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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1982

ARTS FESTIVAL YOUTH CONCERT TO FEATURE WORLD-PREMIERE WORK

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THE MUSIC OFFICE TODAY ANNOUNCED DETAILS OF THE CONCERT TO BE GIVEN ON TUESDAY (FEBRUARY 9) IN THE CITY HALL CONCERT HALL AS PART OF THE 10TH HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL. THE CONCERT WILL INCLUDE A WORLD PREMIERE OF A SPECIALLY COMMISSIONED WORK.

COMBINING FORCES WILL BE THE 73-STRONG HONG KONG YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE 60-MEMBER HONG KONG ISLAND YOUTH CHOIR IN A RICH AND VARIED PROGRAMME OF CHORAL AND ORCHESTRAL WORKS, CONDUCTED BY DAVID STONE.

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH'S 'FESTIVAL OVERTURE', A BRIGHT, CHEERFUL WORK OPENS THE CONCERT AS A GESTURE OF WELCOME TO THE COMPOSER'S SON AND GRANDSON, WHO ARE ALSO TAKING PART IN THE 1982 ARTS FESTIVAL.

FOLLOWING THIS, THE FIRST PERFORMANCE WILL BE GIVEN OF HONG KONG BASED COMPOSER TIMOTHY WILSON'S WORK, 'DRUM THAT SHOOK HEAVEN'. COMMISSIONED BY THE MUSIC OFFICE FOR THIS ARTS FESTIVAL CONCERT, THE MUSIC IS SCORED FOR WESTERN ORCHESTRA AND DESCRIBES A TRADITIONAL CHINESE LEGEND IN MUSICAL SOUNDS. THE ADVENTURES OF WONG SAN, THE YOUNG FARMER, WHO FALLS IN LOVE WITH ONE OF THE IMMORTALS AND HIS FIGHT WITH THE MONKEY TROUPE ARE VIVIDLY PORTRAYED BY DRUM AND PERCUSSION PLAYING.

IN QUIET CONTRAST, THE WELL-KNOWN CHANDOS ANTHEM O PRAISE THE LORD', BY HANDEL, WILL FEATURE THE HONG KONG ISLAND YOUTH CHOIR, UNDER ITS CONDUCTOR SILAS NG. SINCE ITS FORMATION IN 1980, THE CHOIR HAS GIVEN A NUMBER OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCES, AND MOST RECENTLY TOOK PART IN MENOTTI'S 'AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS' MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR ARE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND A QUARTER OF THE SINGERS ARE CURRENTLY STUDYING MUSIC.

THE FINAL WORK IN THE CONCERT WILL BE DVORAK'S 8TH SYMPHONY, WHICH REFLECTS THE WARMTH OF HIS SALVONIC TEMPERAMENT WITH ITS LYRICAL AND TUNEFUL DANCES.

CONDUCTING THIS SPECIAL CONCERT WILL BE DAVID STONE WHO IS TODAY MUSIC CONSULTANT TO THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, A ROLE WHICH HAS RAPIDLY EXPANDED SINCE HIS FIRST APPOINTMENT FOUR YEARS AGO. NOW RESIDENT IN HONG KONG, MR STONE'S DISTINGUISHED CAREER AS A MUSICIAN HAS TAKEN HIM TO MORE THAN 30 COUNTRIES WHERE HE HAS APPEARED AS A SOLOIST, CONDUCTOR AND FOR TWELVE YEARS, A PRINCIPLE PLAYER WITH THE YEHUDI MENUHIN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA. IN ADDITION TO THIS CONCERT WITH THE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND THE HONG KONG ISLAND YOUTH CHOIR, MR STONE HAS CONDUCTED THE HONG KONG JING YING CHAMBER ORCHESTRA IN CONCERT TOURS TO ISRAEL AND TO AUSTRALIA.

TICKETS FOR THIS CONCERT ON FEBRUARY 9 ARE NOW AVAILABLE FROM THE HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE AT CITY HALL AND COST $10, $5 AND $3 FOR STUDENTS.

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