Thursday, March 29, 2007

Loss of Interest

I have been a very loyal employee, not thinking of any career change in the past 12 years. But the current situation is so disappointing. Perhaps it's time for me to move on...

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Melt Away

His smile is simply divine.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

《留著愛》


藝術總監、導演:許樹寧
音樂總監:金培達 (2006年柏林影展最佳電影音樂銀熊獎得主)
編劇:方家煌 (2005年香港舞台劇獎「最佳導演(喜/鬧劇)」得主)
編舞:王廷琳 (2004年香港舞蹈年獎得主)
主演:廖雋嘉 高皓正 細So 余迪偉 黃華豐

她跟他一生中只相遇過六次。第一次碰見,是上世紀四十年代初,尖沙咀火車站的鐘樓下。那時他15歲,她10歲。二人的命運相交在一點,留下不滅的痕跡。時光飛逝,二人經歷了各自的大半生;不過,一直以來,她的光,在他的名字裏,生命裏,照亮他,溫暖他。

人的一生中,很多很重要的時刻總是來得太早,又或來得太遲。然而,當回顧一生的時候,上天給自己的那些重要的時刻,其實是來得……剛剛好!

留住影像,留不住時光;
留住風流,留不住歲月;
留住回憶,留不住經歷。
愛情‧電影‧回憶‧香港


What a nice surprise! I didn't expect much. I didn't even know that it was a musical. I just thought the plot was quite interesting and I went for the performance, probably because of Peter Kam. 許樹寧 was a name that I know from "Abraham's Tears" last year, although I did not manage to get the ticket for that performance.

It was a love story, perhaps too sentimental for some Hong Kong audiences. I found it acceptable. It was actually quite touching at the end, particularly when Zac Ko said, "How nice if one could start it all over again." And Elsie Liu replied, "How about start it from now?" This is a story about love, lasting for 60 years, from the 1940s to present.

The music was great. Peter Kam is good at writing melodies. A few numbers actually touched me, in that I would like the song to be repeated, so that I could memorize it (any CD to be issued?). The lyrics were equally good.

Zac Ko and Elsie Liu were surprises to me! They sang pretty well and had the quality to be good performers for musicals. And they looked handsome and pretty on the stage. Although the choreography was less of a success, the whole production is enjoyable.

Bumped into three of my friends during the performance and they all left after the first half. They said the story was so cliche because it was like watching the old Cantonese films on TV. But to me, it wasn't so bad. Perhaps the story conveyed some traditional and positive values, and people in Hong Kong found it too heavy and therefore unbearable?

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Magnificent Mahler 7

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! This is the best HKPO concert I have ever attended. Mahler 7 has not been my favourite among Mahler's works, but it impressed me last night so much that I have to rethink my attitude towards this magnificent work. HKPO was so different - the strings, the woodwinds, the brass, all different! I have to thank de Waart for his effort in training up the orchestra. The result is terrific! I can't believe I was listening to HKPO, because the sound they produced was indeed transformed, particularly in the first movement and the last movement. I am so happy.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

最憎人喺架lift 度撞到時問: 忙唔忙呀? 忙D乜呀?

忙又點? 你幫我呀? 唔忙又點? 係咪請我食飯吖? 忙乜? 點同你講呀?

仲有, 最憎人叫我做大哥(佬). 喂, 有冇得我同意先? 我未必想做你大哥(佬)個喎!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra


I attended the second and the third night. The second concert was all Tchaikovsky - March Slave, Violin concerto, Symphony No.3. Boris Belkin was the soloist. He came to Hong Kong many years ago and played Shostakovich. My impression of him was good. But this time, his technique seemed to have deteriorated and he could hardly master the difficult bits of the piece. Sym no.3 is not popular, for valid reasons. So I was actually quite bored until the encores came. There were 4 encores (couldn't name them). Moscow Philharmonic is very even in terms of its sound, except the brass section, which was exceptionally impressive in those encores.

The second night was a split. The highlight of the concert was supposed to be the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 played by Shen Wenyu, a young Chinese pianist. He is physically small to play this demanding concerto. I was sitting at the rear Balcony and could hardly hear the piano in some of the passages. Rach 3 should be full of sparks, but I found very few moments of excitement in Shen's playing. The encores were technically brilliant, but I was not moved at all. Chinese pianists, particularly the younger ones, are very eager to play show-off pieces. But very few of them can touch people's heart.

The second-half of the concert was Swan Lake Suite compiled by the conductor. It was brilliantly played by the Moscow Philharmonic. I agree that this piece alone would have made the concert worth attending.

Conclusion: Soloist - mediocre, Orchestra - nice surprise, Conductor - beyond expectation and good control on the dynamics for Russian musics. He just made music dance.