May 2020 Vol. 5 No. 3 vantagemusic.org INTERVIEWS WITH Chan Pik Sum Leslie Howard ARTICLES ON UK£ 5.00 | HK$50.00 ISSN 2413-7022 Chopin Tang Dynasty Music Contents Issue 15 May 2020 Message from the Editorial Board 04 Interview with Chan Pik Sum 06 Concerts You Have Missed 12 A Life of Liszt: Interview with Leslie Howard 14 In the Footsteps of Fryderyk Chopin 22 Musical Life in the Tang Dynasty 24 Viennese Legacy Programme Preview 28 Young Musicians Series Student Submission 30 May 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 3 | Vantage 3 Classical Music in a Classical Building Message Presents from the Editorial ack in January, no one would have Pianist Tomasz Liz has also written an imagined that enjoying a live concert in article on Chopin for this issue. It highlighted a concert hall would be something of a certain places, stories and histories related to Bluxury. In that month, a rare opportunity came Chopin. Moreover, music enthusiast Peter Lo has for pianist Leslie Howard, a leading authority on introduced music in the Tang Dynasty of China. Franz Liszt’s music, to tour in Asia. Vantage seized At the time of writing, the COVID-19 the opportunity to attend one of his concerts in pandemic is still impacting human lives around Hong Kong and had an inspiring conversation the world. Remarkably, our young musicians with him a few days after the concert. It was have been keeping up with their (online) lessons fascinating to get to know him first-hand and and (home) practice but for the past few months, we discovered many interesting facts about the their public performances have come to a halt. pianist and the Hungarian composer. As the situation in Hong Kong has improved, our This issue also features Chan Pik Sum, the young musicians are now preparing for their first foremost erhu player in Hong Kong. Erhu has a internal assessment. There should be more update long Chinese tradition, but Pik Sum is exposing in the September issue of Vantage. the traditional music instrument beyond Chinese traditions to a wide range of musical genres never Vantage Music Editorial Board before touched on by the erhu. These span across ERHU & PIANO DUO RECITAL pop, rock and modern music. Interested readers will be able to find out more about her presently. BY CHAN PIK SUM & JOHNNY YIM The Helena May - Garden Room Design: Vantage Music Limited 11th September 2020 Friday | 6:30pm Editorial enquiries: Vantage Music Limited, G.P.O. Box 12361, Central, Hong Kong | [email protected] General enquiries: [email protected] 35 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong Organiser Publisher and production management: Vantage Music Limited | ISSN: 2413-7022 Vantage is published every four months. Cocktails & canapés | 6:30 p.m. We consider articles and letters submitted for publication but we may not acknowledge or return unsolicited materials. Performance | 7:00 p.m. Concert programmes advertised here are subject to changes without notice. Opinions and views expressed by individual writers are not necessarily those of the editors nor the publisher. $280 for members | $330 for guests Front cover: Vantage Music Limited (One complimentary drink & canapés included) Other Images (unless stated otherwise): Vantage Music Limited Sponsor Acknowledgement Acknowledgement: Ka Ming Wong, James Ho, Chester Leung, Darren Leung, Julian Brown, Puntid Tantivangphaisal and Young Musicians Series For reservations, please call 5345-5235 © 2015-2020 by Vantage Music Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher. or e-mail to [email protected]. Last booking date: Friday, 4th September 2020 4 Vantage | May 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 3 Revival of Guangdong Music and Tradition he interview began with a recount of Chan’s her to go swimming to improve her fitness. Despite these as the childhood, from her very first erhu lesson to observations, Chan’s introvert personality did not diminish T her training at the Hong Kong Academy for her desire to perform, as many quiet individuals can also be Performing Arts (HKAPA). She also elaborated on her great performers despite their reserved nature, though she Essence of Modern Music various teachers and how they have influenced her as a admitted that she gets tired easily and should improve her professional musician. Chan gave us a brief explanation body strength. Vantage Music | Hong Kong | February 2020 about the origins of the erhu and gaohu and we learnt about the development of Chinese music, in particular The primary and secondary schools that Chan how Guangdong music became popular in Shanghai and attended did not particularly cultivate development in gradually gained wider