China News Service, Beijing, May 18 (Zhang Yangbin) "Yu Long, Wang Jian and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Concert" was held at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on the 18th. This is also the final stop of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s mainland tour.
This tour is led by the orchestra’s chief guest conductor Yu Long, and together with cellist Wang Jian, it brings a musical feast to the mainland audience. Before Beijing, the orchestra had performed in Wuxi, Shanghai, Wuhan, Changsha, Harbin and Shenyang, and held a series of education and outreach activities to promote orchestral music to schools and communities.
The concert that night was preluded by three national music pieces with traditional Chinese cultural characteristics, namely "The River Flows", "Walking to the West Exit" and "Opposite Flowers" taken from Bao Yuankai's "Yanhuang Customs" suite, through Western performance forms , showing the charm of Chinese Han folk songs.
Amid endless applause and cheers, the concert concluded with Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Arabian Nights” suite. The strings are gorgeous, the woodwinds are clear, and the brass are bright... This piece has rich orchestrations and tells a fantasy legend full of exotic colors.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has completed its 50th professional season, and this concert is one of the orchestra’s programs to celebrate its 50th anniversary. In an interview with a reporter from China News Service, Ho Pinda, the chief executive of the orchestra, said that the members of the orchestra have benefited a lot from the exchanges with mainland bands and music schools during this trip. He introduced that about half of the members of the orchestra are from other countries, "This allows us to better play the role of a bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges and present Chinese music in a world language."
Looking back on this tour, Huo Pinda said that he was surprised to see so many young audiences at the venue. "When listening to music, they are serious, enthusiastic and focused. They really like music, which shows the progress and development of music education in the mainland."
"'Backed by the motherland and connected to the world', Hong Kong's unique advantages are not only reflected in the fields of economy, trade, finance and other fields "In terms of art and culture, Hong Kong also has the characteristics of fusion and symbiosis of East and West." Cheng Weiyuan, Director of the Hong Kong SAR Government Office in Beijing, said that theatrical performances are a window for mainland audiences to understand Hong Kong, and he also hopes that more mainland orchestras can come to Hong Kong. Use this as a platform to go global. (End)
