Chopin, Joy of Music Festival, Music Festical, Piano, Guitar, Music Competition Chopin, Joy of Music Festival, Music Festical, Piano, Guitar, Music Competition Chopin, Joy of Music Festival, Music Festical, Piano, Guitar, Music Competition
Chopin, Joy of Music Festival, Music Festical, Piano, Guitar, Music Competition
  Joy of Music, Music, Joy of Music Festival,  
Joy of Music, Music, Joy of Music Festival,

The activities of the Society depend entirely on the generosity of its sponsors. Over the years the support of Lady Muriel Kadoorie was fundamental and continues to be so after her death in 2011.The Society is also extremely grateful for the continuing and most generous support by CLP Holding Limited.
The Society wishes to thank Tom Lee Music and the Tom Lee Music Foundation for their continuous and generous support of the Festival, by providing venues and pianos for the artists?rehearsals and venues and facilities for the guitar masterclasses.
A big vote of thanks to Yamaha Corporation Japan for providing the YAMAHA PIANO (DISKLAVIER PRO) flown in from Japan specially for this Festival.
The Society also thanks the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for the subsidized use of its venue.

 

THE FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE …

EVENING PERFORMANCES

PIANO AND GUITAR MASTER CLASSES
by Gary Graffman (piano) & Alvaro Pierri (guitar)

2012 – A MUSICAL SPACE ODYSSEY
- Jeremy Siepmann’s five lunchtime presentations

Katie Hafner will present her book “A Romance on Three Legs Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano“

RE-PERFORMANCE - EVENT ONE
John Q. Walker’s presentation of Glenn Gould himself playing his famous Goldberg variations on an actual piano - not a recording - through the technological miracle of performing pianos.

RE-PERFORMANCE - EVENT TWO
A presentation of Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Granados, Gershwin and Slenczynska playing their own and other compositions on an actual piano - not recordings - through the technological miracle of performing pianos.
John Q. Walker, an engineer closely associated with the development of the “re-performance” technology, will be presenting this revolutionary technology.

 

 


EVENING PERFORMANCES
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall at 8:00 pm
Monday, 8th October


If one piano played well is an inspiring experience, then two pianos played brilliantly is even better!

Local twin sisters and superb pianists Lok Ping and Lok Ting CHAU in a recital of pieces for two pianos. They will be joined by percussionists Raymond Vong and Emily Cheng to perform one piece for two pianos and percussion.
Programme: Works by B. Bartok, M. Infante, W.A. Mozart, A. Arensky, G. Anderson

Tuesday, 9th October


Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the City Hall Concert Hall
The Joy of Music Festival wishes to join in the celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Hong Kong City Hall in 1962. And how to do it better than by bringing together a group of artists who, in this memorable evening, and why not saying it … this evening of nostalgia, will be performing under the same roof. They will be representing the generations of pianists who have played over the intervening five decades in the Hall, helping to establish Hong Kong as a major centre for piano playing as well as showcasing the younger (and some very young indeed!) artists carrying the torch forward.

The participating artists in order of appearance during this event are: Gary Graffman, CiCi Chieh Chang, Yeeha Chiu, Angela Au, Colleen Lee, Rachel Cheung and Li Zhong Xin and ... the first Steinway grand piano the HK City Hall Concert Hall had.

To emphasize that even in those distant years Hong Kong was attracting major international artists, we have invited Gary Graffman, who first played in Hong Kong in 1957, well before the Hall was opened. Regularly visiting Hong Kong since then, Gary, a member of the jury of the Society’s triennial Hong Kong International Piano Competition, has been also performing and giving master classes in Hong Kong. He is now very much part of the local pianistic scene and forms part of the tradition and the history of piano playing in Hong Kong. He has written a short article of his experiences in Hong Kong which we will be publishing in the programme available to all attending the Joy of Music Festival in October.

The first pianist to play in the newly opened Concert Hall was Hong Kong-born pianist Yeeha Chiu who will join us from the US where she has made her home, and will be playing on the same piano she used 50 years ago!

Shanghai-born pianist CiCi Chieh Chang studied piano in Hong Kong before continuing her studies at Curtis Institute and at The Juilliard School. She has lived in the US since then and in the intervening years has played many times at the City Hall Concert Hall.

