 |
| Yo-Yo Ma performing one of his #songsofcomfort |
I can't remember the last time I attended a live classical music concert -- sometime last year, but who the artist was and when it is all a distant memory.
But good news -- from October 1, people can attend live performances, though at half capacity, and a maximum of two seats together, and probably everyone wearing masks.
Back in March, YTSL and I were going to attend a series of concerts during the Hong Kong Arts Festival, but the entire event had to be scrapped at the last minute. And now over six months later we can finally get a dose of culture in our lives.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZGagNhWoWSw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Ironically in times like these music is a very good way to comfort others, but with this pandemic we cannot gather.
While musicians like Yo-Yo Ma played pieces of music with the hashtag #songsofcomfort, tried to give some levity to people on social media, German pianist Igor Levit began streaming his performances every night from his home to fans around the world, and violinist Itzak Perlman, who tells a terrible joke and then about a minute of music. Wonder if this is going to be his new act?
 |
| Violinist Itzak Perlman tells some corny jokes |
In any event, one musician who has flown to Hong Kong and is now counting down the days in hotel quarantine is the young German pianist Alexander Krichel. He is here to perform with the
Hong Kong Sinfonietta on September 26 -- but there won't be anyone in the audience, though the concert will be recorded.
While stuck in his hotel room, Krichel has been admiring the city from his window in Wan Chai, and reports playing a lot of piano; he brought several books (The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, and A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking), but he hasn't touched them at all.
"I don't have to go anywhere or attend appointments. It's my best excuse ever to be with my piano for two weeks. It's amazing," said the 31-year-old, who has recorded a quarantine video diary on Facebook.
"By the third day, I wasn't jet lagged anymore and once I even practiced till 4.30 in the morning. With this
view of Hong Kong, it's very intimate, romantic moment with the piano. It's only us and it's so beautiful."
He added the experience in quarantine has reaffirmed his love for music and his profession.
 |
| Alexander Krichel in his hotel room in Hong Kong |
Krichel has come up with creative ways to still draw audiences during the pandemic. In May he staged a drive-in piano recital in Iserlohn, Germany, playing to about 200 people in 90 cars.
As of yesterday Krichel completed his quarantine and celebrated with a visit to the Peak! Too bad we won't get to watch him live after the two weeks of hotel prison he has gone through.
But hopefully we can catch a concert of two, before the fourth wave hits...
