Five Favourites
Hong Kong born
conductor Jimmy Chiang
Who is your favourite classical musical composer of all time?
My favorite classical music composer of all time would have to be W.A. Mozart. Certainly I have many other favorites depending on the genre of music and style. But Mozart is a special case. For me, a true musician must learn how to interpret and appreciate Mozart in order to be great at others whether one is a singer, instrumentalist, or conductor. A pianist who can play fabulous Liszt and Chopin doesn’t necessarily play good Mozart. However, a pianist who knows how to interpret Mozart can interpret anything. Mozart to many musicians is like medicine which cleans and cures technical problems. To me, it is the most honest music ever written.
What is your favourite piece of classical music to hear live?
It is not fair to name classical music as one category in this case. There are so many facets within classical music that I must name at least three different pieces to be my favorites in regards to their corresponding categories. First of all, in the symphonic area, I like to hear Mahler’s 9th Symphony live. It’s just a piece that I will never get tired of. Then, in the operatic area, I will choose Salome by Richard Strauss. If one gets a good Salome on stage, it’s an opera that makes me drop my jaw! And lastly, in the pianistic area, I take Bach’s Goldberg Variations. I have never heard it live yet. I have played it at home. It would be a great pleasure to experience it live as a whole.
Who is your favourite piece of non-classical music?
Unfortunately due to my schedule and life as a pianist and conductor, there is just not a chance to get in touch with non-classical music. If there is time, I would prefer silence! The presence of quietness is the best non-classical music to me as a relaxation from my other world. However, I do enjoy Jazz during dinner or romantic occasions with my wife once in a while!
What is your favourite city ?
It has to be Vienna, where I am living right now. It is a perfect mixture of city and countryside. Vienna is rich in history, culture and art, which creates it’s metropolitan city style but at the same time one can reach to the Vienna Woods, or the Alps for a hike or experiencing nature within an hour. ‑
What is your favourite film?
Me and my wife watch movies only during our frequent travels on an airplane. Especially long distance flights, otherwise we hardly go to cinema.‑I can’t recall any movie titles at all.‑I am just not a movie fan. I can live without it. ‑
Jimmy Chi-bun Chiang, winner of the prestigious Lovro von Matacic International Competition for Young Conductor In Zagreb, Croatia this past September, guest conducts the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra’s Young Musicmakers concerts from December 7-9. Showtime for the performances are 8pm from 7-8 and 3pm on the 9 in the theatre at Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre. Tickets are $90 and $60 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.
 Golden Anniversary
At the Underground the big 4 9 is over and done with, now it’s just the ‘too normal’ 50th celebration, though the line-up seems as strong as ever. Featuring four performances, the event will take place on Friday, December 7, at Club Cixi from 8-11pm. Velvette Vendetta, mysterious yet dangerous, will be playing, with members returning from Ohio and Toronto. The group play grunge with touches of ‘the darker side’ of classical music. Also featured are the freestyle band Fistiwave, three HKers and a gweilo in FBI, and two solo guitarists: Mimo Yeah! and FourteenBirds all the way from the UK playing some acoustic sets. Tickets are $80 on the door, $60 for students.
Education in Ballet
Know Your Ballet Music 2 is the HK Sinfonietta’s encore after last season’s concert of ballet music. In the City Hall Concert Hall at 7:30pm on December 1, and 3pm on December 2, music director Yip Wing-sie and artistic director of the HK Ballet John Meehan will take the audience through a host of popular and well-loved ballet tunes taken from the likes of Romeo and Juliet, The Firebird, The Afternoon of a Faun and The Nutcracker to reveal the development of ballet music. Tickets are $180, $140, $100 and can be obtained from URBTIX at 2734 9009.
 Jazz Up
Celebrated jazz pianist Jacques Loussier headlines the Jazz Up: Jacques Loussier Trio in HK City Hall Concert Hall on December 6. The innovative pioneer cemented a reputation for himself in the musical world with the forming of his Play Back Trio in 1959 and by combining classical and jazz elements to create controversy and praise that resulted in 6 million album sales and over 200 sold-out concerts in one year. In Jazz Up, Loussier will be joined by drummer Andre Arpino and bass player Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac. Showtime is at 8pm, tickets go for $400, $300 and $150 and can be obtained from URBTIX at 2734 9009.
Oh Joy
The Joy of Music Festival comes back to us from December 9-15 at the HK City Hall Concert Hall in the form of 7 performances. The festival features talents including the London Chamber Orchestra String Quartet playing Haydn, Grieg and Beethoven (Sunday 9) as well as joining other performances later in the festival, Professor Alvaro Pierri and Pascal Roge in a rarely performed guitar and piano duet (Tuesday 11) and 1st prize winner at the 2007 Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition – Anna Vinnitskaya in a piano recital (Wednesday 12). All performances start at 7:30pm on their respective nights and tickets can be obtained from URBTIX at 2734 9009 at $150 per night, or $700 for the entire festival.
MAROONed In March
Maroon 5 will be making their first appearance in HK at the AsiaWorld-Arena on March 19. It will be part of a world tour the super band, hot off their No. 1 album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, started in Detroit, USA, at the tail end of September. The soul-influenced five-piece rock outfit made their name in 2002 with the release of a first album, Songs About Jane, that went triple platinum in many countries across the world. That album retains the record for the longest lapse between the release date and entry into the top 10 – 26 months! The band eventually won a Grammy for Best New Artists in 2005.
The concert will feature songs from the new album as well as all our favourites from their earlier hits. Tickets were made available less than a week ago and they’re selling like hot cakes at $690, $490 and $290. Head down to any HK Ticketing or Tom Lee Music outlet, or alternatively call HK Ticketing on 31 288 288 to get yours.
