Radio_Hong_Kong_1959-1960 — Page 14

PROGRAMMES

Music

19. The Liang Yu Society created a prize in 1959 for the best performances of Chinese music in the Arts Festival, and the award was made to Radio Hong Kong for three concerts given in October and November at the Queen Elizabeth School, Kowloon. This award was particularly gratifying to the artists and staff who produced the concerts since they were the major contribution of the Chinese Service to the Festival and many months of work had gone into their preparation. Each concert represented a different aspect of the Chinese musical repertoire. Contemporary instrumental music by a newly formed thirty- piece orchestra was followed by a concert of works for chorus and voices and a performance of instrumental music and opera from Northern China.

20. Considerable public interest was shown in these concerts, in particular the orchestral performance, in which traditional classical music was played by Chinese instruments but using a western style of harmony. These Festival concerts had been preceded by a public concert of art and folk songs in May. Of unusual interest at this concert was the use of a small Chinese orchestra to accompany one of the songs, the accompaniment being harmonized in western style. Weekly folk and art song recitals, using songs from all over China, continued throughout the year.

21. For the past few years, broadcasts of Cantonese opera from theatres have declined, but 1959 saw an increase in the number of these broadcasts. More operas were performed in the theatres as a result of reorganization among the companies and most of these operas were broadcast. An innovation this year was the use of a narrator to explain the story of the opera during the intervals between scenes. The use of VHF/FM mobile transmission links between theatres and Mercury House improved the sound quality of the relays. Broadcasts of Peking opera produced in the studios were increased from one to two programmes per week.

22. The foundation programmes of Chinese music were maintained in quantity. Studio concerts of Cantonese instrumental music and songs, recitals by blind artists, and performances of music from North China, Chiuchow, Foochow remained as popular as ever, and monthly broad- casts were made by the music groups of Clansmen and Kaifong Associa- tions and Trade Unions.

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