Musicus Society, with the support of UNICEF (HK), brought the Finale Concert: Musicus Fest Encore to Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium on November 30. All Festival artists returned, along with local young talents, to give an excellent performance. It marked the closing of Musicus Fest 2014.
Finale Concert: Musicus Fest Encore welcomed all festival artists for this farewell performance. Internationally acclaimed cellist Trey Lee, the Artistic Director of Musicus Society, was joined by the legendary Russian maestro, violist and conductor Yuri Bashmet, along with the Grammy Award-winning Moscow Soloists; violist Vladimir Mendelssohn, Artistic Director of Finland’s Kuhmo Festival and member of the prominent Mendelssohn musical family; cellist Jan-Erik Gustafsson, Artistic Director of Finland’s Loviisa Sibelius Festival; world-acclaimed violinists Ning Feng from China and Dong-Suk Kang from Korea; Andrew Ling, a versatile soloist and the principal violist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra; Colleen Lee and Rachael Cheung from Hong Kong, who have won international piano competitions; Pipa player Shiu Pui-Yee Belle; and Erhu player Wong Chi-Chung, a member of the Chinese Music Virtuosi. They performed together with the young musicians from Musicus Inspires! in this closing concert, fulfilling Musicus Society’s mission of promoting cross-cultural collaboration and Chinese culture through music, and nurturing future generations of local artists.
These renowned artists from across the world not only performed works from Dvorák, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky, they also collaborated with 3 young composers from Musicus Inspires! for the world premiere of their newly commissioned works. These works were The White Wall by Wong Chun-wai, written for the T.T. Tsui Building of the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong; The Living Curio by Lau Hiu-kong Lawrence, inspired by the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre; and Souvenir de Pingshan by Fung Dic-lun Gordon, inspired by the Fung Ping Shan Building, part of the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong. Audiences witnessed the birth of a new force in the local music scene. The three young composers appeared on the stage to give their most sincere salutations and applause to the renowned musicians.
The most spectacular moment was when the young musicians from Musicus Inspires! had the chance to take the stage alongside the Moscow Soloists under the baton of Yuri Bashmet for Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Souvenir de Florence. The young musicians, who had been trained by the principal players of the celebrated Moscow Soloists for the past few days, performed alongside the chamber orchestra at this farewell concert. It was, without a doubt, an unforgettable moment for them. Yuri Bashmet encouraged them to engage passionately with the music. The concert concluded with wild applause and cheering. Trey Lee, the Artistic Director of Musicus Society, concluded the festival by expressing his deep appreciation for all the artists who had travelled from different parts of the world: “I need to thank every artist who committed to join Musicus Fest 2014; we are indeed passing the torch to the next generation. It fulfilled our mission of nurturing local young talents, and I am sure they will soon be the cultural ambassadors of Hong Kong.”
