My New Toy

My new CD Player: Meridian G08. Isn't it beautiful?

Lang Lang - 7 encores!!

I attended Lang Lang's concert tonight. I am not a big fan of him, but I have to say, it is one of the most enjoyable concerts in recent years. I was sitting at the third row on the left hand side. This is a good seat in the sense that I could saw Lang Lang's fingers without seeing his face! His face always distract people because of his facial expression.

Lang Lang's technique is not a problem. As expected, he showed off his technique in the pieces he chose in the second half of the concert. The first half was musically more demanding. He started off with a Mozart Sonata (K330). I think he played the first movement too fast. But apart from that, his Mozart was quite mature. The Chopin that followed bored the audience, but I think Lang Lang played it very well, especially the Largo.

The second half of the concert started with Schumann's Scenes from Childhood. Again he played it a little bit too fast, especially Traumerei. The rest of the concert mainly comprised show-off pieces by Rachmaninov and Liszt. The last piece was the famous Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 (arranged by Horowitz). This piece sounds very difficult. It actually sounds to me that the pianist has got three hands!

What is interesting is that I was expecting at most 3 encores from Lang Lang, but he turned out played 7 extra pieces for the audience. Some were Chinese pieces, some were show-off pieces. He knew how to capture the hearts of the audience. I have to say he made all those attended the concert very happy. The concert hall (full house) was filled with joy and excitement. Nearly all people gave him a standing ovasion at the end of the 7th encore.

Donald Tsang also attended the concert, but he slept through the whole of the first half. Sometimes I think he is wasting the ticket.

I wonder when Lang Lang would reduce the number of concerts he holds and play some musically more demanding pieces, like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.

He is only 23. What a career he already had. And what a future he has.

CD and DVD

Saw this new DVD of 2006 New Year's Concert (not yet available at HMV) at a second hand CD shop at Causeway Bay. It costs only HKD108. I bought it without hesitation. It was a debut for Mariss Jansons at the New Year's Concert in Vienna. He did a good job and gave his all to it. He looked extremely exhausted at the end of the concert.

Also bought this new CD called Vocalise. Maisky is one of my favourite Cellists. This new CD presents some short pieces that were beautifully "sung" by Maisky's cello. Excellent for late night listening.

Death

Do we have to wait until facing death to realise what the most important thing in life is?

CD Player vs 宣明會

I was troubled by which CD Player to buy and were busy searching for suitable ones on the net. When I took a little break and switched on the TV, I saw 宣明會's programme, talking about how children suffered and struggled in less developed countries. They earn less than HKD10 a day. My feeling was so mixed. I am struggling to buy an absolute non-necessity, and these children are struggling to live on a daily basis. Am I trivialising my life? Are we just seeing reasons for not being happy most of the time, and have forgotten how lucky and blessed we are?

無線過去的新聞錄像

This is an excellent website. It shows many old news clips that bring back many many fond memories.

CD Player - Help!!!

I want to buy a CD player to match with my Integrated Amp at home (McIntosh MA6500). Budget: around HKD20,000.- Any idea? Somebody told me to buy a convertor rather than a CD player - they said it would give me better sound.

Some of the better brands are out of budget: Meridian, Wadia, etc.

Help needed. Thanks.

Funeral before you die

Planning for my own funeral? I haven't - at least not the details yet. But I do have a rough idea. I even thought of having it before I die, so that I could attend my own funeral and feel the warmth and love of my beloved ones and friends. What music should I choose? Mahler Symphony No.2 (Resurrection!) last movement has to be played, among others. I'd like my friends to tell their feelings and what they'll miss me about. And what else? I want to hug every one of them, telling them how I'd enjoyed the relationships. But then, if I can't join my own funeral, I must tell them before I die. And I don't know when I shall die. Does that mean I have to go and hug them today?

Leaving Home - Simon Rattle on 20th Century Orchestral Music

I bought this set of DVD at Mongkok this evening - it only costs HKD285! 7 DVDs!! It is published by a Chinese press (with a different cover). It is not even available on Amazon yet.

Simon Rattle leads the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, discussing and playing classical music of the Twentieth Century - Wagner, Strauss, Mahler, Sch?nberg, Berg, Webern, etc. This is a relatively new area for me in Classical Music. This is surely a bargain!

My Father

After reading yuenlukluk talking about her father, it made me think about my father. He hasn't been a good father. He is now nearly 70, but he still brings a lot of hurts and mental burden to the family. My Mom also suffered a lot because of his irresponsible behaviour. He is seeking attention and love from us. Honestly speaking, we have been treating him OK, but no matter how hard we tried, he is still not satisfied.

Yes, he had a really bad childhood - abused by his father and perhaps no love from his father. But that does not justify his behaviour. I used to really hate him, but I had some breakthough in recent years and have largely forgiven him. I said largely because I would still have terrible nightmare about having quarrels with him. And whenever I heard that Dad and Mom had a fight because of his irresponsible behaviour, I would become very very upset. Sometimes I wonder whether he should die in order to bring peace to the rest of the family. But then, I know I shouldn't have that thought because he is still my father. That said, he really disappoints me sometimes...

I don't understand why he doesn't treasure what he has and try to enjoy as much as he could during this stage of his life and has to make everybody unhappy...

My Favourite Movies

If you go through my profile, you would find my favourite movies are quite diverse. I have watched some of them over and over again, like:

"When Harry Met Sally"
"秋天的童話"
"Devil's Advocate"
"Before Sunrise"
"The Sound of Music" (over 20 times)
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
etc

For some I only watched once:

"12 Angry Men"
"Satantango"
"如果．愛"
"我的父親母親"
"神經俠侶"
"Before Sunset"

I also watched some other movies many many times but I won't say they are my favourite:

"Pretty Woman"
"唐伯虎點秋香"
"國產淩淩漆" (this one is actually close to favourite!)
"逃學威龍"
etc.

Watching a movie over and over again makes me feel good. At the beginning you'll be able to find something you miss in previous viewings. Then it will come to a stage where you know exactly what the next scene, or even the next conversation, is. What's more satisfying is that when you meet somebody who like that movie as much as you do, you'll feel that he/she is your best friend.

什麼書讓你讀再多遍也不厭倦？

I read about this topic here. Interesting. Apart from the Bible, there is hardly any book that I read over and over but still don't find it boring. Some exceptions are: 賣桔者言 (I read it over 5 times) and 思想列車 (a religious book by Jai Chan; I read it 3 times and still find it inspiring).

珍品

I am not very materialistic. But I like beautiful accessories. Here are a few brands that I like. They are not very famous in HK (except for Patek Philippe), and so shops do not normally carry stocks for them. Their products are of excellent qualities. Of course, their price is also sky high. I wonder when I could use these products on a daily basis. That would be thrilling!

Shoes:
Edward Green
J. M. Weston

Ties:
E. Marinella

Watches:
Patek Philippe

New Year's Eve

I went to my ex-boss home for a dinner and chit-chat. I brought a bottle of 1982 Leoville Barton (RP:92 only, but I think it is at its peak) and shared with him. He also bought some nice steaks but his maid did not know how to cook them. Despite the average food, I totally enjoyed the sharing.

He taught me a lot when he was my boss. He is one of my mentors who would give me candid feedbacks. It is a shame that I am no longer under his supervision.

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year! May your lives be filled with Grace and you would grow in knowledge and maturity.