Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoStringS Orchestra & NeoWinds Orchestra
Joint Concert
5 Oct 08
Event review
Established in 2007, Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoString Orchestra made its debut in April 2008. The newly formed orchestra performed in a joint concert with the Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoWinds Orchestra at the Christian Family Service Centre in Kwung Tong.
From French Baroque Rondeau to Classical Symphony; from blues-style modern music to Disney movie songs, the diverse programming brought the audiences through a music time tunnel.
NeoString
Conducted by Anthony Wong, the Music Director and Conductor of NeoString Orchestra, the String Orchestra started off the concert with Richard A. Stephen’s Vanguard Overture. The piece opened with 8 groups of energetic and vigorous triplets and followed by a haunting melody. The bright and energetic theme reappeared at the latter half of the piece. Ending with a dramatic tutti, it signified the start of the concert.
Richard Wagner’s Entrance and March for the Guests came from the second act of Tannhäuser, one of his earliest operas written in 1840s. Sparkling yet elegant, the piece started off with a fanfare and turned lively and graceful. It depicted the bustling scene where the guests assembled in the castle of Wartburg for the grand singing contest.
Brahms’ Hungarian Dance gained an immediate and enduring popularity since its première. The F minor Hungarian Dance No.4 created tension at the beginning by sostenuto of the strings, and turned a brisk allegro. The finale brought out the theme again. With the first violins playing the theme at high pitch, the song reached the climax and ended at the peak.
The bells rang out, bringing the audiences into a state of peacefulness. Arvo Pärt wrote Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten to mourn the death of English composer Benjamin Britten in 1976. Scoring for string orchestras and bells, the whole piece of music consisted of a simple descending A minor triad to portray the theme of death. The young orchestra members played the song with great concentration. The audience still held their breath after the end of the song for the lingering grief and sorrow.
Jean Joseph Mouret’s Rondeau is the first movement of Mouret’s “First Suite in D”. It was originally written for the Louis XV and became famous for being the theme music of the BBC program “Masterpiece Theater”. The simple and pleasant melody of the Rondo-style French Baroque pull the audiences back from the remorse.
Mozart wrote his Symphony No.25 K.183 in 17. Written in G minor, the first movement opened with rhythmic syncopation. The piece characterized as the “Sturm and Drag” (Storm and Stress) style, conveying a sense of difficulty and the pain of struggle. The melodic color changed rapidly and unpredictably. The vintage early Mozart style appeared in the middle, light and simple, and returned to the stressful theme at the latter half of the piece.
NeoWinds
After intermission, the NeoWinds Orchestra, conducted by Danilo Delfin, the Music Director and Conductor of NeoWinds Orchestra, offered an exciting program of a series of popular wind band classics.
Alfred Reed’s A Festival Prelude definitely is one of the masterpieces in the repertoire. The piece opened with a fanfare of brass and cymbal. Melodic phrases carried out by woodwinds and brass interweaved the theme of the piece. The whole piece of music represented energy and vigor, displaying a sense of happiness and cheerfulness.
A series of 20th century music, including Andante Festivo, Suite of Old American Dances and Marching Song were performed, bringing the audiences a sense of lightness and gaiety.
Jean Sibelius’s Andante Festivo was originally scored for string quartet and later rescored for string orchestra and timpani. A version of concert band was rearranged by Hiroki Takahashi. The piece was composed of similar variation of thematic phrases.
Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances originally have five movements. The version that NeoWinds performed was rearranged by James Curnow for younger players. One of the three movements, Western One-Step, Wallflower Rag and Cake Walk, were selected in this edition. The music was well-executed by the young band players. The mood of a Saturday night barn dance that the composer intended to create was beautifully carried out.
Marching Song was originated from Gustav Holst’s Two songs Without Words. Splendid, lyrical and alluring, the piece is a classical Holst style. With a comfortable marching tempo and a variety of dynamic change at the beginning, the audiences were led into the magnificent music world of Holst.
The last song the NeoWinds performed was Disney at the Movie. Well-arranged by John Higgins, the song included most of the great Disney melodies, like Circle of Life, Colors of the Wind, Friend Like Me, Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Beauty And The Beast. All the audiences were attracted by the well-known melody, some even hummed along the music!
Just before the end of the joint concert. The members of the band and the string orchestra formed a full orchestra to perform John Strauss II’s Thunder and Lightning Polka. The force of nature and the power of thunder and lightning were illustrated through excellent execution of accents and sforzandi. Of course, the effect of thunder could not be carried out without the presence of timpani and cymbals. All the percussionists performed brilliantly on that Sunday evening. The concert ended under the strength of thunder. Their impressive efforts were awarded a big round of applause. |