Hong Kong-born Angela Au studied first in Hong Kong, continuing her education at Curtis Institute. On completion of her high school education and musical studies at Curtis, Angela completed a degree in economics at Harvard. She lives now in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong-born Colleen Lee studied first in Hong Kong, continuing then her studies in Hannover. Colleen was among the six laureates of the first Hong Kong International Piano Competition in 2005.

Hong Kong-born Rachel Cheung, received her Bachelor of Music Degree at the HKAPA in June 2011 and is now pursuing a Master of Music degree at Yale School of Music.

9 years old, China-born Li Zhong Xin, is now a junior music student at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

The very first piano the City Hall Concert Hall had, is still being used at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre. We will be moving this piano to the City Hall Concert Hall especially for this event.

Programme: Works by: J.S. Bach/J. Brahms, F. Chopin, R. Schultz, C. Debussy,
R. Wagner/F. Liszt, J.Brahms, R. Schumann, F. Liszt, E. Granados,
F. Schubert

As a special souvenir for this evening the Society will be distributing a facsimile copy of the supplement published by the South China Morning Post for the opening of the Hong Kong City Hall in 1962 and which contains a fascinating picture of Hong Kong and of its music scene half a century ago.

Wednesday, 10th October

Ilya Rashkovskiy, first prize winner of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2005, in solo piano works and piano plus string ensemble performances with the LCO Chamber Group.
Programme: Works by: F. Chopin, F. Schubert, R. Schumann

Thursday, 11th October


A Cascade of Strings - The LCO (London Chamber Orchestra) Chamber Group in an evening of works for strings presenting duos for various string combinations as well as full string quartet pieces.
Programme: Works by: B. Bartok, L.v. Beethoven, M. Ravel, B. Britten, J. Brahms

Friday, 12th October
Giuseppe Andaloro, first prize winner of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2011, in solo piano works and piano plus string ensemble performances with the LCO Chamber Group.
Programme: Works by: G. Frescobaldi, B. Pasquini, G.F. Handel, M. Gould,
G. Gershwin, F. Say, A. Chasins, S. Rachmaninov, D. Shostakovich

Saturday, 13th October


Jinsang Lee, first prize winner of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2008, in solo piano works and piano plus sting ensemble performances with the LCO Chamber Group.
Programme: Works by: S. Rachmaninov, F. Chopin, A. Pärt, J. Haydn, J. Brahms

Sunday, 14th October


Alvaro Pierri,
master guitarist and teacher, in an evening of solo guitar works coupled with the brilliant first cellist from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bamping, in rarely performed duos for guitar and cello.
Programme: Works by: D. Scarlatti, J.S. Bach, F. Sor, D. Bogdanovic, S. Lucky
Ticketing Information:
Advanced booking for these performances (as for all events part of the Joy of Music Festival 2012) is already available by approaching the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.
Counter booking will start at all Urbtix outlets on the 1st September 2012.
Tickets at: $200, $150, $100.
(50% discount available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full time students, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and PTC (Piano Teacher’s Circle) membership card holders).

 

BUT, THIS IS NOT ALL …

 

Joy of Music
PIANO AND GUITAR MASTER CLASSES
Joy of Music In addition to the fantastic offering of evening performances we have just described, we will be offering piano and guitar master classes by two great artists, Gary Graffman (piano) and Alvaro Pierri (guitar). In addition to their artistry and unsurpassed expertise on all aspects of piano and of guitar, they also excel at being superb communicators when it comes to the art of teaching, transforming these master classes into true mini-festivals within the Festival.
Attendance to the Master classes will be open to the public, FREE OF CHARGE, and NO tickets will be issued. However, we require those wishing to attend the Master classes, to register their attendance by contacting us at the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.

