The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra opens its 49th concert season with Silken Notes of the Pipa, a programme inspired by the cultural exchanges along the ancient and modern Silk Road.Throughout history, plucked string instruments played in a ‘cradled’ position like the pipa have flourished across diverse cultural landscapes, giving rise to a burgeoning repertoire of musical narratives that offers virtual sights and sounds of exotic lands.

This Chinese orchestral suite is structured in seven movements, each highlighting the expressive qualities and tonal characteristics of various 'cradled’ plucked- string instruments, from the five-string and four-string pipa of China, to the satsuma-biwa and shakuhachi of Japan, and the saz of Turkey. They weave a colourful tapestry of music that traces back the musical heritage of the Silk Road.