Charles Richard-Hamelin - 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival by Hong Kong Arts Festival

Charles Richard-Hamelin 查爾斯．理察－哈梅林

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Hong Kong Arts Festival on the staging of its 49th annual celebration of the arts, and doing so in splendid fashion despite the daunting challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Festival features a cheering range of online and in-venue programmes showcasing music, opera, theatre, dance, film and more. In all, the Festival presents some 300 events, activities and performances under the theme “Separate Together”. Festival highlights include a dazzling digital selection of operas and concerts from the Czech Republic’s National Theatre Brno and its biennial Janá ek Brno Festival. Equally notable are two piercing productions of British playwright Neil Bartlett’s adaptation of The Plague, one in English, the other in Cantonese. The Cantonese version is produced in Hong Kong, while the English version is a live

online performance starring six actors in six time zones. Illusionist Scott Silven also performs online and live, from rural Scotland. His interactive production, The Journey, is limited to 30 participants per show. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series celebrates its 10th anniversary with 16 productions, including collaborations with artists from the Chinese mainland and the United Kingdom. The Festival opens with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra performing two world premieres and concludes its international slate with the acclaimed Igor Moiseyev Ballet from Moscow. I find it particularly gratifying to note that the vast majority of events are available free of charge, upon registration, with many of them open to arts lovers from all over the world. The Arts Festival’s promotion of arts education in schools continues. And PLUS programmes bring together audiences and artists through behindthe-scenes videos, artist dialogues and pre- and post-performance talks. For all that, and much more, I am grateful to the inspired diligence and dedication of the Hong Kong Arts Festival team. My thanks, too, to the sponsors and donors for their generous support of the arts and culture, particularly in these trying times. I wish you all an enjoyable and memorable Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Mrs Carrie Lam Chief Executive Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN 49

As we reflect on distance and connection in the 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival, I would like to thank everyone who has made this performance possible, giving us an invaluable opportunity to explore ways of connecting with others. I am grateful to the HKSAR Government, acting through the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, for its annual subvention; and to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its staunch and ongoing support. Thanks are also due to our corporate sponsors, charitable foundations and individual donors, who continue to stand by us in these unprecedented circumstances. Sincere thanks also go to all of the participating artists, whose talent and dedication have gone into today’s performance; and to you, the audience, without whom the show would not be complete. I hope you will find your own connection to today’s performance and will treasure it as much as I do.

Victor Cha Chairman Hong Kong Arts Festival

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 49

With all my colleagues, I am thrilled to welcome you to this performance in the 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival. Over the past year, we have shared the isolation resulting from unprecedented circumstances both in Hong Kong and around the world. “Separate Together” acknowledges what we have all been going through, and is referenced in a number of productions this year. It also alludes to all the separate artists and audiences brought together for performances and events. At the same time, “Separate Together” describes one of the most magical aspects of great art: its capacity to elicit uniquely and deeply personal responses while paradoxically giving us a shared moment of wonder, to be moved, inspired and uplifted. I hope very much that we will experience this together in many performances in the course of the Festival. Please also look out for ancillary PLUS programmes and events, which are curated to provide additional dimensions to the work presented, and enrich your Festival experience. Enjoy!

Tisa Ho Executive Director Hong Kong Arts Festival

The Hong Kong Arts Festival is made possible with the funding support of

HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL A major international arts festival in of and for Hong Kong

“Creative and representational arts have a common mission. They bring beauty to the world, courage to mankind, vigour to life, and brilliance to society… Therein lies the noble significance of the Festival.” 1907 2014 Sir Run Run Shaw, CBE, HKAF Honourary Life President 1907 2014

1973 2 3

The Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) is a major international arts festival committed to enriching the cultural life of the city by presenting leading local and international artists in all genres of the performing arts in February and March each year. Since its launch in 1973, the HKAF has presented top international artists and ensembles across multiple genres—from music, opera, Chinese opera and ballet to break dance and experimental theatre. International guests have included major state operas, established theatres, top orchestras and stars of the day. We also frequently partner with renowned international artists and institutions to produce exceptional new works.

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We have also collaborated with Hong Kong’s own creative talent to produce work which is now part of the local canon and to showcase emerging local artists. Over the years, the HKAF has commissioned and produced over 200 local productions across genres including theatre, chamber opera, music and contemporary dance—many with successful subsequent performances in Hong Kong and overseas.

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As part of our enduring commitment to enriching the cultural life of the city, we organise a diverse range of Festival PLUS activities for the community before and during the Festival to enhance engagement between artists and audiences. These include film screenings, masterclasses, exhibitions,

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meet-the-artist sessions and guided backstage and cultural tours. Beyond the main Festival, the HKAF also promotes inclusivity and understanding through the arts. Its “No Limits” project, co-presented with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, strives to create an inclusive space for people with different abilities to share the joy of the arts together. To nurture the next generation of artists and audiences, the HKAF also invests heavily in yearround arts education for young people. Over the past 29 years, our “Young Friends” scheme has reached over 782,000 local secondary and tertiary school students; members can enjoy showcases, pre-performance talks, open rehearsals, Festival performances and in-school workshops led by international and local artists. Donations to the Student Ticket Scheme also make approximately 10,000 half-price student tickets available each year.

