Musica Mexicana

EVENT DESCRIPTION

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) shines a light on Mexico’s musical riches in Musica Mexicana, a concert to be held at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, 8:00pm on 01 February 2023 (Wednesday). Eduardo Zuber, a distinguished Mexican conductor and local Hong Kong resident, will guest conduct CCOHK in performances of mostly mid-20th century Mexican masterpieces with featured solo artists Adrian Walter on classical guitar, Julie Kuok on piano and CCOHK’s concertmaster Amelia Chan on violin.

The musical selections on the programme include Manuel Ponce’s Guitar and Piano Concertos and his most beautiful violin solo work Estrillita, derived from a hit song that was very popular in Mexico in the 1900s. More traditional Mexican characteristics are heard on works for strings by Rodolfo Halffter and the young Rodriguez. CCOHK will perform Silvestre Revueltas’ Sensemayá, one of the most thrilling works in the classical repertory which depicts a ritualistic chant heard during the killing of a snake. This work has been revered and advocated by many of our greatest conductors including Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski.

Australian Guitarist Adrian Walter makes an exciting return to Hong Kong. From 2012 to 2020 he was appointed Director of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, during which time he was honoured with the title of Emeritus Director and Professor. Eduardo Zuber studied violin under Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and conducting with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore on a full scholarship. His engagements include assistant conductor of the National Orchestra of Mexico and assistant conductor for the Baltimore Concert Opera in the USA.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) holds a unique position as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians experienced in playing a diverse range of music styles and genres including Baroque, Classical, Contemporary, East/West Crossover, Tango, Jazz, Cinema and Orchestra Theatre. Established since 1999, CCOHK has performed with many world-class artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Thomas Allen, Sir Neville Marriner, Michala Petri, Christian Lindberg, Sarah Chang, Philippe Entremont, Julian Lloyd Webber, Edgar Meyer, Branford Marsalis, Richard Galliano, Sharon Isbin and Dawn Upshaw. The orchestra has also collaborated with celebrities including Hayley Westenra, Richard Clayderman, Robin Gibb, Dame Edna Everage and Canto-pop stars Sandy Lam, Hins Cheung, Hacken Lee and Jacky Cheung. Additional highlights include concerts with the Vienna Boys’ Choir, The American Boychoir, the Warsaw Boys Choir, the Swedish Voices Chamber Choir, the King’s Singers and the Swingle Singers. On tour CCOHK has been invited to perform in Italy, Taipei, Beijing, Chengdu and at the 20th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. In Hong Kong, CCOHK’s engagements have included Hong Kong Ballet, French May Arts Festival, RTHK Radio 4’s televised Christmas Concerts in the Park, the World Harp Congress and The Hong Kong International Piano Competition. A keen supporter of contemporary music, CCOHK has performed for Musicarama and at the Hong Kong Contemporary Music Festival, and has commissioned new works by Mao Yuan, Daniel Binelli, Dobrinka

Tabakova and Richard Harvey. The orchestra’s CDs include world premiere recordings on four internationally acclaimed releases on the NAXOS, Orchid Classics, Forgotten Records and OUR Recordings labels. CCOHK’s passion for building young audiences for music has inspired the evolution of several new and fully staged musical productions and extravaganzas. Credits include Magnificent Mozart, The Star Bach, Vivaldi Unmasked, The Bonn Man, Haydn & The Prince, WILD (The Musical) and Bug Symphony, winner of the Public Choice Award at the YAMawards in Portugal 2017.