SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 1979
6
HK'S YOUTH SYMPHONY AND CHINESE ORCHESTRAS
GIVE COMBINED CONCERT IN U.K. ******
THE HONG KONG YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE YOUTH CHINESE ORCHESTRA MADE MUSICAL HISTORY WHEN THEY GAVE A COMBINED CONCERT AT THE LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL, ON TUESDAY (AUGUST 21) BEFORE AN AUDIENCE OF 2,000 PEOPLE.
THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OPENED PERFORMANCE WITH FANFARE IN WHICH THEY WERE JOINED BY A YOUTH ORCHESTRA FROM LIVERPOOL AND THE METROPOLITAN POLICE BAND.
IT THEN PERFORMED THE REPERTOIRE WHICH BY NOW HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY PREPARED AND REHEARSED, AND WHICH MUSIC CRITIC OF LIVERPOOL POST DESCRIBED AS +FASCINATING+.
YOUTH CHINESE ORCHESTRA FOLLOWED WITH PROGRAMME OF CLASSICAL CHINESE MUSIC. +THIS IS WHERE EAST MEETS WEST+ WAS HOW LIVERPOOL POST DESCRIBED THE PERFORMANCE.
THEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ANY ENGLISH CATHEDRAL, A CHINESE ORCHESTRA ACCOMPANIED A MIME BALLET COMPANY IN A PRODUCTION OF +THE MONKEY KING+.
THE DANCERS, IN THEIR COLOURFUL COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP, GAVE DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION OF FAMOUS EPISODE FROM THE CLASSICAL CHINESE NOVEL AND THRILLED AUDIENCE WITH THEIR SKILL, GRACE AND COMIC GESTURES, PERFORMANCE PROMPTED MUSIC CRITIC OF LIVERPOOL POST TO ASK +WHY SHOULD NOT OUR YOUTH ORCHESTRA TRY PLAYING CHINESE MUSIC?+
THE LORD MAYOR OF LIVERPOOL DESCRIBED THE OCCASION AS +A HISTORIC UNION BETWEEN THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND LIVERPOOL+.
AND YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) THE TWO YOUTH ORCHESTRAS GAVE THEIR FIRST PERFORMANCE IN LONDON IN THE JUBILEE GARDENS ON THE SOUTH BANK OF THE THAMES.
BEFORE THE OPEN-AIR PERFORMANCE TWO LIONS DANCED THEIR WAY FROM COUNTY HALL, HEADQUARTERS OF THE GREATER LONDON COUNCIL, TO THE GARDENS.
MANY SURPRISED ONLOOKERS FOLLOWED THEM AND STAYED TO HEAR THE CONCERT, WHICH OPENED WITH A FANFARE PERFORMED BY THE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
THE ORCHESTRA PERFORMED DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE PROGRAMME AND THE YOUTH CHINESE ORCHESTRA TOOK OVER FOR THE SECOND.
THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA WAS CONDUCTED BY MR. DAVID STONE. MUSIC CONSULTANT TO THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT, AND MR. THOMAS WANG. ITS PROGRAMME WHICH INCLUDED COMPOSITIONS BY RAVEL AND STRAUSS, WAS ROUNDLY APPLAUDED BY THE LARGE AUDIENCE.
THE HONG KONG YOUTH CHINESE ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTED BY MR. TONG
THE LEUNG TAK, PERFORMED CLASSICAL AND MODERN CHINESE MUSIC. AUDIENCE RESPONDED ENTHUSIASTICALLY TO BOTH THE MUSIC AND A PERFORMANCE OF TRADITION CHINESE DANCES.
EARLIER, THE...............