2021

Updated January 2021

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10 Programme 12 Programme Notes Pianist

CHARLES RICHARDHAMELIN 20–23.03.2021

Charles Richard Hamelin Conductor

Bernard Labadie 35

Online Performance Programme 1

About Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

1 10 Approx 1 hour and 10 minutes Programme 2 55 Approx 55 minutes Programme 3 40 Approx 40 minutes

Cover and Production Photographs Elizabeth Delage

The HKAF thanks TFI for providing video streaming technology support for the online screening of Charles Richard-Hamelin

Have a look at the artist sharing video between Charles Richard-Hamelin and the Hong Kong pianist Rachel Cheung on how they conquer performance anxiety. Please visit the PLUS webpage for viewing link.

Photography, streaming or recording of any kind is strictly prohibited

Picture stability and quality are subject to home internet speeds and bandwidth, and other external factors

PROGRAMME Programme 1

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) G

Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, Op 58 58

Allegro moderato Andante con moto Rondo: Vivace With Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Conductor: Bernard Labadie

Violin Sonata No 7 in C minor, Op 30, No 2 30

Allegro con brio Adagio cantabile Scherzo: Allegro—Trio Finale: Allegro Violin: James Ehnes

Programme 2

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) 28

24 Preludes, Op 28 Agitato Lento Vivace Largo Molto allegro Lento assai Andantino Molto agitato Largo Molto allegro Vivace Presto Lento Allegro

Programme

Sostenuto Presto con fuoco Allegretto Molto allegro Vivace Largo Cantabile Molto agitato Moderato Allegro appassionato

Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op 22

Andante spianato: Tranquillo Grande Polonaise brillante: Allegro molto

Programme 3

Amédée Ernest Chausson (1855–1899) D

Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet in D major, Op 21 Décidé: Animé Sicilienne: Pas vite Grave Très animé Violin: Andrew Wan, Olivier Thouin, Marianne Dugal Viola: Charles Pilon Cello: Anna Burden

Programme 1

G C

58 30

BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO 4 IN G MAJOR, OP 58 VIOLIN SONATA NO 7 IN C MINOR, OP 30, NO 2

G 58

Piano Concerto No 4 in G major, Op 58

1808

1811

After he moved to Vienna as a young man, Beethoven established his reputation as a powerful keyboard celebrity. Like Mozart, Beethoven composed piano concertos for his own performance and introduced each of them himself—up through the Concerto No 4, which was first performed publicly at the famous megaconcert in December 1808, during which both his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies were given their world premieres. But the worsening condition of Beethoven’s hearing later made it impossible for him to appear at the public premiere of his final Concerto No 5, which took place in 1811 in Leipzig in the composer’s absence. His first three piano concertos follow in the footsteps of Mozart; the Piano Concerto No 4, however, opens up a new vista for Beethoven’s art. Here, the powerful, dramatic energy that Beethoven developed in the Third “Eroica” and Fifth Symphonies is combined and refined with a more serene lyrical

Programme Notess

Beethoven 1770

Born 12 17

17 December 1770 Bonn, Electorate of Cologne 1827

Died 3 26

26 March 1827 Vienna, Austrian Empire G 58 Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Op 58

Composed 1805–1806

1836

After its premiere, the piece was not performed again during Beethoven’s lifetime. It was only in 1836 that the Romantic pianist Felix Mendelssohn performed it in Leipzig and brought a revival to the piece

approach. Commentators in the 19th century began inventing hidden programmes to “explain” this concerto—much as they did for the Fifth Symphony—and, despite the debate over their accuracy, some have persisted in the public mind. If the Fifth Symphony suggested aspects of the tragic power of Fate from the classical world, later Romantics read the Fourth Concerto’s middle movement as re-enacting another classical myth: the story of Orpheus taming the Furies in the Underworld as he seeks out his beloved deceased Eurydice. Beethoven starts the Piano Concerto No 4 with an unexpected gesture: the conventional start would have been to have the orchestra present the first movement’s ideas before the soloist enters. But here, the pianist enters all alone with a subdued— almost prayerful—passage that sounds like it might even be an improvisation. But this is all precisely planned: the opening bars introduce a rhythmic motif that is one of the keys to the entire first movement (three shorts and a long—the same rhythmic pattern as the Fifth Symphony’s “Fate” motto). A luminous change of key accompanies the moment when the orchestra takes over from the soloist. The dreamlike atmosphere is prolonged: much of the drama of the entire concerto involves unusual ways to stage the relationship between the soloist and orchestra. The middle movement takes the form of a dramatic dialogue. 13

Beethoven miniaturises the orchestra to strings, which play gestures associated with operatic recitative. The piano, with its soft, lyrical pleading, becomes the solo singer trying to subdue these stern furies. As the orchestra’s ferocity begins to be tamed, the soloist erupts in a dazzling fountain of trills.