 

BUT WAIT! , DO NOT GO YET! …
THERE IS MUCH MORE IN STORE FOR YOU DURING THE JOY OF MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012

 

Joy of Music
Joy of Music
2012 – A MUSICAL SPACE ODYSSEY – Five lunchtime presentations by Jeremy Siepmann
on the course of five days: from Monday 8th until Friday 12th October 2012
Time: 11:00 to 13:30 (with an intermission between 12:00 and 12:30)
Venue: Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall
Joy of Music

Five lunchtime presentations by the famous author and broadcaster Jeremy Siepmann (also a member of our Competition jury). Illustrated by numerous musical excerpts, the talks focus on listening and understanding music of all kinds as well as examining the nature and responsibilities of musical criticism. This is not a course on music appreciation or “getting to know the classics”. These presentations go much further, exploring the core elements of music and musical performance, and imparting a practical, informative and adventurous insight into the limitless art (and limitless fun) of listeners and musicians alike.

These challenging and thought provoking presentations will have all the greatest impact in conveying the messages Jeremy Siepmann will deliver, if followed through all the five days during which they will take place. But, should you not be able to attend all of them, each of the presentations will be self-contained and will have a message on its own.

The five presentations will take place from Monday 8th to Friday 12th October 2012 at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, from 11:00 to 13:30 each day (there will be an intermission between 12:00 and 12:30).

A certificate of attendance, signed by Mr. Jeremy Siepmann, will be issued to all those requiring it and who will have attended all five presentations.
ONLY In these cases, we will be requiring the interested parties to register their attendance by signing an attendance record at the beginning and at the end of each presentation.

Ticketing Information:
Advanced booking for this event (as for all events part of the Joy of Music Festival 2012) is already available by approaching the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.
Counter booking will start at all Urbtix outlets on the 1st September 2012.

A HK$ 300 pass (free seating arrangement) will entitle you to admission to all five presentations part of this event: 2012 – A Musical Space Odyssey.

Admission tickets for each individual presentation available at HK$ 100 (free seating arrangement).
(50% discount available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full time students, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and PTC (Piano Teacher’s Circle) membership card holders).


We have a number of FREE passes available to students wanting to attend all five presentations. Please, contact our office for more details on how to obtain these passes.

 

AND, AS IF ALL OF THIS WERE NOT ENOUGH…

 

Joy of Music
Joy of Music

Katie Hafner will present her book: “A Romance on Three Legs - Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano“

A book about three characters: Glenn Gould, a piano and piano technician/tuner: Verne Edquist.

Katie will offer us an insight on the long path she had to follow to be able to offer us the joy of reading this entertaining, educational and enlightening book on Glenn Gould, pianos, music and music making and … the writing of a book, in general.

Katie’s presentation will take place on Saturday 13th October, from 9:15 to 11:00am, at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. We will count with the presence and participation of Verne Edquist during this presentation as well.

Ticketing Information:

Admission tickets for this presentation available at a single price of HK$ 100 (free seating arrangement).
(50% discount available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full time students, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and PTC (Piano Teacher’s Circle) membership card holders).

We have a number of FREE tickets available to students wanting to attend this presentation. Please, contact our office for more details on how to obtain your ticket.

Advanced booking for this event (as for all events part of the Joy of Music Festival 2012) is already available by approaching the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.
Counter booking will start at all Urbtix outlets on the 1st September 2012.

Katie Hafner’s book:
"A Romance on Three Legs - Glenn Gould’s Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano" will be on sale at Dymocks Bookshop (ifc Mall, Central - Tel.: 2117 0360) from the end of August, at HK$ 160
You can reserve your copy now!

 

LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST …

 

Joy of Music
Joy of Music
Two events presented for the first time
not only in Hong Kong but in the whole of Asia…


Imagine sitting in a room and hearing great musicians such as Glenn Gould, Sergei Rachmaninoff and George Gershwin play for you in person. You can witness this dream on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October, realized by software from Zenph? Sound Innovations. Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Zenph’s focus was deeply understanding – and precisely recreating – how musicians perform. Piano music performed by Glenn Gould (on Saturday 13th Oct.), Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Granados, Gershwin, and Ruth Slenczynska (on Sunday 14th Oct.) will be presented by Zenph’s founder, Dr. John Q. Walker.
 
Joy of Music

Very briefly, this is how Dr. John Q. Walker explained to us what we are going to witness in the course of these two unique presentations:

Zenph’s process started with artists’ original audio recordings – for Rachmaninoff, it was 78 rpm records, for Albeniz, it was wax cylinders – and determined how each note and pedal were played. For a note, this includes the microsecond it was struck, the force and the touch, how long it was held, how it was released, where the pedals were, and so on. This information is saved as computer data; if you think of it as a giant spreadsheet, there’s one row in the spreadsheet for each note or pedal movement.

