Tsuen Wan Town Hall | Special Presentation to Commemorate the 130th Anniversary of Liu Tianhua’s Birth: “Centennial Classics – From Liu Tianhua to Liu Wenjin” Concert by Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra

Description

Liu Tianhua was an outstanding ethnic instrumental composer, performer and music educator in modern China, hailed as the founder of modern Chinese music. He created ten famous pieces for the erhu (a two-stringed Chinese fiddle), three solo pieces for the pipa (a four-stringed Chinese lute), and numerous exercises, inheriting the essence of traditional Chinese music and integrating Western techniques. His work had a profound and far-reaching impact on the development of modern Chinese music. Liu Wenjin is revered in the folk music world as 'the most representative composer since Liu Tianhua'. His 'Yubei Narrative' and 'Sanmenxia Rhapsody' broke the silence in erhu composition, and his works, alongside Liu Tianhua's, are included in the curriculum of higher music education institutions. The erhu concerto 'Great Wall Capriccio', created in 1982, is hailed as a contemporary milestone for the erhu. His compositions uphold the concept of 'humanism first, appreciated by both the cultured and the common people', and are imbued with a strong national spirit and zeitgeist.

In 1995, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra held a centenary memorial concert for Liu Tianhua's 100th birthday in the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. This was the first time since the opening of Hong Kong that the government hosted a memorial concert featuring all of Liu Tianhua's creative works. Subsequently, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra held two more memorial concerts of the same nature organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. This year marks the 130th anniversary of Liu Tianhua's birth, and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is once again hosting a memorial concert to commemorate this pioneer and founder of modern Chinese music, paying tribute to a century of Chinese music classic heritage from Liu Tianhua to Liu Wenjin.

The programme lasts about 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission.