein

Not only is she music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, but also principal conductor and music director of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra. Later this year she will become chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra too.

This evening the opening concert was held at the Concert Hall in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and it was shockingly not full -- part of the reason was when booking tickets, there was no way to know where you would be sitting except have a general idea due to the price of your ticket.

My friend YTSL bought the tickets -- HK$720 (US$92) each and that landed us in the nosebleed section! We can only imagine how much it cost to sit closer to the stage. But in terms of acoustics we were happy, though it was disappointing to see large patches of areas where no one was sitting. The organizers will have to think twice about how they have overcharged for this event.

Nevertheless the real reason why YTSL bought these tickets was to see violinist Ning Feng! He seems to have lost some weight which is a good thing.

Ning Feng did not disappoint with Paganini

He definitely did not disappoint, playing Niccolo Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 6. His fingers were so deft on the violin neck that it hardly looked like it was a difficult task for him. The audience was completely rapt with his performance that we could only stare and appreciate his technical and artistic flair that was so precise.

Each movement was quite long, but designed to showcase the soloist's violin skills. Needless to say we were blown away.

He played an encore, but I couldn't hear clearly what he was going to play, though it was still spellbinding!

After the intermission we settled into more of Alsop leading the orchestra in Camargo Guanieri's Suite Vila Rica that in part IX Humoristico had a nice latin beat to it, and part X Baiao - Gingando also had a nice rhythm to it.

Alsop leads the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra

This was followed by a long-winded Richard Strauss piece, Der Rosenkavalier Suite. It took a long time to build up to the end that featured a lot of percussion from the triangle to giant drums and snare drums to French horns, flutes, a harp and even keyboard.

Alsop was so thrilled by our response (we made up for the small audience numbers with big claps and shouts of approval) that she got the orchestra to play two encores, both not classical and got us all excitedly clapping at the end.

We hope the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra enjoyed playing here -- they do have another concert tomorrow -- and thank you Ning Feng for the amazing performance!

Marin Alsop with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra
February 21, Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Sergei Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op 25
Allegro
Intermezzo - Larghetto
Gavotte - Non troppo Allegro
Finale - Molto vivace

Niccolo Paganini, Violin Concerto No 1 in D major, Op 6 (performed with Ning Feng)
Allegro maestoso
Adagio espressivo
Rondo - Allegro spiritoso

Camargo Guarnieri, Suite Vila Rica (exerpts)
I. Entrada - Maestoso
IV. Scherzando
VII. Valsa (Waltz)
VIII. Saudoso (Homesick)
IX. Humoristico (Humorous)
X. Baiao - Gindando (Bahian dance - Swaying)

Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Prelude
Presentation of the Silver Rose
Baron Ochs's Waltz
"lst ein Traum"
Waltz

Ashkenazy Returns to Hong Kong

Ashkenazy returns to Hong Kong with a pastoral-themed concert

The last time I saw Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy perform in Hong Kong was many years ago, a piano recital at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. We sat above the stage so that we could see his fingers on the keyboard, but I can't remember what the program was. I just thought it was amazing that he was still playing so well at his age.

And now he's 80 years old and back, this time conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic in a program that includes talented violinist Esther Yoo, a Korean-American who is only 23. It's a pity for the second concert on a Saturday night (tonight) that the seats were barely half full, but that meant a quieter audience in general.

The third piece was Beethoven's Symphony no. 6, Pastoral

When Ashkenazy came out, he wore his usual jacket with a white turtleneck shirt underneath. And he just wanted to get the program started with right away, beginning with Russian composer Alexander Glazunov's Chopiniana, a delightful, accessible piece, and the conductor kept the orchestra in military precision.

Next Yoo came out in a bright red sparkly dress to perform Glazunov's Violin Concerto, just over 20 minutes that was definitely a vehicle to show off the violinist's talents, from playing chords to plucking, soft to loud. She had her eyes closed for most of the performance, setting the pace and enjoying herself on stage.

In reading her biography, the Korean-American was born in the US and raised in Europe since the age of six. She picked up the violin when she was four and made her first concert debut at eight. Talk about young talent.

Esther Yoo picked up the violin at the age of four

After the piece was over, Ashkenazy put his baton between his teeth to clap for her and then made an action like playing the violin so he could leave the stage. She performed an encore, saying she was thrilled to be back in Hong Kong.

Finally after an intermission, Ashkenazy was back to conduct Beethoven's Symphony no. 6, Pastoral. It definitely evokes pastoral scenes of idyllic rolling hills, flocks of sheep grazing and young lovers having a budding romance.

The five movements seemed to be compressed into three, as Ashkenazy didn't want to waste time with formalities. The drama began to build in the third movement onwards with the wind section holding their own. And soon it was all over, and the Maestro went around shaking the musicians' hands.

She seems self-assured on stage at the age of 23

Ashkenazy's Pastoral

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

May 25-26

Glazunov Chopiniana

Glazunov Violin Concerto

Beethoven Symphony no. 6, Pastoral

Ning Feng Comes to Town

Ning Feng is a crowd favourite in Hong Kong and he loves us too

Now that my office is in Times Square in Causeway Bay, I take the MTR to work and walk up the slope to get out of the station. On the way there are many posters and one of them was called "Scottish Fantasy" featuring violinist Ning Feng -- YTSL's favourite musician.

I finally remembered to tell her about it over a week ago and she was very surprised to hear about it because she keenly looks out for concerts she's interested in. We didn't know what the ticket situation would be like so I bought them right away -- third row from the stage!

There were still front row tickets too, but we didn't want to be that close.

In the end it turned out there was no one in front of us so in a way we did have front row seats. The concert wasn't that well advertised -- a last-minute addition? And also it's the tail-end of Qing Ming and Rugby Sevens is on. As a result the concert hall wasn't packed, which was a bit disappointing, but we were in for a treat.

Ning has played many times with the HKPO

First up, An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise, op. 120 by Peter Maxwell Davies. We didn't quite know what was going on here -- bits of tunes were stitched together like a patchwork quilt and didn't necessarily go together sound-wise. It was hard to follow at times. But at the end conductor Yu Long looked behind him and we heard a bag piper, Robert Jordan -- in full uniform from the back of the concert hall and walk down the stairs by us and then up to the stage.

Next Ning came out to perform Scottish Fantasy, op. 46 by Max Bruch. The violinist looked like he'd lost a bit of weight and wearing his signature untucked black shirt and trousers. The music was fun and had a strong Scottish theme, but it wasn't very challenging for Ning.

After the performance he came out with his violin and spoke to the audience. In English he said that he loves playing in Hong Kong and in particular with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He said for piano there are many pieces to choose from for an encore, but not violin -- it's either Bach or Paganini.

He asked the audience what they'd like to hear and some said "both", but he asked us to put up our hands for Bach (not many), and then Paganini (a lot). So which Paganini piece? YTSL said God Save the King along with another audience member, but Ning wasn't too keen to do that. He conferred with the concertmaster Jing Wang before deciding on Paganini's Caprice no. 24. Here is a version of it he played many years ago.

We were spellbound while he played it with gusto -- at one point he was plucking the strings with his left hand so quickly and effortlessly while his bow struck the strings that we couldn't help but clap. He still had his bow up, ready to continue playing -- when we stopped.

It was nice to be able to watch him up close -- he was very much enjoying the music and fusing together with his instrument and having a good time.

After the intermission it was Symphony no. 3 in A minor, op. 56, Scottish by Felix Mendelssohn. There were five movements here and while we enjoyed the playing, we couldn't help but wonder if more could have been done to create more tone in terms of volume. Everything was mezzo forte and louder, but what about creating more contrast in volume to make things more interesting?

Nevertheless, a good evening out -- the concert finished just after 10pm. But we couldn't find a quiet spot for drinks after!

Scottish Fantasy

April 6 and 7, 8pm

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Russian Soft Power through Music

Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov at the piano

Tonight I attended a Hong Kong Arts Festival concert by the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov" -- a mouthful to pronounce, but a fantastic performance made even better by the fun encore at the end.

The State Orchestra is one of the oldest symphonic ensembles in Russia, formed in 1936 and it was granted the honorary title of "Academic" in 1972, while "Evgeny Svetlanov" was tacked on as he was the longest serving music director for 35 years.

The Russian State Orchestra performed in Hong Kong

And as a soft power initiative, the program featured Russian composers of course -- Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) and Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971).

But first Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 1 in F-sharp minor, Op 1 (1917 version) performed by pianist Denis Matsuev. I sat on the right side of the stage so I was unable to watch him playing at the keys, but he gave a solid performance. The first movement was so exciting for the audience that many couldn't help themselves and clap!

It's the 1917 version, as Rachmaninov had written his first piano concerto when he was 18, but revised it in 1917 as the Bolshevik Revolution was happening.

The music started with a dramatic flourish and overall had a romantic feel, and Matsuev had ample chances to show off his technical skills. Meanwhile the orchestra was robust, in particular the percussion with up to four musicians playing drums, xylophone, triangle and tambourine.

The finish culminated into quite the flourish. Conductor Kristjan Jarvi doesn't like to break too long between movements, going one after the other and before you know it, the piece is over.

Denis Matsuev is considered a Rachmaninov expert

After a very short break Matsuev and Jarvi returned to the stage for Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18 by Rachmaninov. It is considered a piece that helped the composer work his way out of a long episode of depression caused by a disastrous premiere of his First Symphony in 1897.

Apparently the Piano Concerto No 2 helped cure his creative block and restored his confidence, and it was well received. Unlike the first piano concerto, this one starts off very quiet and quickly builds into big chords that signal the tolling of bells.

More fingers flying over the keys continue and at one point Matsuev gets a short break that he uses to wipe his brow. The second movement is recognizable and perhaps a tribute to Tchaikovsky.

At the end a guy two rows in front of me jumped up and clapped and would not sit down until Matsuev returned to give a short encore. It's quite fitting this pianist is performing here -- he is considered a Rachmaninov expert, having collaborated with the Sergei Rachmaninov Foundation established by the composer's grandson. Matsuev was even invited to play on Rachmaninov's piano in his home in Lucerne. Talk about goosebumps.

Kristjan Jarvi is an energetic conductor on stage

Following the intermission, the orchestra reassembled to perform Stravinsky's The Firebird (1945 Suite). Conductor Jarvi practically danced on the podium and it was a lively performance throughout, hardly pausing very long between movements.

The music is meant to complement the ballet The Firebird that has a good-versus-evil plot based on Russian sources. It alternates between heavy percussion clashes and pastoral light melodies.

When the performance was over, the audience was excited and clapping loudly, but many of the orchestra members stood stony faced -- were they told not to show their emotions? It seemed strange for them not to want to at least crack a smile that their performance for the evening was over?

Meanwhile conductor Jarvi was very happy and the orchestra played a fun encore -- was it Strauss? And encouraged the audience to clap along and sing ho ho ho. We clapped some more, but Jarvi put his two hands together and cocked his head as if motioning to want to sleep so that was the end of that.

Roots

Denis Matsuev, piano

Kristjan Jarvi, conductor

State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov"

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Sergei Rachmaninov

Piano Concerto No 1 in F-sharp minor, Op 1 (1917 version)

Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op 18

Igor Stravinsky

The Firebird (1945 Suite)

Yujia Wang's Distracting Dress

Here is pianist Yujia Wang covered up! in a promotional poster

Tonight was the season opener for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the soloist was superstar pianist Yujia Wang.

It's quite amazing that I've seen her perform for 10 years now -- I saw her play in a small concert hall in Beijing in 2007.

And tonight she played in front of several who's who -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, principal guest conductor Yu Long, former lawmaker Emily Lau Wai-hing former Hong Kong Monetary Authority Joseph Yam Chi-kwong to name a few.

While her performance tonight of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no. 1 was mesmerizing, she doesn't seem to have matured as a person.

This is the dress she wore (here with the Santa Cruz Symphony)

She walked on stage in this revealing dress -- a turquoise number with a deep V both in the front and back, but it was actually covered up with skin-coloured cloth. Then she could barely walk and I soon could see why -- she was wearing platform heels which forced her to stick her butt out.

When she sat down -- and we sat behind her -- we could see her G-string... how classy.

Why was she wearing such a skin-tight dress with skin-coloured fabric? This is not figure skating! This is a performance at a concert hall! And those heels -- gold coloured too -- belonged on the dance floor. Hardly sexy or sophisticated.

As for the music, we really loved her playing, but that bow afterwards needs some work. She just flings her head down, puts her right arm across her chest and shuffles off in that skin-tight dress that might as well be a nylon tube sock. She hardly acknowledged the crowd sitting behind the orchestra -- at least Lang Lang would have given them a few bows in gratitude.

And what about some kudos so the orchestra that performed with her? She barely gave any thanks to them except finally shaking the hand of the concert master before again shuffling off.

She seemed ambivalent about giving an encore, but when the audience won't stop clapping, surely they want to hear more?

Wang finally obliged -- twice -- and we were very pleased. But how about a bit of humility? Or was it nerves from performing in front of dignitaries or the dress and shoes weren't working out?

If she's not comfortable in them, she really shouldn't wear them. I want to see a performer who is confident and happy and shows some grace. I guess she still has a lot to learn.

After the intermission, the Hong Kong Phil gave a very lively performance of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. Music director Jaap van Zweden was militant about the timing and also jumped up and down several times to make his point.

The orchestra replied with fantastic sound that resonated throughout the concert hall, dischordant at times, but very experimental and full of energy and full use of the entire orchestra, especially percussion!

When the concert was over, with two rounds of clapping, Carrie Lam got out of her seat to approach the stage. My friend nudged me to leave so we did -- along with scores of other people!

Season Opening: Jaap & Yujia

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 1

Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Symphonic Rhapsody

A quick panoramic shot of the stage before the concert

Just got back from a fantastic concert by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and violinist Ning Feng.

My friend YTSL is a big fan of his and bought our tickets two months ago. Turns out they were for the front row!

What's interesting is that these tickets were not the most expensive ones, probably because the sound seems to go over your head, though we sat right by the cellists and got a good dose of their warm sound, but we couldn't see beyond the string section.

Nevertheless it's a good place to be when you want to watch one of your favourite musicians as close as possible.

Ning Feng is always a crowd pleaser in Hong Kong

The concert started with a commissioned work by Fung Lam called Quintessence that was sponsored by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation. Quintessence refers to the fifth and highest essence after the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.

The 10-minute piece was lively with bursts of energy here and there. In one section, the violinists repeated a phrase one after another, literally making the sound carry back like ripples in the water.

Next was the main event. YTSL has watched Ning six times, this was my third. We both observed he had lost some weight but none of his finesse. He performed Bela Bartok's Violin Concerto no. 2 with gusto.

He had the music in front of him, so perhaps it wasn't a showcase piece for him, but it didn't matter. We were swayed by his energy, and when he finished, he seemed to be wiped out.

But he was energized again by the appreciative audience who wouldn't stop clapping. Eventually he performed an encore -- JS Bach's Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major - Largo. Here he played with no music, his eyes closed, his eyebrows constantly moving up and down expressively.

Meanwhile his playing was just exquisite, so quiet and yet every note was clear (or maybe because we were in the front row!).

Here's a sample of what he played, though here it's performed by Hilary Hahn:

We clapped loudly again, but sadly no second encore.

After the intermission, we settled in for the 45-minute Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 68 by Johannes Brahms.

HKPO's musical director Jaap van Zweden

It's interesting that the program notes say Brahms worked on this piece and then revised it again within a 10-year period. He apparently kept reworking his music and so it's not surprising this piece sounded like everything was well thought out with a rich, full sound.

By the end we were all swept up into the climax and couldn't help but clap loudly with a few shouts from the audience for the orchestra's music director Jaap van Zweden, who will be the next music director of the New York Philharmonic in 2018.

Fung Lam, Quintessence

Bela Bartok, Violin Concerto no. 2

Johannes Brahms, Symphony no. 1 in C minor, op. 68

Fans Swoon for Yo-Yo Ma

A fantastic performer and warm guy, Yo-Yo Ma

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is someone I've long wanted to see perform live and somehow never got the chance.

When I saw an ad that he was coming to town to open the 2016-17 season for the Hong Kong Philharmonic, I tried to get a ticket. All the cheap ones were gone and unlike the Gustav Dudamel concert where I had to shell out for the most expensive tickets, this time I got the second-most expensive ones.

Waiting for the concert to begin in the concert hall

The concert hall at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre was almost full, and I sat up in the balcony, towards the top in the centre section. Great seat.

The Hong Kong Phil started the evening with Georges Bizet's Symphony in C conducted by Yu Long. It was wonderful to see Yu again -- I used to watch him conduct the China Philharmonic in Beijing and felt he was so passionate about classical music, and very classy too.

Following a short break, we all gathered back in anticipation of watching Ma. But wait a second -- while the platform was there for him next to the conductor's podium, where was his seat?

Luckily one of the violinists went back stage to ask for one and a stage hand brought it out, with some applause. He should have taken a bow or was too embarrassed!

Then Ma came out to much applause. He is so gracious and warm, treating orchestra members like cherished colleagues. He work a dark suit and tie, and once the music started, he was full immersed in it, playing his cello so softly we had to be very quiet to hear it.

He played Dvorak's Silent Woods, op. 58, no. 5, a very short piece that was reflective and showcased Ma's mastery of the cello as he played with the orchestra. So ethereal.

Then Ma was joined by Wu Tong, a sheng player to perform Duo, Concerto for Cello and Sheng by Zhao Lin.

Before the concert, a shot of the moon

In the program notes, it says the composition is based on The Great Tang Dynasty Record of Western Regions by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang.

The music is supposed to depict his journey through hardships, hesitation and ultimately leading to tranquility, and so there are three movements too that flow into each other seamlessly.