The Other Zheng
Some might say that looking on the youth and beauty of Luo Jing performing World of Zhengs at the HK Cultural Centre will detract from appreciation of the music. Such people can head off to the HK City Hall Theatre on December 2 to catch the ‘king of HK zheng’, So Chun-bo, in action – a man who formed his first zheng ensemble before Jing was born. The programme features three zheng solos from So Chun-bo (including the Qu Yuan Suite), as well as music accompanied by a cello ensemble, a zheng ensemble and percussion. Showtime is 8pm and tickets cost $140 and $100. They from URBTIX at 2734 9009.
 The Next Best Thing
“It’s the closest [fans] are going to get to seeing ABBA” – said by former ABBA star himself, Benny Andersson, on tribute group Bjorn Again. The band have been taking live music venues by storm with their upbeat live rock show and are coming to Macau under the roof of the Sands Macao. Their tribute to all things good (and sometimes not so good) about 70s music came after 4000 shows in 19 years of Rod’s (stage name Bjorn Volvo-us) highly popular ABBA show concept. Now you can see what all the fuss is about from December 7-9. Showtime is at 9pm and tickets are MOP 530, MOP 430 available on +853 2882 8818, or by visiting www.venetianmacaotickets.com, or by going to the Sands Lobby Box Office or The Venetian Arena Box Office.
The Cats Are Back
Everyone’s favourite feline-centric musical is rearing its head in Macau at the end of the year for 4 performances on December 24, 25, 26 and 28. Though tickets went on sale quite a while ago and if you still want in on this, its best to act sooner rather than later. The show, which has been performed in more than 26 countries in 10 languages will this time show in English, with Chinese and Portuguese subtitles in the Grand Auditorium at the Macau Cultural Centre. Tickets are $480, $350, $200 and $100 from 853 2855 5555 in Macau, or 2380 5083 in HK.
Prodigal Star
Guang Dong’s Jie Chen has seen a lot of the world. Having found her way to a piano when she was four years old, she was accepted into the Shanghai Conservatory at the age of eight. Since then it has been quite a whirlwind ride for the “note perfect and scrupulously measured” (The Washington Post) pianist. Since her move to America in 1998 to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Chen has played with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Wolfgang Swallisch, in the Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls in New York, and the Terrace Theatre in the Kennedy Centre. Around the world she has played with orchestras such as the Vienna Chamber, Sanremo Sinfonica in Italy, Israel Philharmonica Mendi Rodan and many more. In 2006, the Curtis Institute awarded Chen the Festorazzi Prize for Best Pianist of the Year.
As part of Premiere Performances Hong Kong: Rising Stars Piano Series, Chen will now be bringing her “impressive musicality” (The New York Times) to the Sheung Wan Civic Centre as the last instalment of the Rising Stars Piano Series. The 22-year-old will demonstrate why she got into the Curtis Institute on a full scholarship as she plays a selection of seven pieces by Bach, Schumann and Balakirev. Showtime is at 8pm. Tickets are $360, $240 and $180 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.
Jie Chen photos courtesy of S.Riansrivilai
Black Guitar
Diverse band The Black play everything from jazz to blues to pop to folk. On December 1 they’ll be headlining The Black and Friends Concert in the HK Space Museum Lecture Hall. The band was formed by Andy Wong in 2004 to “increase his student’s exposure to live performances and help them to discover the joy of music outside of classes”. Special guests joining them include harmonica musician David T.K. Lo, The Rainbow and pianist Yuki To. Showtime is at 7pm and tickets can be bought from URBTIX, 2734 9009, for $90.
Xmas Carols
The charity fundraising HK Ladies Choir will be turning their attentions this year to St. Stephen’s Society and the Liver Transplant Patients Association during their December 10 and 11 performances. The nights will feature mostly secular Christmas songs joined in at times by the a cappella group Grace Notes and the Metropolitan Youth Choir. On Monday 10, in Union Church (22A Kennedy Road) the performance will be suited more to families with children. The one hour show will be followed by light refreshments, tickets are $150 for adults and $50 for children.
On Tuesday 11, The Ladies Choir will perform for a fundraising dinner show in the Grand Ballroom at the Aberdeen Marina Club (8 Shum Wan Road). There will be a four course Christmas dinner, tickets are $1000 or any donation above $650. Tickets are available at 9122 1050, or by emailing info@thkwc.org.
Gig Round-up
On December 7, there is Mike Yip and Friends, a jazzy selection from 10:30pm. Fringe members get free admission, otherwise its $90 plus a standard drink. Tickets are available from 9:30pm on the night.
The following night, December 8, is Ladybird and the Diamonds, known for playing everything from Chinese oldies, to Western classics to Cantonese pop songs – all in their blues-stroke-funky-jazz style. Free admission for members, $90 otherwise. Get your tickets from 9:30pm on the night.
All tickets can be obtained from the Fringe Club Box Office.
 The Real Rock Chick
On the fast track to superstardom with the use of her song Together on the promo for hit TV show Heroes. Critics are calling her the Christian Avril Lavigne, she calls herself the real rock chick. 19 year oldKrystal Meyers plays quiet soft-rock and fast-paced rock silver-lined by her acoustic guitar and is an inspiration to teens in her home America for the focus on problems facing the young generation such as pre-marital sex and peer pressure along with her overall positive Christianmessage. The Nashville nativemakes her HK debut December 5 at the International Christian Assembly with local guest performers Eternity Girls. Tickets are $120 and $100 with free seating and are available from CBN Hong Kong Ltd. and Elim Christian Bookstore in Jordan, Queensway or Causeway Bay.
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