HK Ballet: Faye Leung released

HK Ballet: Faye Leung released




(Amendment Feb 15, 2009)
I again read from the newsgroup 3music.classical that Leung had been apologized to and offered the post of "guest" principal:

"...受 政 府 資 助 的 香 港 芭 蕾 舞 蹈 團 出 現 戲 劇 性 解 僱 事 件。 團 中 台 柱 、 高 級 首 席 舞 蹈 員 梁 菲 ， 被 舞 蹈 團 解 僱 兩 星 期 後 ，事 件 迴 路 轉 ， 梁 菲 表 示 前 晚 舞 蹈 團 行 政 總 監 徐 嘉 鳴 為 粗 魯 的 解 僱 手 法 向 她 道 歉 ， 並 口 頭 邀 請 她 作 「 客 座 首 席 舞 蹈 員 」， 梁 菲 暫 時 未 決 定 是 否 接 受 ...上 海 出 生 的 梁 菲 ， 96 年 從 上 海 來 港 加 入 芭 蕾 舞 蹈 團 ， 由 普 通 群 舞 演 員 逐 步 晉 升 至 高 級 首 席 。 香 港 芭 蕾 舞 蹈 團 每 年 受 政 府 資 助 二 千 多 萬 ， 首 席 舞 蹈 員 年 薪 40 至 60 萬 元 (摘自 蘋果日報 二月五日）

But apparently all of this seems rather unofficial, and as noted in the thread, there was an article in Feb 8's Ming Pao critical of the HKB administration, and responsible officials have not stepped up to explain to the public.

(Original Post)
Today I was shocked when I read a post in the newsgroup 3music.classical:

“...Incident described in a forum:

http://www.ballet.co.uk/dcforum/news/4320.html

Official press release:

http://www.hkballet.com/2007/press/2009/0129_eng.html

I wonder if the firing and the resignation will affect their "All Bach"performances during the upcoming HKAF...."

Click here, and here, for her official site(s).

To me Faye Leung is without doubt THE classical ballet dancer in HK. Ever since I watched her as Juliet in 2007 I have become a hugh fan of hers. She is a STAR who can convey unbirdled joy and that rarest of qualities, PASSION. This is not only HK Ballet's loss, it's HK's loss.

Here is what I wrote at that time (posted in the same newsgroup then):

”...23/03/2007

HK Ballet/HKPO/Prokofiev/Romeo and Juliet

Shatin Town Hall

I attended last night's performance at Shatin Town Hall, less for watching the ballet and more for the opportunity of hearing the complete score of Prokofiev, one of my favorites. Hence I was really stunned by how the whole thing came together.

Shatin’s more humble scale meant a more crowded stage, some compression in the visual lines and a little loss in grandeur, but the gain in intimacy proved more vital. Even from my upstairs seat it was obvious this is a stunning production.

This is from choreographer van Dantzig’s 1967 work, fully 40 years ago! Despite “old” influences of Graham and Balanchine, it speaks to us eloquently and did not seem dated. Most enchanting was the detailed, psychologically and musically considered choreography for Juliet, full of exquisite details and fabulously danced by Faye Leung, who looked absolutely the part. Her acting is on the same exalted level as her dancing, conveying the girlish Juliet’s every turn of thought. This is a gem worthwhile on any stage in the world. Unfortunately, her Romeo, Zhang Yao, was tentative and wooden. The rest of the cast is excellent.

I would think the set, costumes and lighting contributed just as much to the total experience. Van Dantzig’s contemporary van Schayk’s sets were simple yet functional, and I must give special mention to his costumes which utilize the full palette. Under the splendid lighting of Alice Kwong the eyes just could not take in all the details. The set pieces and stills in the back look like paintings from the time of Romeo and Juliet and totally appropriate.

I almost forgot to mention the music, for which I went in the first place! The HKPO in the pits, aided by the excellent acoustics of the hall, played splendidly and with class, and most importantly, con amore under the conductor Richard Bernas.