C 30

Beethoven introduces trumpets and drums into the concerto’s soundscape in the rondo finale. The music here is correspondingly at its most extroverted. Still, Beethoven exploits the contrast between lyrical and dynamic approaches with a gently pensive idea that counteracts the main rondo theme’s military bravado. Violin Sonata No 7 in C minor, Op 30, No 2 1798 12

1797

1803

“You will receive the spirit of Mozart from the hands of Haydn,” predicted the powerful Count Waldstein, one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s earliest supporters. But it was more than the late Mozart’s “spirit” that Beethoven in a sense inherited. The genre of the violin sonata represents another inheritance that Mozart left for Beethoven. It was Mozart who had most successfully modernised the combination of solo keyboard and violin according to the ideals of the classical style. He developed an approach that made this combination a genuine dialogue between two instruments, each treated as equal partners, rather than a glorified piano sonata

Programme Notess

with violin accompaniment. Mozart’s violin sonatas were the best models available when Beethoven composed his own first published set of such works: the three sonatas of Op 12 from 1798.

1812 C 30 Violin Sonata No 7 in C minor Op 30 No 2

1801

1802

30 1803

Composed 1801–1802

The piece is one of just three Nos. 5 and 10 are the others among Beethoven's violin sonatas to boast four movements rather than the standard three.

The piano was an essential component of Beethoven’s personality—even as his deafness worsened—but we should recall that he was also adept at the violin and viola. (As a youngster, he had helped support the family by playing viola for the court orchestra.) Up until the last decade of his career, he approached the piano as a kind of laboratory in which he could experiment with new compositional ideas. But Beethoven also began applying his growing confidence and drive for innovation to other genres, as we find with his violin sonatas. He completed ten of these, writing the first nine over a relatively short span of just six years (from 1797 to 1803); the last one was written, after a long gap, in 1812. By the time of the Op 30 set of three sonatas, which he wrote in 1801 and 1802 and published in 1803, Beethoven was ready to pioneer beyond the Mozart model. Beethoven biographer Maynard Solomon views these three sonatas as “a clear departure”. These are works that experiment with the sound potential of mixing two distinctive virtuosos—of piano and violin—and that contain “moments of heroic pathos clearly signalling that Beethoven was pressing at the outer limits 15

of the Mozartian model,” according to Solomon. The Sonata No 7 is the most ambitious of the Op 30 set—the only one with four movements (the other two have three each), and the only sonata of Op 30 whose home key is in the minor. For the opening movement, Beethoven uses one of his favourite indications: Allegro con brio, or “Allegro with spirit”, which he often associated with the key of C minor (as in, most famously, the Fifth Symphony’s opening movement). And like the later Fifth Symphony, Beethoven squeezes an enormous amount of potential out of a simple rhythmic pattern, which we hear from the very start (in octaves on the piano): a long note followed by four short ones that end on a crotchet. Curiously, Beethoven foregoes the conventional repeat of the opening exposition and explores unusual territory in the development. The Adagio cantabile reminds us of Beethoven’s often undervalued gift for melody, through which he highlights the violin’s vocal qualities, while also giving the spotlight to the piano’s dramatic power. Touches of Haydn’s wit and humour emerge in the Scherzo—though entirely stamped with Beethoven’s personality. The finale emphasises Beethoven’s C minor mood—a mood associated with anxiety, emotional tempests, and, in the accelerated final section, the terror of a merciless pursuit.

Programme 2

28 E

CHOPIN 24 PRELUDES, OP 28 ANDANTE SPIANATO ET GRANDE POLONAISE BRILLANTE IN E-FLAT MAJOR, OP 22

A Universe in 88 Keys

1839

1838 1839

“Chopin is the greatest of all,” Claude Debussy once declared, “for with the piano alone he discovered everything.” And it was with a combination of Romantic expression and daring, Baroque-inspired technique, and jewel-like precision that the Polish exile Chopin accomplished this. The widely roaming moods of the Preludes mirror a tremendous range of technical challenges and expressive devices, from deceptively simple repeated gestures (ostinati) to dizzyingly complex rhythms and fiendishly difficult spacings and figures (as in No 16, possibly the most terrifying of the set in purely technical terms). Chopin published his collection of 24 Preludes as Op 28 in 1839, when he was still just shy of 30. George Sand—by which name his lover, the novelist Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, was better known—witnessed the birth of several of these as Chopin completed the cycle in the winter of 1838-39. It was an artistic victory during the otherwise notoriously ill-fated

Programme Notes

sojourn that the couple spent in an abandoned Carthusian monastery on the island of Majorca, where the weather took a terrible toll on Chopin’s health.

Chopin 1810

Born 3 1

1 March 1810 Zelazowa Wola, Duchy of Warsaw Died 1849 10 17 17 October 1849 Paris, France 28 24 Preludes Op 28

Composed 1838–1839

Chopin himself did not name any of the 24 Preludes. Epithets such as “Raindrop” No 15 and “The Storm” No 24 were later titled by his interpreters Hans von Bülow and Alfred Cortot

D D D

Chopin set off on this brief exile from Paris armed with a copy of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. His reverence for this model is clear from his decision to organise each of the Preludes into a coherent tonal sequence spanning all 24 major and minor keys. But Chopin’s system differs from Bach’s stepwise chromatic progression. Chopin proceeds by the old-fashioned “circle of fifths”, which means that each of the major-key preludes (odd numbers) ascends by the interval of a fifth. Between these are minor-key preludes (even numbers) in the relative minor of the preceding key—all the way up to No 24 in D minor, which ends with an imperiously dramatic series of three D’s fulminating at the bottom of the keyboard. Chopin makes an even more significant swerve away from Bach in his concept of a “prelude”. By definition a curtainraiser to a fugue in the case of Bach, the prelude that Chopin cultivated is a self-contained microcosm. Each single piece elicits a unique psychological profile and emotional atmosphere whose completion becomes entirely subjective work on the part of the listener. At the same time, through a variety of cross-references, the Preludes manifest the unity of a cycle on the larger scale. Several develop the motif of an insistently repeated note (Nos 4, 21

E Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat major Op 22

Composed 1831, 1834

D C The Grande Polonaise brillante has been hugely popular in cinema, most notably being used to conclude the 2002 Oscar winning film The Pianist

6, and 15), while others employ the tolling effect of resounding chords (Nos 9 and 20)—an idea Debussy would develop in wondrously innovative ways. Pieces that are worlds apart in terms of mood develop using similar textures, such as the ongoing left-hand figurations in both the first and final preludes. While many are less than a minute in duration, the temporal dimensions of the Preludes likewise can vary considerably. No 15 (the so-called “Raindrop” Prelude in D-flat major) almost approaches the realm of the nocturne in its leisurely unfolding. No 10 in C-sharp minor (sometimes called “The Night Moth”) is by contrast brisk and exceedingly short. There is a forward-looking aspect to the Preludes as well: in the daringly disorienting harmonies of No 2 (in A minor), and in the meta-language by which Chopin “translates” a wide range of musical discourse into pianistic terms. Consider the melancholy, left-hand cantabile of No 6 (a disguised cello), the bel canto singer in No 13, the operatic scenario hinted in the fiendishly challenging No 16, or the implied concertante instrumental ensemble of No 18. Chopin alludes as well to several of his favourite genres: the stripped-down mazurka of the very brief No 7 or the nocturne-like expansiveness of No 15, which even incorporates an excursion into the minor key along its journey—the longest of the cycle. Unlike many of his fellow

Programme Notes

E 22

1830

1831

1835

1834 spianato

Romantics, Chopin scorned the distraction of programmatic titles. This fact is all too easy to forget on account of the familiar, sometimes melodramatic nicknames that Hans von Bülow later applied, such as “Reunion” (No 1), “Desperation,” (No 8), “A Pleasure Boat” (No 23), or “The Storm” (No 24). Yet the sense of intimate communication that Chopin imparts entirely through musical terms is what continues to hold music lovers and keyboard enthusiasts spellbound—and to discover reflections of their own selves. The Polonaise of the Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22, was originally written as a concert piece for piano with orchestra. It dates from 1830-31, when Chopin was in the first stage of exile from his native Poland, in Vienna. The excitement of the original scoring is readily conveyed by the solo version. In a rare concert performance in spring 1835, Chopin played the Polonaise as a solo piece and paired it with an Andante composed in 1834. (The word “spianato” is a term from woodworking and means “smooth.”) He then published these together as a single work. Chopin’s love of the bel canto style of Italian opera of the time (above all by Vincenzo Bellini) is evident in the Andante. This is a style marked by long, flowing melodies and intricate ornamentation that is soulful rather than showy. The Andante is also reminiscent of a nocturne. It demands the performer’s most sensitive skills 23

in caressing mechanical keys into singing presences. The Andante ripples along with what seems an improvisatory stream of invention—as if exhaled in one long gasp of inspiration. Indeed, Chopin is said to have played this as a prefatory piece in his salon recitals. Yet, however impromptu his music sounds on the surface, as a composer Chopin honed and refined it like a diamond cutter. The accompaniment’s tracery is subtly entwined around the principal melody’s recurrences, while the melody itself shimmers with glints of suddenly shifting colour, like sunlight angling from a butterfly’s wings. An episode of contrastingly straightforward texture (hinting of a mazurka) devolves around a basic descending cadence. About twice as long as the Andante spianato, the Grand Polonaise exhibits the composer’s political defiance of the oppressors of his native Poland. Chopin adorns the principal theme in ways that emphasise not just its noble, heroic aspects but its sheer exuberance. A C minor interlude cannot diminish the high spirits, and the original material returns, followed by a flamboyantly sweeping coda.