The data, known as a re-performance®, is played by this rare high-resolution Yamaha Disklavier PRO concert grand, secured by the festival from the factory in Japan. These re-performance files offer unique insight into how pianists as diverse as Glenn Gould and Art Tatum actually played. Zenph work is featured by Sony Masterworks in their acclaimed albums: Glenn Gould plays Bach’s Goldberg Variations from 1955, Art Tatum: Piano Starts Here, Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff, Oscar Peterson: Unmistakable, and Joshua Bell, At Home with Friends. In addition, rare Zenph material, never recorded, can be heard in person for the first time. Learn more at www.Zenph.com.

Ruth Slenczynska, one of the world’s renowned Chopin artists, is Rachmaninoff’s only living student – and a teacher of Dr. Walker. She’ll be heard in private performances recorded by Dr. Walker.

Plan to attend these special events, the only ones of its kind ever in Asia. They will be taking place as follows:

Joy of Music
Joy of Music

Saturday 13th October, from 11:30 to 14:00 (intermission between 12:30 and 13:00)

A presentation of Glenn Gould himself playing his famous Goldberg variations on an actual piano - not a recording - through the technological miracle of performing pianos.

Thanks to the cooperation of Yamaha Corporation Japan, we will be able to count with a special YAMAHA PIANO (DISKLAVIER PRO), which will have to be specially flown in from Japan for this unique event. We will have the honor of having John Q. Walker himself presenting this incredible breakthrough technology in the creation of which he has played a very important role.
But what is more, Glenn Gould’s own piano technician/tuner, Verne Edquist, an octogenarian nearly blind Canadian piano technician, one of the highly respected piano technicians/tuners in the last fifty years, will travel to Hong Kong to share his unique life-time experience with all of us in conjunction with the above presentation which will take place on Saturday 13th October, from 11:30 to 14:00 (intermission between 12:30 and 13:00) at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.

 

Ticketing Information:

Admission tickets for this presentation available at a single price of HK$ 100 (free seating arrangement).
(50% discount available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full time students, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and PTC (Piano Teacher’s Circle) membership card holders).

We have a number of FREE tickets available to students wanting to attend this presentation. Please, contact our office for more details on how to obtain your ticket.

Advanced booking for this event (as for all events part of the Joy of Music Festival 2012) is already available by approaching the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.
Counter booking will start at all Urbtix outlets on the 1st September 2012.

Joy of Music **** RE-PERFORMANCE - EVENT TWO ****  
Joy of Music
Joy of Music

Sunday 14th October, from 10:00am to 15:00
(with a one hour break between 12:00 and 13:00)

A presentation of Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Granados, Gershwin and Slenczynska playing their own and other compositions on an actual piano - not recordings - through the technological miracle of performing pianos.

 
Joy of Music

Thanks to the collaboration of Yamaha Corporation Japan who will make it possible for us to have the use of a YAMAHA PIANO (DISKLAVIER PRO) which, as we mentioned above, will be flown specially from Japan for these unique events. John Q. Walker, an engineer closely associated with the development of the “re-performance” technology, will be presenting this revolutionary technology which is a fundamentally new method of encoding music as performance data rather than audio recording.
We will be presenting this very special event on Sunday 14th October between 10:00am and 3:00pm, with a one hour break between 12:00 and 1:00pm.

Ticketing Information:

Admission tickets for this presentation will be available at a single price of HK$ 100 (free seating arrangement).
(50% discount available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full time students, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and PTC (Piano Teacher’s Circle) membership card holders).

We have a number of FREE tickets available to students wanting to attend this presentation. Please, contact our office for more details on how to obtain your ticket.

Advanced booking for this event (as for all events part of the Joy of Music Festival 2012) is already available by approaching the office of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. either by e-mail at: afreris@netvigator.com or by calling any of the following telephone numbers: (852) 2868 3387, (852) 2868 3325, (852) 9027 1429.
Counter booking will start at all Urbtix outlets on the 1st September 2012.

 

 

 

 

 
 
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