Missing the Music

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.

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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...

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