Programme 3

ERNEST CHAUSSON CONCERTO IN D MAJOR FOR PIANO, VIOLIN, AND STRING QUARTET, OP 21

Ernest Chausson was only 44 when he lost control of a bicycle and was killed instantly. That tragic early death deprived the world of a remarkably gifted and intelligent composer who was part of the generation that bridged the spread of Wagnerism in France and the first stirrings of modernism in young Debussy. And because Chausson was both a late bloomer and highly selfcritical, the catalogue of works he managed to complete is modest. Chausson’s path to a musical career had been delayed by parental expectations. Certainly there was no issue with lack of finances—he grew up in a very well-off Parisian family—but the dutiful Ernest placated his father by studying law and had to wait until his mid-twenties to enrol in the Paris Conservatory. The spark had been lit by a trip to Munich to hear Wagner conduct his operas. At the Conservatory, Chausson found a powerful mentor in César Franck. 1892 2

Chausson struggled mightily to compose and feared that what he wrote was “of little consequence”. But the premiere of his Concerto in D major for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet in Brussels on 26 February

Programme Notes

concert

1892 was a success. Playing the violin part on that occasion was Eugène Ysaÿe, to whom the work is dedicated. It was Ysaÿe whose request for a concerto from Chausson later prompted Poème for violin and orchestra, which became his most popular work.

Ernest Chausson Born 1855 1 20 20 January 1855 Paris, France Died 1899 6 10 16 June 1899 Limay, France

DAE

D 21 Concerto in D major for Piano Violin and String Quartet Op 21

Despite its designation as a concerto (in French, “concert”), Op 21 is not what Ysaÿe or the music public in general in late19th-century France had in mind when they thought of a typical concerto. Yet Chausson made a point of not calling this score for six players a sextet—the division of labour is too varied. The Op 21 Concerto is thus an unusual addition not only to Chausson’s catalogue but to the chamber music repertoire in general. The piano takes the lead with a proclamation of an important three-note motto in bass octaves (D-A-E). This starts a slow introduction for the piano and quartet. After a shift to an animated tempo, the solo violin makes its entrance and plays the first theme of the movement, which starts with the same threenote motto, as does the second theme. The rest unfolds in more or less standard sonata form.

Composed 1889–1891

The concerto was among the first critical acclaimed works of the composer, who made a joyous comment in his diary after the premiere “Never have I had such a success I can't get over it. Everyone seems to love the Concert.”

1889

The above-mentioned Baroque element occurs in the Sicilienne, a romanticised version of this ancient dance rhythm of lilting phrases. The effect gives off a melancholy charm. Chausson begins the slow third movement (Grave, in the minor) with a forlorn duet for the solo violin and piano. The quartet’s entrance into this landscape opens the gates to an even 27

darker, profounder grief. A turn to D major is too brief to offer much consolation. The final movement most clearly shows the impact of César Franck on Chausson’s musical thinking. Franck’s Symphony in D minor, which had only premiered in 1889, famously quotes from themes heard earlier in the work. Chausson’s finale likewise includes references to material from the preceding movements and eventually culminates in a coda of unbridled energy. D 1894 Belgian violinist Eugène Ysaÿe gave the premieres of Chausson’s famous Poème and the Concerto in D major. Taken in 1894

Programme notes by Thomas May Thomas May is a freelance writer, critic, educator, and translator whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Gramophone and Musical America. He regularly contributes to the programmes of the Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard School, and his books include Decoding Wagner and The John Adams Reader.

BBC

2015

CHARLES RICHARD-HAMELIN Pianist

Pianist – Charles Richard-Hamelin

Analekta 2015 2016

22 24

Charles Richard-Hamelin stands out on the international music scene as a “highly sensitive” pianist (Gramophone), driven by “a great depth of feeling without the slightest condescension” (Le Devoir). He is recognised as “fluent, multifaceted and tonally seductive […] a technician of exceptional elegance and sophistication” (BBC Music Magazine).

Carlo Rizzi, Alexander Prior, among others. He has also performed as a soloist with famous orchestras around the world, including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Québec, Toronto, Edmonton, Warsaw, Singapore and Hiroshima symphony orchestras, as well as the Orchestre Métropolitain, Les Violons du Roy and I Musici de Montréal.

In 2015, he received the Silver Medal at the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and the Krystian Zimerman Prize for Best Performance of a Sonata. He has also won awards in several other international competitions, such as the Concours musical international de Montréal and the Seoul International Music Competition.

He has recorded six albums to date, all released on the Analekta label. In 2015, he first recorded his acclaimed performances of Chopin’s late works. Launched in 2016, his second album brings together works by Beethoven, Enescu and Chopin, recorded in concert at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City. There then followed two more CDs, one devoted to the first part of a complete collection of Beethoven violin and piano sonatas, recorded with the solo violinist of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Andrew Wan. His album of Chopin’s two piano concertos was recorded live in concert at the Maison symphonique de Montréal with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Kent Nagano. He has also collaborated with Les Violons du Roy on Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos 22 and 24, under the direction of Jonathan Cohen.