This is emphatically a total experience. In its ability to “sing” it beats most opera productions. It IS a wordless opera. Watching the ballet made me learn so much more about the music I thought I knew. The final act struck me as Tristan merged into Gotterdammerung, so Wagnerian in its sweep and complete in its totality. This is even more of a masterpiece than I had thought, the most flesh and blood of classical ballets. I heard a lot of sobbing in the audience and that’s proof enough of success. My hats off to everyone.

The same cast appeared in the 2:30 performance the next day, and they danced even better. The corps were more together. Romeo was much more in his elements. Juliet was largely the same. Lighting was even better! So they had worked hard!..."

Concert Review: 2009 A HKPO Blundering Odyssey

Concert Review: 2009 A HKPO Blundering Odyssey

Jan 23, 2009
HKPO/Zinman
Webern/Mahler/Strauss
CCCH

This event marked one of the greatest blunders ever on the part of the "planners" of HKPO. A pair of concerts on two of the days when many, if not most, of the HK Chinese actually hold the all-important Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Naturally, box office were abysmal (I suspected it when I bought tickets; not one seat in my section had been sold; something I have never seen in more than a decade of buying HKPO tickets). In desperation, HKPO sent out a hugh number of emails and gave a large number of tickets away in pairs. This of course does not make me happy, especially since this concert without soloist was priced at a higher level. More importantly, it's a complete waste of our tax money, which still funds much of HKPO's expenses.

The program was not an easy one for the HK audience. Even some classical fans whom I met at the concert (attending with free tickets) did not know Thus Spake Zarathustra. The concert name/promo was a disaster too. It shows the lack of sensitivity to local culture on the part of the HKPO administration. In English, it's A Viennese Odyssey, which is fine. In Chinese it says 2001 Space Odyssey, which means little to the majority of HK people, who have not watched Kubrick's movie. The man behind me explained to his companion: "...I guess something to do with some space event that happened in 2001... ". If you have to resort to gimmickry, do it so everyone understands! In the promotional leaflet and program notes, Kubrick's movie was not mentioned at all.

Of course, I understand tickets were desperately given away to avoid Zinman facing an empty hall. Perhaps the administration can also review how come so many people would come on free tickets but otherwise would not have attended. Perhaps HKPO has used up all of its advertising money on endlessly promoting solely EdW? There's no escape...

Shame on you, HKPO administration!

Which is too bad, since the musicians and Zinman deserved a lot better. The program was a difficult but rewarding one.

Webern's Passacaglia was beautifully played by the orchestra who, under Zinman, shed much of their nervous quality under EdW. Zinman deftly brought out the chiseled quality of the piece, as well as its occasional outburst of lyricism. Even at this early point it was clear Zinman, reputed to be an "objective" conductor, can bring out warmth when he chooses to. This vies for the best opener I have ever heard the orchestra play.

The fine, naturally breathing quality of the playing extended to the next piece, the Adagio from Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony. Fellow concertgoer KL described it best: "...I like the way Zinman took his time to tell the story...". While Zinman's Mahler interpretation was certainly not in the sentimental "Death in Venice" camp, neither was it anything like EdW's parched terrain. Zinman artfully balanced the heaves and sighs, yet did not forget to give us a little tone-painting while maintaining momentum. The resulting canvas was one softly colored but rich in hue and, yes, with a Viennese quality, particularly at the end, where the connection with Strauss was hard not to notice.

Among Strauss' tone poems, Thus Spake Zarathustra is definitely the one that is the most difficult to bring off, being not as obviously swaggering as Don Quixote or Ein Heldenleben; not as scenic as the Alpine Symphony; not as frothy as Don Juan or Till Eulenspiegel. Rather, allied to its subtext, its blend of the earthy and reflective can easily defeat a lesser conductor. Both the conducting and the playing here had a few lapses in concentration, yet the whole was an achievement, with Zinman mostly successful in knitting the fabric together and the orchestra cohesive though lacking a little in opulence. Zinman graded dynamics masterfully, coaxing relaxed and real crescendos out of the orchestra when needed, yet pointing out details along the way. Humor, a lilting sense of rhythm and a waltz atmosphere were also in evidence, and all of these contributed to the kaleidoscope that is Thus Spake Zarathustra, for once not a piece that just lives for the organ entry.

