48th Orchestral Season

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Music from the Heart

Date and Time
15/3/2025 (Sat) 5:00pm
Venue
HKCO Recital Hall
Ticket Fee
$250
Conductor
Sun Peng

Invigoration

Music from the Heart was first set up by the HKCO in 1999 as a dedicated platform for grooming young composers. Each year, we select and perform the works of participating composers. The programme has since been added a post-concert reception for the composers, the orchestra and the audience to interact. Eligibility to participate has also been expanded in recent years to include composers in the Greater Bay Area. 

For over two decades, generations of young composers have come to prominence through this programme. The Music from the Heart concert is a celebration of these young talents for reaching a milestone in their musical quest.
Music from the Heart Invitation for Original Compositions
Introduction
Music compositions form the cornerstone of music history, and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has been playing an active role in its making since 1999 through Music from the Heart, an open platform that invites original works from talented composers, followed by performances and discussions. Many talents have been discovered and they have been active on the music scene and garnered international awards.

To continue with the momentum, and to enhance sharing and exchange among composers within the region, the invitation exercise has been extended to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area* since 2019. Entries that have not been previously published will be given priority evaluation. Participants are required to create works with the historical culture of Greater Bay Area cities as the main theme.


Organizer:

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra


Requirements: Ensemble music

The submitted work should be for a Chinese ensemble of not more than 38 pieces, and the duration should be within 10 minutes. The composition and instrumental range of the works will be considerated as a criterion.

(For the 38-piece setup, please read from here; and for the tonal range of instruments for the Chinese orchestra, please scan the QR code or visit our website www.hkco.org)


Submission deadline:
All submissions should be sent by email (claire@hkco.org) or mail to reach the office of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra no later than 31 Dec 2024 (by postmark date). Please mark on the envelope ‘Music from the Heart – Invitation for Original Compositions’. Each submission should include one full score, the Application Form duly filled in, the composer’s resume, a brief introduction of the work, a DEMO of the work, and a digital score stored in ’Finale’(or ’Sibelius’) and PDF formats.

Performance:
Selected works will be performed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in the Music from the Heart concert held on 15 Mar 2025. A nominal royalty fee of HK$5,000 will be paid for the work selected and performed, and the composer of the said work may continue to be commissioned for arranging or writing new works by the Orchestra in the future.

How to apply:
Application Form

Other terms and conditions:
The organizer reserves the right to make changes to the details of the competition. For updated information, please visit the website of the Orchestra or make inquiries at (+852) 3185 1611.

*This open invitation is for holders of a valid Hong Kong Identity Card and for residents and employees in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area only. Please submit documents of proof together with the Application Form when applying.
Programmes

For Dizi, Erhu, Pipa and Zheng Luofu Dream  Chen Shuaike  (World Premiere)


Tasting tea when The clouds are light  Cui Hanchen    (World Premiere)


Dance of the Drunken Dragons  Felix Cheung Ho Ming  (World Premiere)


Blossoms Silk Road     Luo Yanjin   (Premiere of the Chinese Orchestral Version)


Time Capsule in the Depths of Azure  ZHENG Enzhe  (World Premiere)


Overture: Under the Wingspan of Peng  Xu Xinchi   (World Premiere)

Programmes notes

For Dizi, Erhu, Pipa and Zheng Luofu Dream Chen Shuaike (Hong Kong) (World Premiere)


Luofu Mountain stands majestically over southern Guangdong, known as the ancestor of the hundred mountains of Guangdong and a paradise of immortals. Poets and literary figures throughout history have left behind classic works and poems here. The inspiration for Luofu Dream comes from the collection of anecdotes, Longcheng Lu, by the Tang dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan. 

According to legend, during the Sui dynasty, Zhao Shixiong encountered a beautifully dressed woman while touring Luofu Mountain at night. They engaged in delightful conversation and drank together. Soon after, a young boy in green appeared, and everyone joined in singing and dancing. In the midst of this joy, Zhao Shixiong unknowingly fell into a deep sleep, only to wake up under a large plum tree, realizing it was all just a dream.

This work uses the major second interval as its main motif, employing the colorful soundscapes and contrasting techniques of Chinese chamber music to create a musical depiction of the legend, which blends dream and reality. Ultimately, it expresses the philosophical reflection on the fleeting nature of beauty and the dreamlike quality of life.


- Chen Shuaike

Tasting tea when The clouds are light Cui Hanchen (Guangzhou) (World Premiere)

Drawing inspiration from the Guangdong music Thunder in the Dry Sky, the inspiration comes from the childhood memories of Guangdong morning tea.

In the teahouse, there are three exquisite and delicious tea snacks in one cup, and about three to five close friends can enjoy a pot of good tea, steam rises and the aroma of tea overflows.

In my childhood memories, the TV in the teahouse always showed movies by Stephen Chow, mixed with people's laughter and joy.

Every time I think of these things, I can't help but smile inwardly. Looking out from the window of the tea house, the clouds are light and the wind is gentle.

People are walking slowly on the street, Guangzhou is a city that enjoys leisure and relaxation.

- Cui Hanchen

Dance of the Drunken Dragons Felix Cheung Ho Ming (Hong Kong) (World Premiere)

The Drunken Dragon, also known as the Drunken Dragon Dance, was originated in Changzhoucun, a village in Xiqu  Subdistrict, Zhongshan. It is a performance during the parade that takes place after the celebrations for the Bathing the Buddha Festival on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Dancers are required to immerse themselves in the state of ‘drunken haze’ to perform drunken dance. The Drunken Dragon was introduced to Macau through people from Zhongshan who immigrated to Macau in the early years. The tradition of the Drunken Dragon Dance was later developed into the Festival of the Drunken Dragon on the eighth day of the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar as a performance in Macau. Both the Drunken Dragon Dance and the Festival of the Drunken Dragon had been inscribed onto the national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008 and 2011 respectively.

 

According to a version of a legend that gave rise to the Drunken Dragon Dance, there was once a Buddhist monk being attacked by a serpent that emerged from the river, the monk killed and chopped it into pieces. At this moment a fisherman grabbed the head and the tail of the serpent and danced drunkenly, which miraculously resurrected the serpent. The serpent turned into a dragon and flew to the sky. There was also another version of legend that a village had been plagued by a terrible epidemic. After the serpent was killed and thrown back to the river, the water turned blood red. The villagers drank the water, and the plague was miraculously cured. The villagers thought this serpent was dragon’s guise to come and cure their disease and hence honoured it with the Drunken Dragon Dance.

This composition Dance of the Drunken Dragons uses light and irregular rhythms and chords to illustrate the cheerful and exciting scene of the Drunken Dragon Dance.

- Felix Cheung Ho Ming

Blossoms Silk Road Luo Yanjin  (Hong Kong) (Chinese Orchestral version Premiere)

This year, ‘Launch from Greater Bay Area: “Nanhai I” Shipwreck and the Maritime Silk Road’, an exhibition co-organized by the Development Bureau, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Government of the Macao SAR, was full of fun and well received. The Maritime Silk Road was the ancient sea route for trade and cultural exchange between China and oversea countries and regions. Starting from Qin and Han dynasties, China gradually formed a multi-tiered trading port system centered around the port of Guangzhou, with Hong Kong, Macau, and other places as transit hubs. An important discovery of the ‘Nanhai I’ merchant ship proves that Guangzhou was the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road at that time. In the long historical evolution of the Maritime Silk Road, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area always plays a significant role.

Inspired by this, the composer incorporated musical elements from countries along the Silk Road into the piece Blossoms Silk Road, telling the audience a vivid story of Maritime Silk Road in the Greater Bay Area. As the name of the exhibition suggests, we set sail from the Bay Area and look forward to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area carrying on the past and continuing to promote the integration and development of Chinese and foreign cultures and economies.

- Luo Yanjin

Time Capsule in the Depths of Azure ZHENG Enzhe (Hong Kong) (World Premiere)

This composition is a musical journey in dialogue with the ocean, inspired by the distant and enigmatic story of ‘The Nanhai One’, a sunken ship. As a significant historical and cultural symbol of the Greater Bay Area in recent years, ‘The Nanhai One’ bears witness to the prosperity of the Maritime Silk Road and highlights the pivotal role of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region in ancient maritime trade. Like a silent time capsule buried deep beneath the sea, it preserves the whispers of time and the memories of storms long past.

In the azure depths, fragments of history intermingle with the surging undercurrents, its story resembling an unfinished poem, blurring the contours of reality. The music employs repetitive monotones to evoke the passage of time, while shifting rhythms obscure the boundaries of its beginning and end. The storm surges through the melody, building to a climactic peak, as time ebbs and flows like the tide. What has it endured? We can only wonder. Through contemporary music, the cultural memory of the Greater Bay Area is reimagined, weaving past and future, tradition and innovation, into a vivid narrative shaped by modern imagination. The mystery and romance of the sunken ship, the ferocity of the storm—these coexist within the intricate interplay of notes. The music concludes with a question, for the exploration of The Nanhai One is not merely a quest for answers, but an infinite space for imagination.

- ZHENG Enzhe

Overture: Under the Wingspan of Peng Xu Xinchi (Shenzhen) (World Premiere)

Pengcheng is another name for Shenzhen, named after the long history of Dapeng Fortress. Most of the people here are the descendants of Hakka people, so they also brought Hakka folk songs here, and gradually formed the ‘Dapeng folk songs’ through the passage of time.

Shenzhen, a young emerging city, is known as the city of science and technology in China. Many high-tech industries are gathered in this city, which is full of vitality and science fiction.

I think that under the blessing and shelter of the wingspan of Peng, more miracles will be born in this city! I dedicate this song to the city where I've lived all my life.

- Xu Xinchi