Charles Richard-Hamelin is in great demand as a guest performer at the world’s greatest classical music festivals, including the International Piano Festival of La Roque d’Anthéron in France, the Prague Spring International Music Festival, the International Festival “Chopin and his Europe” in Warsaw, the Festival International de Lanaudière in Canada and the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest. He has worked with renowned conductors, including Kent Nagano, Vasily Petrenko, Jacek Kaspszyk, Aziz Shokhakimov, Peter Oundjian, Jacques Lacombe, Fabien Gabel,

Conductor Bernard Labadie

Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the preeminent conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation closely tied to his work with Les Violons du Roy (of which he served as music director from its inception until 2014) and La Chapelle de Québec. With these two ensembles he has regularly toured Canada, the USA and Europe, in major venues and festivals. He began a four-year term as principal conductor of the Orchestra of St Luke’s in New York in the 2018/2019 season.

2014

Bernard Labadie Conductor

2018 2019

2019 2020

ATMA

In 2019/2020, he was guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony, the Handel & Haydn Society, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, the Utah Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre philharmonique de MonteCarlo, the Orchestre national de Lyon and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His extensive discography includes many critically acclaimed recordings on the Dorian, ATMA and Virgin Classics labels, including Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and a collaborative recording of Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, both of which received Canada’s Juno Award.

ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE MONTRÉAL

Antoine Saito

1934

Analekta ECM EMI

Founded in 1934, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) is a distinguished leader of musical life in Quebec and Canada. Recognised as one of the finest orchestras in the world, whose core activity is performing the vast orchestral repertoire with conductors and soloists of the highest calibre, the OSM is an essential cultural ambassador. The orchestra has perpetuated several rich traditions rooted in its long history of social involvement and embodied in far-reaching projects, world class tours and a superb discography. Firmly anchored in today’s world, the OSM’s innovative artistic programming in both concerts and recordings brings modern-day relevance to the symphonic repertoire while strengthening the Orchestra’s place at the heart of its home base in Quebec’s metropolis. Over the years, the OSM has crisscrossed Canada and toured abroad, travelling to Quebec’s far north as well as to the United

States, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Its discography totals more than a hundred recordings on the Decca, Analekta, CBC Records, ECM, EMI, Philips, and Sony labels, having won more than 50 national and international awards.

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Dr & Mrs Samuel and Ellen Lam Stefan & Caroline Kracht

BNP Paribas Lincoln & Yu-San Leong Sino Group

SILVER DONORS HK$6,000 – HK$11,999

Anonymous Mrs Germaine Tso Ms Wu Tseng Helen BRONZE DONORS HK$3,000 – HK$5,999

4 Anonymous 4

Star B Chan MDB Mr Lee King Fung Mrs A M Peyer Mr Alex So Mrs Teresa Pong Tam Dr Mrs Tsao Yen Chow and Dr Sabrina Tsao

Festival Donation Scheme JADE DONORS HK$30,000 – HK$69,999

Anonymous Nathaniel Foundation Limited Nine Queens Investment Limited Shun Hing Group GOLD DONORS HK$12,000 – HK$29,999

Mr & Mrs Jeffrey & Helen Chan Mr SHN Cheng Ms Jenny Hodgson

Mr Stephen Tan Dr & Mrs Tsao Yen Chow and Dr Sabrina Tsao Samuel & Amy Wang Mr Andric Yew SILVER DONORS HK$6,000 – HK$11,999

5 Anonymous 5 Mr Mrs David S L Lin Dr Michael Mak Dr Ronald Paul Ng

Mrs A M Peyer Leland Helen Sun Mr Wong Yick Kam Ms Isabel Yiu BRONZE DONORS HK$3,000 – HK$5,999

8 Anonymous 8 Mrs Veryan E Bradshaw Ms Grace Chiang Ms Fung Man Yee

Dr Alfred Lau Ms Khoo Li Lian Flavia Gary Ma Mr Mrs Gary Ma Mr Jose Manuel Sevilla Sora C Mr Mrs Ian Stone Mrs Teresa Pong Tam Yeung’s family Dr Jason Yeung

New Works Scheme JADE DONOR HK$30,000 – HK$69,999

Nine Queens Investment Limited

GOLD DONOR HK$12,000 – HK$29,999

Mr Lau Yeung Chak SILVER DONOR HK$6,000 – HK$11,999

Anonymous BRONZE DONORS HK$3,000 – HK$5,999

Anonymous

Ms Grace Chiang Mr S C Tong Ling Mauretania Co Ltd Mrs A M Peyer Mrs Teresa Pong Tam