GRAMOPHONE: Now FREE on line

GRAMOPHONE: Now FREE on line almost in its ENTIRETY

The UK classical music magazine GRAMOPHONE, certainly by far the longest-living magazine of its class (continuously published since 1923), and an industry benchmark, has in recent years made much of its content available online, but not to the extent now.

Gramophone has recently revamped its interface, and now, after a short registration, you can read almost the ENTIRE magazine archive/back issues, except for the most recent 2 issues!

Click here for the site.

"...The Gramophone Archive has been created using a process called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Optical Character Recognition allows a computer to 'read' scanned versions of original magazine pages...". This means (by using Acrobat) you can read the magazine page by page. For those of you with fast computers this is a breeze, but for me it's a little cumbersome. However, isn't it "great" we live in this world of free newspapers and magazines?

The text will not always be read completely accurately, but most of it is. Of course, you can still search the vast archive for whatever you like, and it's a great source of information.

Sometimes we (including me) criticize these magazines (like we do hifi magazines) for praising too much and criticizing too little, particularly regarding all things English. However, careful perusal shows they criticize as many recordings, and damn even more with faint praise. Read it for a while, compare it with your own experience and you shall find critics that you share similar taste with, and know who not to rely on. For myself, I particularly enjoy Rob Cowan's brief surveys of historical re-issues.

What is undeniable is that the magazine is a great source of information and full of talented writers who have spent their entire lives listening to music. Yes, for a salary, but also for the love of it. Use it wisely and you shall learn a lot from it.

There are a lot of young firebrands now who claim the magazines are good for nothing, and "objective" stuff is ONLY available on the internet. There is a kernel of truth in that, but the proposition is unfortunately one flawed in logic and even perilous. Writers and Editors are not paid for nothing. If someone cannot even write decent English, or Chinese or whatever language for that matter, would you like to read their stuff in the first place? Come on, just because it's free? Read some of the writing, and you shall realize the mediocrity of most of what passes for music reviews in our Chinese hifi magazines and internet.

And how does the uninitiated sift out the bad from the good, in the vast sea that is the internet? One cannot achieve that without considerable experience. There's no short-cut, no substitute for experience. In hifi, I have seen by far too many young people researching on the net what's the "best" in this and that. But how do they choose who to trust and who not to? And just what do they end up with? I can tell you, usually nothing good. Same with classical music. You have to pay your dues. How much is up to your hearing abilities, but pay you must. The collective experience is not a personal experience.

There are good internet magazines and even more bad ones, but it'd be hard to get up to the level of the Gramophone, not to mention the American Record Guide for that matter. Maybe a survey is due in the future.

Meanwhile, happy browsing.

Concert Rrview: HKPO/Chen Sa/EdW

Jan 7, 2008
HKPO/Chen Sa/EdW
Beethoven/Mahler
CCCH

This single concert can be regarded as Dress Rehearsal for HKPO's impending China Tour.

A slightly reduced orchestra played the Beethoven First Half. The opener, Coriolanus, was rather tight and non-effective, devoid of drama.

The performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto (a favorite of mine) was excellent. Chen Sa's playing was meticulously detailed, yet spontaneous and poetic. Best of all, she knew when to punctuate a line in order to infuse drama, all within classical lines, except perhaps in rare moments of over-enthusiasm during runs down the keyboard. Her trills too were somewhat perfunctory (whose isn't these days?). Her playing had a rare inquisitive element, an endearing vocal quality that beckoned response. The orchestra played stylishly, and this marked the best I had heard of EdW as accompanist. More spontaneity on the orchestra's part though could have brought a greater sense of give-and-take and enhanced the fine, probing effort of Chen Sa. I had heard her Beethoven in a NY recital and this time I feel she has progressed artistically.

Chen Sa has a hugh personality, and in very high heels has an almost over-confident stride (pronounced arm swings). But she exudes charm and her stage manner is something perhaps the rather awkward Collen Lee can emulate a bit. If you compare the looks of Chen Sa during the Van Cliburn (on youtube) and her looks now, you shall realize it's a dramatic makeover, and a worthwhile one for a soloist. Make sure you visit her website for some lovely photos.

