Following the enthusiastic response to its past performances at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, HKCO has been invited again this November to present “The Spirit of the Masters” at the “GBA Culture and Arts Festival”, continuing the cultural and artistic exchanges between Guangdong and Hong Kong. “The Spirit of the Masters” interweaves history with culture, literature and Xiqu, featuring masterpieces by four illustrious composers — Zhao Jiping, Wang Liping, Yan Huichang and Jia Daqun — representing consummate artistic excellence. 

Zhao’s Guo Feng ingeniously quotes the ancient tune Three Variations on Plum Blossom, building two sets of variations, adding ever-changing harmonic colours expressing not only sorrow and hardship but also endurance and resilience. 

This concert marks the world premiere of the Chinese orchestra version of Wang Liping’s The Dream of the Red Chamber Capriccio, arranged by soloist Trey Lee and Alfred Wong. Wang’s original music, having won the hearts of generations of Chinese, is now a fresh dialogue across centuries and cultures. 

Through the dizi, Jia’s Capriccio · Opera Bamboo Tunes highlights tranquil, distant, nimble and profound melodies depicting Kunqu opera troupes both on and off stage, while colourful harmonies portray splendid Chinese landscapes from the northern frontiers to the southern rivers. 

Performed at the Xinghai Concert Hall, The Puppet's Passion is a newly composed Chinese orchestral work by Yan Huichang. Inspired by "Xianqiang" (string-puppet opera) unique to his hometown of Heyang County, Shaanxi, the piece incorporates gubanhuai, pixianhu, and vocals to deliver a rich Shaanxi flavour. This performance features Wang Kun, a virtuoso from the Shaanxi Heyang County Xianqiang Puppet Troupe, who showcases his mastery of pixianhu and gubanhuai while single-handedly playing seven traditional instruments. The Hong Kongperformance of Nuo—a concerto for sanxian—by Yan Huichang is inspired by one of the three major religious ceremonies in ancient China. The robust timbres and virtuosity of the sanxian capture the earthiness of age-old rituals in purely musical form.