Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui | Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra: Peng Xiuwen Works Concert II - Pictures at an Exhibition and Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses

Description

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will present two consecutive concerts, 'Peng Xiuwen Works Concert II - Pictures at an Exhibition and Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses', at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on 11 and 12 April. The concerts will feature three classic works by the 'Master of the Generation' Peng Xiuwen, including his adaptations of 'Pictures at an Exhibition' and 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', as well as his original Chinese orchestral masterpiece, 'Fantasy on Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses', as a tribute to this far-reaching Chinese music master. At the same time, the orchestra will join hands with the audience to challenge the Guinness World Records title for 'Most People Experiencing Eco-friendly Huqin Series', witnessing the combination of music and eco-friendly technology.

Master of Folk Music - Peng Xiuwen

Peng Xiuwen is one of the founders of contemporary Chinese folk music. He dedicated his life to the creation, adaptation and conducting of Chinese orchestral music, having created and adapted over 400 works, laying a solid foundation for the modern development of Chinese folk music. The Chinese orchestra he established by referencing the Western classical music's harmony, instrumentation, instrument manufacturing standards and band composition is known as the 'Peng Xiuwen Model', which is the most representative band form in China in the mid-20th century.

Under the baton of its Artistic Director and Permanent Conductor Yan Huichang, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will perform Peng Xiuwen's adaptation of 'Pictures at an Exhibition', originally a piano suite by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky and later adapted into a symphony by French composer Maurice Ravel. Peng Xiuwen's new interpretation with Chinese orchestra employs instruments such as erhu, gaohu and pipa to depict musical scenes, leading the audience on a stroll through the exhibition, allowing them to experience the vibrancy and tension of the paintings through Chinese instruments.

The orchestra will also perform 'Spring River Flower Moon Night', an ancient melody rearranged by Peng Xiuwen. The music is fresh and flowing, full of poetry. The finale, 'Fantasy on Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses', is a Chinese orchestral work created by Peng Xiuwen in 1984, portraying the longing and pain of soldiers who have been away from home for a long time.

Creating a World Record: Most People Experiencing Eco-friendly Huqin Series

In this concert, the audience will also witness the birth of a Guinness World Records title. On 11 April, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will join hands with the audience to challenge the record for 'Most People Experiencing Eco-friendly Huqin Series', promoting the development of eco-friendly musical instruments and raising awareness of climate warming. The orchestra will set up an 'Eco-friendly Huqin Series' exhibition area at the concert entrance to introduce the research and development of eco-friendly huqin, allowing the audience to appreciate and experience this set of eco-friendly musical instruments, which has been developed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for 20 years, up close, and witness how the orchestra combines art and technology to create a sustainable future for Chinese music.

The orchestra began its research and development of eco-friendly musical instruments in 2005, and the first-generation eco-friendly gaohu was completed in 2009, making its debut at the Belgium Music Festival. Over the years, it has gained recognition worldwide and was awarded the '4th Ministry of Culture Innovation Award' by the nation in 2012. The eco-friendly huqin series includes gaohu, erhu, zhonghu, gehu and bass gehu, all of which are regular instruments in the orchestra's repertoire. By replacing traditional python snake skin with degradable PET polyester fibre, these instruments can maintain stable tone colour and performance under different climatic conditions. As the only orchestra in the world that uses its self-developed instruments, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has been performing with eco-friendly huqin to raise public awareness of climate change and respond to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Yan Huichang, Artistic Director and Permanent Conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, said, 'Peng Xiuwen is a highly respected Chinese music master who has created and adapted countless works throughout his life, laying the foundation for Chinese orchestral music and pioneering the path of large-scale Chinese orchestral art. It is our great honour to pay tribute to him with three of his works and perform with the full set of eco-friendly huqin developed by the orchestra. We hope that the audience will witness how tradition and innovation can complement and advance each other.'