From early on in the Mahler Fifth it was apparent the orchestra had really rehearsed (like hell I'm sure) and improved on themselves significantly on the technical side of Mahler (at least for this occasion). In terms of strength and confidence in playing, this marked the pinnacle so far. The strings were still dry and sometimes rather awkward during gear changes but having the violin sections together helped a little in adding weight. It is my opinion that divided violins, for all its advantages and disadvantages in balance, do not suit the sound of this orchestra and conductor. Most amazing was the brass section, which for once rid themselves of whiteness. The horns should be singled out for excellence, a surprisingly robust sound in tutti and confident solos from Mark Vines. Kudos! The percussion had an extra sharpness and quickness that was appreciated, but I still cannot warm to Boznos' tympani. Though rather characterless when playing softly, the winds were tidy and blended well, though here I also still cannot warm to the rather pinched oboe sound of Michael Wilson. Special mention to the guest principal bassoon, Johan Steinman from the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, who brought color, power and finesse to his instrument; a delight!

And so the Mahler was a great sonic experience of rhetorical rigor. However, the deficiencies of the "interpretation" was as equally noticeable as the great technical effort expended on the notes. Mahler himself did not believe in just delivering the notes, in his or anyone else's music. The program note noted that Mahler mused before this symphony's premiere: "What are they to make of this chaos in which new worlds are forever being engendered only to crumble in ruins the moment after? What are they to say to this primeval music, this foaming, roaring, raging sea of sound, these dancing stars, to these breathtaking, iridescent, and flashing breakers?"

I'd like to paraphrase Mahler's words to characterize the performance: "What are we to make of this proceeding devoid of a sense of chaos, in which every turn of captivating music-making are forever being endangered by prosaic and literal elements and crumble in ruins the moment after ? Where can we find the primeval music in this foaming sea that roared without rage? Beneath the surface brilliance, what are we to say to the lack of dance and the paucity of moments that illuminate and take the breath away?"

Famous Quotes and Vignettes

Little Known facts, Quotes and Vignettes (In this link I shall continuously add funny or interesting quotes by, and vignettes of, composers or musicians that I find illuminating, encountered in browsing, reading books and liner notes):

16/06/11 "...It was in April 1949 that the 18-year-old Friedrich Gulda first dared giving an all-Chopin recital in Vienna...Among the audience were Jorg Demus and Alexander Jenner...So impressed were they that Jenner still recalls his colleague exclaiming: "We can all pack it in now and go home"..." (from liner notes in DG's Gulda Chopin issue, written by his son Paul Gulda)

16/01/10"...(Erica) Morini's male colleagues respected her highly; Alan Evans' fascinating CD notes state that Heifetz studied with her to improve his staccato!...Her final appearance was in 1976 after which she became reclusive. During this period she was the victim of burglars who took her Stradivarius, scores, letters and photographs..." (from classicalcdreview)

07/09/09 "...Gilels defied labeling...in particular he resented being typecast as a Russian with some special hotline to the music of his homeland. A story is told how in a rehearsal of the Tchaikovsky 1st concerto the young Simon Rattle inadvertently urged his orchestra to play with more "Russian vigour," whereupon the touchy Gilels sprang up in anger from his piano stool..." (from Weitblick liner notes)

07/01/09 Once when a conductor spoke of Mozart's special "rococo perfume", Clara Haskil replied angrily: "...I don't wear any perfume myself - I'm not going to start perfuming Mozart! I don't play him either rococo or perfumed - I play what he wrote, that's all!" (from Westminster Liner Notes)

07/01/09 One of Horszowski's students, Cynthia Raim, recalls: "...He once commented, stopping me with a grimace, that a trill in a Chopin Nocturne I was playing for him sounded like a telephone ringing and he didn't want to answer it!..."(from Arbiter Liner Notes)

04/01/09 When legendary Finnish violinist Anja Ignatius performed Sibelius' serenades with Beecham, she drew to his attention some of the tempi indicated by the composer, to which the conductor replied: "Madam, he is mad! I know better what he wants!" (from Symposium Liner Notes)