4th December 2005

I will go demonstrating on 4th Dec 2005. Just to show that Hong Kong people want and deserve Democracy. As I have hurt my knee, I will bring my stick and walk with it. May be TV reporters will identify a disabled person and ask him questions - I would appear on TV! :)

Second Concert

The second concert of the Berlin Phil started with a Haydn Symphony. Rattle made the orchestra sounded effortlessly. Again, the control on the orchestra was maximum, yet leaving it with freedom. He literally stopped conducting in the third movement and let the players listening to themselves. The togetherness of the orchestra was well demonstrated.

The second piece was Ades' Asyla. This is modern music. I don't particularly like modern music. Of course, just looking at the percussion is eye-opening experience. There are tins, different types of drums, three pianos (one deliberately set out of tune), some woodwinds not seen before, etc. Over 100 players on the stage, working very hard. I would say it is a very exciting and interesting piece. However, I don't have much incentive to listen to it again.

The Ein Heldeleben by R. Strauss was the climax of the night. The brass and strings were absolutely impeccable. The horns were so strong when it came to the war scene. I could literally feel that the hall was resonating. The strings were giving all they could - one second violin player even broke his strings. He handed the violin to the player behind him for string change and some girls at the back passed a spare string to the front and he managed to change the string within a very short time and then played again. These actions took place seemlessly during the war scene! I wonder how the player managed to listen to his violin for tuning. Terrific!

The encore was just a dance piece by Dvorak, which is a show-off piece for orchestra - not as good as the Sibelius in the previous night.

I know many people (including me) couldn't appreciate the piece by Ades, but I think it is good that Rattle made an effort to show us what an orchestra can do and educate us what good modern music (Ades is only 34) sounds like.

The concert ended at nearly 10:30pm. I have nothing to complain, except that the temperature in the concert hall was unacceptably high. Incidentally, we were walking behind Raphael Hui when we were leaving the concert hall, and I raised my voice and said, "We really need a better concert hall in Western Kowloon!". I think he heard me.

Encore

I forgot to mention that the encore for last night was a terrific piece by Sibelius. I found out after going home that the piece was called the Scene of Cranes. I haven't got the CD of this piece. I have to get one, because the piece was so quiet and peaceful but the control of the orchestra has to be extremely good. It was beautifully played by the Berlin Phil.

Berlin Philharmonic

I went to the first concert of the Berlin Phil last night. It was a full house. When the orchestra started playing, I was thrilled by the strings - they were so together! And the brass was so bright! One has to listen to them live in order to appreciate what people meant by first-class! Listening to CDs is nothing near the live experience.

Rattle's conducting was very unique - he moved a lot when liked to, but he moved so little (nearly frozen in some places) when he did not feel the need. But the control of the orchestra was so good - they played with maximum attention to him.

The funeral march in the second movement of the Eroica is quite an experience. It was so moving and that's why one would not know that Rattle took a longer than usual time to finish the symphony - nearly 60 minutes.

I bought the HKD800 ticket (10% off) and therefore have to sit next to the choir seats. But it also meant that I got the chance to see Rattle's face when he conducted. I would say it was well worth it, but I still think HKD2,500 is far too expensive.

A very high quality and enjoyable concert. Looking forward to attending the second night!

Second Opinion

I got a second opinion from David Fang. He is a professor. He said no operation is needed - just physiotherapy will do. Since my first doctor was probably a student of his, I would of course listen to Professor Fang. That means I can go to Sapporo as scheduled. Haha!

Operation on my knee

The doctor said the MRI indicated there may be something wrong in my knee that warrants an operation. I would seek a second opinion today. If an operation is indeed justified, I will have to stay in the hospital for a few days soon. Oh my trip to Sapporo will have to be delayed ...

Cirque du Soleil - Quidam

一個字: 正!

Celibidache conducts Bruckner

An essay in HKEJ this morning says that Celi conducted the Berlin Phil in April 1992 for Bruckner No.7, after Karajan died. The author said the CDs are difficult to find in Hong Kong. Tried to find it on the net. After surfing for a while, I found a site that says they've got this CD set. Including the shipment costs, it costs HKD290. I bought it at once. I hope they still have it in stock. It is a very valuable recording indeed.

Stairs

I fell down the stairs at an old building last Friday when they were washing the stairs. I hurt my knee - the ligament was stretched. I have to walk with a stick now. The doctor told me to do an MRI scan this Sat to make sure other ligaments were not hurt. Bad luck!