SUPPORT AND COOPERATION

Acorn Design Alfie Leung Design

Faculty of Arts

Hong Kong Sinfonietta The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Arts Education Section, Education Bureau Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong Auberge Discovery Bay Hong Kong Austrian Consulate General Hong Kong Avanny Advertising Co Ltd BRICK LANE British Consulate General Hong Kong

ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan

Information and Public Relations Units in Offices Outside Hong Kong

CAMPSITE Cattle Depot Artist Village

The Pottinger Hong Kong The Salisbury YMCA of Hong Kong

Island Pacific Hotel Hong Kong JellyBin Limited

Théâtre de la Feuille THEDO

Ko Shan Theatre Tom Lee Music Company Ltd Kwang Hwa Information

Culture Center

Broadway Cinema Broadway Circuit

School of Chinese Opera School of Drama School of Music

ICBC Asia

Trinity Theatre Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

Tuen Mun Town Hall URBTIX

Maxibit HK China Chow Sang Sang Jewellery Co. Ltd

WeDraman Black Box Theatre Ministry of Culture and Tourism, PRC

CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited

Mission Production Company Ltd

Wealthy Step Printing Co.

City Contemporary Dance Company

MOViE MOViE MOViE MOViE Cityplaza

West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

City Garden Hotel

MOViE MOViE MOViE MOViE Pacific Place

Wharney Hotel

Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macau

Mr Alpha Li

Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Hong Kong

wine etc Yuen Long Theatre On Theatre Workshop

One Minden Tapas Kitchen Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Hong Kong SAR, PRC Department of Chinese and History, The City University of Hong Kong Department of Cultural and Creative Arts, Education University of Hong Kong

Zhu Graphizs

Parsons Music Limited Patsville Company Ltd PCCW Piano Arts Service Limited Pixellent

Department of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University Die Konzertisten

Primasia Corporate Services Limited

Fringe Club

Royal Pacific Hotel

Gloucester Luk Kwok Hong Kong

Sha Tin Town Hall

Hong Kong Arts Administrators Association

Sheung Wan Civic Centre

Hong Kong Arts Centre

Shun Hing Electronic Trading Co., Ltd. Southgate Design

Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Music Cultural Literacy Programme

Speedy Promotion Limited Taiwan Sotheby's International Realty

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Tao Fong Shan Christian Centre Hong Kong City Hall The Artland Co Ltd Hong Kong Cultural Centre The Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Hong Kong Tourism Board

Department of Cultural and Religious Studies Department of Music

In alphabetical order

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Arnold Schoenberg Choir Curating the Programme

The European Choral Tradition of the Late Romantic Period

Cantonese Opera Noah’s Ark Behind the scenes

Jockey Club Local Creative Talent Series Journey to the West Rewind / Women Like Us

Women Like Us On the Arduous Path to Happiness

Conquering Performance Anxiety in Piano Competition

The New Normal of Journey to the West Rewind

Igor Moiseyev State Academic Ensemble of Popular Dance Igor Moiseyev Ballet Special

Jockey Club Local Creative Talent Series Yat-sen tentative title Work in Progress Preview

Behind the scenes

National Theatre Brno The Diary of One Who Disappeared Matthew Bourne’s Ballet Film Series Cinderella Behind the scenes

Matthew Bourne’s Ballet Film Series Romeo & Juliet

Without Intermission – 50 Years of Artistic Life of Elena Shcherbakova

National Theatre Brno The Cunning Little Vixen

Creative team sharing on Musical Yat-sen

Behind the scenes

Inspired by Beethoven Hong Kong Sinfonietta Eroica

In the Footsteps of Leoš Janá ek Into the Czech Lands

Donmar Warehouse Blindness

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Music About China

National Theatre Brno Jen fa Behind the scenes

Telling Images of Xiqu on Porcelain

Charles Richard Hamelin Concerts

A Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures production Ballet Film The Red Shoes

Performing Janá ek Janá ek's Unrequited Love

Pavel Haas Quartet

Janá ek and Martin : Intimacy and Obsessions in String Quartets Finding Your Own Janá ek

Matthew Bourne’s Ballet Film Series Swan Lake Behind the scenes

Piano Recital by Jan Bartoš Revealing Janá ek and His Piano Works

Music

Scott Silven’s The Journey

The Plague Cantonese version

Dance

The Witnesses of The Plague

Theatre

Meet the Artist

Opera/Chinese Opera

The Chop Pathetic Fallacy

The Plague English version Seeing your own plague in Albert Camus’s The Plague

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series Dance On and Oﬀ Dancers at Home

Voice Out Mokita in An Uncertain World

Artist Sharing Behind the scenes

Wiener Symphoniker’s Concerts Guided Talk

Yip’s Children’s Choir Children’s Opera Alice in Wonderland

Documentary Screening Talks Online Exhibition

Please visit the HKAF website for latest programme information

www.hk.artsfestival.org

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series Elephant in the Room / Dirty

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series Finding Meaning in an Uncertain World

Mokita The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series Mokita / Voice Out

