In its 50th professional music season, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will hold the "Hong Kong Philharmonic 50th Anniversary" mainland tour in May this year. On the evening of May 18, under the leadership of chief guest conductor Yu Long, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the famous cellist Wang Jian concluded the mainland tour at the National Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall.
When it comes to the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, classical music lovers in Beijing always feel very familiar with it. As early as 2009, when the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra held its first mainland tour, it visited the National Center for the Performing Arts, which was completed less than a year and a half ago. In 2014, the orchestra made a stunning debut at the National Grand Theater under the leadership of then music director Jaap van Zweden. It has become a common memory in the hearts of a generation of music fans. After a gap of ten years, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the National Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall, continuing the indissoluble bond it has established with music fans in the capital over the years.
As the chief guest conductor, Yu Long has performed on the same stage with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra many times in the past few years. The two parties have established a close cooperative relationship. This tacit understanding from the stage to the stage was unreservedly demonstrated on May 18 at this concert today. The concert began with three selections of "Yanhuang Style" composed by composer Bao Yuankai based on Chinese folk music. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra demonstrated its mastery of Chinese music style. Cellist Wang Jian and conductor Yu Long also grew up in Shanghai. The two have decades of deep friendship and cooperation experience. In this concert, the two joined hands to perform Tchaikovsky as solo cello and orchestra. The "Variations on a Rococo Theme" was sincere and touching, fully displaying the soloist's gorgeous performance skills. Wang Jian, who is in his sixties, has superb skills and won lasting and warm applause from the audience.
Rimsky-Korsakov's "Arabian Nights", with its gorgeous orchestration and musical tension, has always been regarded as a touchstone for the symphony orchestra's timbre. In the second half of the concert, the Hong Kong Philharmonic made the audience truly feel the "sound of the Hong Kong Philharmonic" with its powerful and layered string parts, warm and soft woodwind parts and bright brass parts. Artistic charm. At the end of the concert, the Hong Kong Philharmonic also performed a special performance of "Under the Lion Rock", which vividly embodies the Hong Kong people's hard work, diligence, self-improvement, hard work, solidarity and indomitable fighting spirit.
In the past 11 days, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's "Hong Kong Philharmonic 50th Anniversary" Mainland Tour has performed in landmark theaters in seven cities: Wuxi, Shanghai, Wuhan, Changsha, Harbin, Shenyang, and Beijing, covering thousands of kilometers and totaling Tens of thousands of spectators. As the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s largest mainland tour in recent years, many audiences were able to hear the orchestra’s voice for the first time. "These two weeks have been very tiring for the musicians, but they are also very exciting." Hong Kong Philharmonic Chief Executive Officer Fok Pinda said in an interview that the tour is not only a good opportunity for intensive training for the orchestra, but also a good opportunity for intensive training. It helps to interact and cultivate with the audience. “We saw many young audiences from the mainland walking into the concert hall. They really like music. Especially after the performance in Changsha, there were many audiences waiting for autographs. This feels really good. I hope I can keep in touch with the fans after this tour.” Not only does it interact with the audience, the Hong Kong Philharmonic also deepens its communication with mainland orchestras during the tour. Hopinda revealed that every time it performs in a place, the orchestra will invite the music director of the local orchestra to come to the concert. "We have contacts with many local orchestras. We will not only cooperate in performance, but also have master classes and other activities. We hope to use These in-depth cooperation can further deepen music education, which will play a very important role in cultivating the next generation of musical talents.”
Photo courtesy of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra: Desmond Chan
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
.