Singapore, 28 February 2017 (Tuesday) – Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will present a concert of Cantonese music in March. This concert is part of SCO’s heritage series of concerts. SCO Music Director Tsung Yeh will conduct this concert with internationally acclaimed huqin musician, Yu Le Fu, and Ricky Yeung Wai Kit, China’s first bamboo flute doctorate holder, to perform a programme of classic Cantonese music. Cantonese Classics concert will be held on 31 March 2017 (Friday), 8pm at Victoria Concert Hall.
Yu Le Fu is a renowned gaohu musician and a lecturer of the gaohu major at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music. He was under the tutelage of Yu Qi Wei, Chen Guo Chan and Pu Lan Rong. He won the 4th China Splendour Award for Performance and China’s first Folk Instrument Performance Award (Silver).He has collaborated with numerous orchestras overseas and performed the world premiere of Gu Guan Ren’s Opuses, Fang Xiao Min’s Reunion and have recorded albums including Strings Feeling and Five Instruments. He has also composed numerous award-winning pieces including Clouds over the Autumn Lake, Du Xuan Cao and The Spirit of Resilience.
Ricky Yeung Wai Kit, born in Hong Kong with ancestral roots in Guangdong Puning, attained his doctorate in dizi performance from the China Conservatory of Music in 2015 under the guidance of Zhang Wei Liang and became the first dizi performance doctorate graduate in China. He teaches at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and the Music Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is on the honorary committee of the China Dizi Society, honorary executive committee of the Guangdong Dizi Society, executive committee of the Hong Kong Bamboo Flute Society, examiner of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and overseas member of SCO’s Artistic Resource Panel. Ricky Yeung Wai Kit has performed overseas and participated in academicexchanges in countries including Russia, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Korea, Japan, America and England. In 2011, he was selected by China Dizi magazine as one of the twelve “Most Charming Dizi Performers”. In 2014, he won the Gold Prize (Young Professional) of the Beijing Dizi Competition. He was under the tutelage of Zhang Xianghua and Sun Yongzhi and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with first-class honours and a Master of Philosophy degree in Ethnomusicology by CUHK, and a Master of Music degree in Dizi Performance by HKAPA.
The concert will feature Yu Le Fu performing two of his award-winning pieces, Clouds over the Autumn Lake and The Spirit of Resilience. Clouds over the Autumn Lake was awarded the runner up in the 5th edition of the Cantonese Music Composition Competition. Having won the Bronze award in the 2015 Golden Huqin competition, The Spirit of Resilience uses lively melody and upbeat rhythms to portray the determination and optimism of people in the face of adversity.
Yu Le Fu will also perform with twelve SCO musicians in Li Zhu Xin’s Gong Chi He Shi Shang which incorporates Cantonese and contemporary techniques in the tune. Wang Dan Hong’s Heart Ravelling Orchestra will be performed by gaohu musician Yu Le Fu together with dizi musician Ricky Yeung Wai Kit and three SCO musicians, yehu musician Li Yu Long, yangqin musician Ma Huan and qinqin musician Lo Chai Xia. Heart Ravelling Orchestra was inspired by the piece, Lian Huan Kou and it combines traditional Cantonese music with contemporary strings music to symbolise the close relationship between traditional classics and new music forms.
Dizi virtuoso Ricky Yeung Wai Kit will perform dizi master Zhang Wei Liang’s Cantonese Sea, inspired by the nature and culture in Chaoshan coastal area. It describes the magnificent sea and the joyous scenes of fishermen getting ready to set sail, their tenacious resistance when the storm hits and heading home in joyful mood with their reward after a hard day work. The piece depicts a beautiful picture of the clam and endless sea.
SCO will also perform Cantonese favourites including Thunderstorm and Drought, an energetic piece that describes the tenacity and hope of people when faced with obstacles. It incorporates pop elements and drum set into the melody to enrich the piece.
Audience can also enjoy Lu Wen Cheng’s Stepping Up and Up which portrays the festive atmosphere during celebrations and Autumn Moon over a Placid Lake, inspired by an autumn trip to Hangzhou by the composer where he was impressed by the beauty of the West Lake. This piece incorporates elements of folk music from the Zhejiang regions and rich Guangdong musical stylistic elements. Composer Fang Xiao Min is also the committee member of the Chinese Musicians Association, executive director of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society and the deputy director of its creative committee. SCO will perform his piece An Ode to Revolution at the finale of the concert.
Concert details:
Cantonese Classics
Date: 31 March 2017 (Friday) Tickets selling fast!
Time: 8pm
Venue: Victoria Concert Hall Ticket Prices: $70, $50, $30/$15*, $20/$10* (excludes SISTIC fees)
Tickets from SISTIC (+65 6348 5555 / www.sistic.com.sg)
*Concession price
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