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series Put Out the Flame / Hermetic Diode

Tel Fax Email

2824 3555 2824 3798 2824 3722 afgen hkaf.org 2824 2430

2 12 1205 Room 1205, 12th Floor, 2 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Programme Enquiry

PATRON

The Hon Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBM GBS

HONORARY LIFE PRESIDENT

Sir Run Run Shaw, CBE (1907-2014)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chairman

Mr Victor Cha

Vice Chairman

Prof Lo King-man, MBE, JP, SBS

Honorary Treasurer

Mr William Li

Members

Mr Edward Cheng, GBS JP Ms Margaret Cheng Mrs Yu-san Leong Prof Gabriel Leung, GBS JP Mr Sebastian Shiu-wai Man Dr Dennis T L Sun, BBS JP Ms Miriam Yao Mr Sunny Yeung

PROGRAMME COMMITTEE Chairman

Prof Lo King-man, MBE, JP, SBS

Members

Prof Giorgio Biancorosso Prof David Gwilt, MBE Mr Peter C L Lo Mr Fredric Mao, BBS The Hon Mr Justice Ribeiro Mr Joseph Seelig * Mr Wing-pong Tam, SBS JP Ms Jue Yao, JP

FINANCE COMMITTEE Chairman

Mr William Li

Members

Ms Margaret Cheng Mr Nelson Leong

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

* 40

Honorary Programme Advisor

Chairman

Mrs Yu-san Leong

Vice Chairman

Ms Jane Yong

Members

Mrs Betty Yuen Cheng Mr Paulo Kin-yee Pong Mrs Helen Lin Sun Mr Andrew Yao

ADVISORS

The Hon Ronald Arculli, GBM CVO GBS OBE JP Mr Martin Barrow, GBS CBE JP Dr John C C Chan, GBS CBE LVO JP Dr Darwin Chen, SBS ISO Mr Angus H Forsyth The Hon Charles Y K Lee, GBM GBS OBE JP Mrs Mona Leong, SBS BBS MBE JP Dr The Hon Sir David K P Li, GBM GBS OBE JP

HONORARY SOLICITOR

Ms Gabriela Kennedy, Mayer Brown

AUDITOR

PricewaterhouseCoopers

STAFF **

Executive Director Assistant to Executive Director PROGRAMME Programme Director Associate Programme Director Programme Managers

** * * * *

* *

Grace Lang** So Kwok-wan Janet Yau* Susanna Yu* Tracy Tam* Loui Yuen* Stephanie Kuo* Elvis King*

ADMINISTRATION Programme Manager (Administration) Programme Officer (Administration)

Shirley So Spaky Ching*

* *

TECHNICAL Production Manager Assistant Production Manager

Shirley Leung* Benny Mok*

PUBLICATIONS Editor English Editor Assistant Editors

James Liu* Oliver Farry* Rain Cheng*

OUTREACH Senior Outreach Manager Deputy Outreach Manager Assistant Outreach Manager Outreach Officers

* Oliver Farry* * ** * * * *

MARKETING Marketing Director Associate Marketing Director Marketing Managers Deputy Marketing Manager Assistant Marketing Manager Digital Marketing Specialist Marketing Officer Arts Administrator Trainee

** ** * * * * * *

** *

TICKETING Marketing Manager (Ticketing) Ticketing Officers DEVELOPMENT Development Director Development Managers

Kenneth Lee** Joe Tang* Carman Lam* Tracy Cheung* Kelvin Li*

Eppie Leung Stephanie Chan*

Assistant Development Manager Arts Administrator Trainee

** * *

ACCOUNTS Head of Finance Accounting Manager Accounting Officer

Teresa Kwong** Connie To* Peter So*

HR & ADMINISTRATION Office Manager Receptionist/Junior Secretary General Assistant

Judy Tam* Virginia Li Bonia Wong

NO LIMITS Project Administrator Project Coordinator Programme and Outreach Manager Assistant Programme and Outreach Manager Marketing Manager Assistant Marketing Managers Outreach Coordinator Assistant Technical and Production Manager Senior Accounting Officer

Fiona Chung* Helen Luk* Lam Kam-kwan* Ainslee Chan* Germaine Lui* Wendy Chu* Wilson Fung* Jacob Chan* Janice Pang*

Contract Staff No Limits Steering Committee Members

Joseph Wong*

Michael Lee*

Katy Cheng** Dennis Wu** Dennis Chan* Alexia Chow Michelle Yeung* Joel Kwok* Ben Chan* Erica Lau* Stephanie Cheung*

* *

* * * * * * * * *

Linda Yip

Melody Lai*

Flora Yu** Anna Cheung* Lorna Tam Conny Souw* Lois Ng*

* **

Assistant Programme Managers Programme Coordinator Arts Administrator Trainee Logistics Manager

Tisa Ho** Connie Ho

2021

Chung Cheuk-yau*

Mak Tsz Kam*

Tiffany Wong*

In alphabetical order Updated March 2021