recognition. Finally, she offered music, therefore she had to seek opportunities elsewhere. some advice for young musicians and shared with us a However, the schools would ask Chan to perform in school review of her upcoming projects. events such as graduation ceremonies, annual dinners or open days to make good use of her musical skills. In fact, Choice of Erhu and Early Development her first public performance, at Shatin Town Hall, took place in the form of a primary 6 graduation ceremony: “I When her mother brought her along to her older sister’s played an erhu piece called 光明行 (‘Kwong Ming Hang2’)”, 1 In late February, amidst the concern over Chinese percussion lessons at the Music Office , two- she recalled. “I played solo but I wasn’t scared at all; the coronavirus, we were fortunate to be year-old Pik Sum was fascinated by the sound of the in fact, I quite enjoyed it.” Chan was also given a lot of able to invite erhu artist Chan Pik Sum erhu coming from the room next door, where the man freedom to make music with her schoolmates and to plan (陳璧沁) for a phone interview. Active in who would be the first teacher to initiate her into the performances. She remembers that she found a friend who both Chinese and Western music, Chan erhu was teaching. As she was too young to sign up for played the piano and they would arrange pop songs or has performed worldwide with leading lessons, Wong Shu Wing (黃樹榮), the erhu teacher, told piano pieces to be played together. orchestras such as the Pan Asia Symphony her to come back when she had reached the minimum age Orchestra and the City Chamber Orchestra of six. Chan still remembers her first lesson: “I became HKAPA and Encounter with Guangdong Music interested in the erhu right after the first lesson, where my of Hong Kong. She has also served as teacher played a piece named ‘Xiao’ (簫), which is a well- Before entering the HKAPA, Chan had played at the their concertmaster for the Academy Chinese known Chinese folk song that everybody had to learn as a Chinese orchestra, which had been short of players. “I Orchestra and the Hong Kong Youth beginner.” was in my fourth or fifth year of secondary school and, by Chinese Orchestra. Although the year did playing in their orchestra, I started to understand what not have a promising start, with concerts Although Chan did not come from a musical family, student life was like at the HKAPA.” By the time Chan having to face inevitable cancellations her parents have been very supportive of her decision to graduated from high school, she applied to the HKAPA and as a precaution against the pandemic, pursue a career in music. As the youngest daughter of the began her performance studies there. 2020 is still seeing the development family, with much older siblings, Chan was not put under of new projects for Chan as she plans any pressure by her parents about what she should do for Chan Pik Sum studied both the erhu and gaohu as double major at the HKAPA under Professor Yu Qiwei to release two personal albums, which a career and she had their full support for whatever she (余其偉), who was to become a major influence in her include collections of traditional and new chose. Practising the instrument was something fun for Chan and she didn’t need to be reminded to do it. She development in Guangdong music. Chan has a high regard crossover material. enjoyed playing the erhu so much that toys could not for Professor Yu: “If I were taught by other erhu professors tempt her away from practice. back then, I wouldn’t have become the erhu artist that I am today.” Although she did not take to Professor Yu straight However, Wong Shu Wing had his reservations about away, Chan was to find that he was very open-minded and her choice to study music. As Chan was a timid child who had a liberal teaching style. didn’t speak much, her teacher thought that her shyness indicated that she didn’t like to perform, which is vital for One important lesson that Chan remembers from learning an instrument. He also noticed that Chan was very her teacher is his emphasis on keeping the traditional thin and he was worried that she did not have the physical side of music: “He calls it 雙肩挑, which literally means stamina needed for a musician. In fact, Wong encouraged to carry on two shoulders, so you must maintain a good 1 The Music Office is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which offers instrumental lessons to young people. 2 光明行 “Kwong Ming Hang” is a solo erhu piece composed by Liu Tian Hua (劉天華) in 1931. The piece is characterized by an uplifting, excited and vigorous tone that was a march used during the May Fourth movement in the style of the Han people, which is rare.