The sheng is a mouth-blown reed instrument with several pipes. I just remember it having a loud, brash sound, usually marking joyous occasions in folk songs.

But here it was deftly played by Wu, very softly, hardly rough around the edges. And as he played he undulated as if he was dancing with his instrument.

Parts of the music gave the impression of being in the desert, the cello and sheng having a conversation back and forth, complementing each other, very poetic and lyrical. By the end they kind of disappear into nothingness.

There was one encore with Wu and Ma, another composition that was inspired by a drinking song, before Ma came back on his own with another encore accompanied with the orchestra.

As he left the stage, Ma hugged or shook hands with many orchestra members, who were probably so thrilled to perform with him, and getting a hug must have been the jackpot.

And he gets to do it all again tomorrow.

Season Opening - Yo-Yo Ma

Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Bizet Symphony in C

Dvorak Silent Woods, op. 58, no. 5

Zhao Lin Duo

Classical Music Eye Candy

Wang Yujia wore this dress tonight, the same as when she met the Queen

Tonight was the first of two concerts given by fast-rising star Wang Yujia with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the handover. The concert was sponsored by a health product company, though not all members of the audience got any samples to try.

There were some bigwigs sitting in prime seats -- former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa, former secretary for justice Elsie Leung Oi-sie, and members of Tung's extended family, as the Tung Foundation was a sponsor.

The orchestra players had settled in, practicing on stage and were about to finish, when Grandpa Tung decided to go up the stairs to the loo. And we actually waited for him to come back and take his seat before the concertmaster came out.

Seriously?

Wang showing off some leg and skin in a concert in LA

If it was any other person, the concert would have started without him/her and they would have to wait at least half an hour to get back in.

But back to the concert. I saw her perform back in May 2007 in Beijing when she was 19 years old and was impressed then so I was curious to see how Wang had developed her musical talent.

From then to now she has gotten some flack for her outfits, though she seems to brush off the critics. She's worn very short dresses, and says she'll get to wearing longer ones when she's 40.

Uh huh.

Tonight she walked out in a florescent lime green dress with a deep V at the back, and lots of intricate cut outs in strategic places, and there was a mini train at the back. It was a pretty amazing feat not to trip on her dress.

But I wish she'd have a stylist help her pick some not so obnoxious clothes... you can be a rebel at the keyboard and look cool too...

For tonight's concert she played Mozart's Piano concerto no. 9 in E flat, K.271, Jeunehomme -- but not from memory. The sheet music was placed on top of the piano and she had no problems playing and flipping pages at the same time.

However, not having memorized the piece seem to have prevented her from fully expressing herself, even though she had fantastic technique in manipulating the piano to get the sounds she wanted.

This piece is Mozart's ninth piano concerto out of 27, and academics consider it to be the first of the composer's outstanding works. It started off light and refreshing, with the piano coming in very soon after the beginning.

But things seemed to drag in the second movement that Wang seemed to play robotically, though things picked up at the end. It seemed like a piece she didn't seem keen to perform and felt like her talents were wasted -- that she was raring to go elsewhere.

She got a rousing applause and came out several times and made very energetic bows with her arm across her heart... then walking carefully back inside. Wang finally did an amazing encore, a riff on a minuet that had a jazzy lilt and technically became more intense towards the end.

Like Lang Lang, she's a show stopper and it was a nice way for her to finish her participation in the concert.

And likewise it seemed Grandpa Tung had had enough for the day; he and members of his entourage left during intermission. Too bad for them because they missed a fantastic performance.

Conductor Jaap van Zweden led the orchestra in Beethoven's Symphony no. 3 in E flat, Eroica. Originally Beethoven wrote this piece dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, a musical way to pay homage to the leader.

Two years later, though, Napoleon declared himself Emperor, which meant he would consider himself above others. Beethoven was so angry that he apparently ripped his title page in half and threw it on the floor. It was later changed from to Eroica.

The performance overall was so energetic and lively, it was a pleasure to watch van Zweden in action. I sat on the balcony, on the left side of the concert hall and was able to see him making facial expressions, and a closer look at the musicians.

Most commendable were clarinetist John Schertle and flautist Megan Sterling.

What a contrast between the first and second halves of the concert! Glad I stayed to the end!

Yujia Wang Triptych 1 -- Mozart

Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 9 in E flat, K.271, Jeunehomme

Allegro

Andantino

Rondeau: Presto

Beethoven: Symphony no. 3 in E flat, Eroica

Allegro con brio

Marcia funebre: Adagio assai

Scherzo: Allegro vivace

Finale: Allegro molto