Deep in the Music Lie Our Memories and Our Soul
Chow Fan-fu
In this concert entitled ‘Forty Years with Hong Kong’, the two works by Hong Kong composers – Joshua Chan’s Children's Small World, and Big Tree by Ng Cheuk-yin – are created by drawing inspiration from life in Hong Kong, our memories and feelings towards this city we call home. Whether with direct reference or inference, they are the composers’ interpretations of the theme of this concert. But in fact, a look at the programme would show us that this is the narrative and emotive line that runs throughout the choice of music, and highlights the credo of the HKCO, which is “to uphold the traditions yet break new ground to create a boundless and enriching Chinese music experience”.
The four pieces by Guo Yanzhi on the
suona –
Our Love for the Land We Call Home,
Amazing Grace,
Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix and
One Night in Beijing – show the East-West character of Hong Kong through the eclectic mix of the features of Chinese and Western music. They may also bring back memories and feelings for many Hong Kong people.
The Grand Victory enjoys the status of a classic in Chinese music; it has the mood and feel of festivities in Shanxi. Reflection of the Moon on the Water is Hua Yanjun’s (aka ‘A Bing’) soulful and heartfelt memories of his hometown. Chow Jun Yi expresses similar nostalgia in his award-winning piece, Kampung and the City, which is about his memories of life in the country and in the city of Malaysia. The subject locales may be different, but the first two have been so much ingrained in the life experience of so many Hong Kong people that they are considered part of local history. Also, since Chow Jun Yi’s Kampung and the City made its world premiere in Hong Kong, the connection is definitely there. As for whether it would become part of the Hong Kong people’s memory and emotive experience, only time will tell.
No matter where the music comes from, or which city with life experiences or feelings it describes, as long as they are translated into musical notes by the composer and music delivered under the conductor’s baton, the nebulous memories and fleeting moods would intensify, take shape, and given an immediacy that goes straight to the heart and soul. And this, is the wonder of music.
But what is even more magical is that music can create the same vibes to listeners who come from different backgrounds and do not share in the same emotive experiences. For a metropolis like Hong Kong where peoples, cultures and things of all backgrounds conglomerate, and for a home-grown orchestra like the HKCO which has developed in tandem with its home city in the last forty years, how many among the audience would resonate with the music of this concert? I leave you to find your own vibe…
