A journey of music and poetry inspired by Hong Kong Chan Hing-yan + Helen Lai + Lio Kuokman & an ensemble of orchestra, singers, chorus and children’s choir INTRODUCTION A special HKAF commission and production, Hong Kong Odyssey is a celebration of poetry, music and song that is inspired by Hong Kong history and culture. This production has grown out of the intangible qualities that define the quintessential Hong Kong spirit and identity. Taking in aspects of local culture from literature, music, pop culture and poetry from the 1840s all the way to today, this spectacularly staged concert captures the remarkable story of this metropolis. Chan Hing-yan, award-winning composer of chamber operas Heart of Coral and Datong-The Chinese Utopia, joins three emerging local composers Charles Kwong, Daniel Lo, and Phoebus Lee, in creating this work for narrators, vocalists, choir and orchestra. Their inspiration include words of local writers, poets, and also both traditional and popular songs. Renowned choreographer Helen Lai will stage the production with a feast of video effects that will visually immerse the audience into a world of Hong Kong music and poetry. More than a hundred musicians and artists take part in this concert under the baton of Lio Kuokman, former assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. “Don’t say it was a dream, / that your ears deceive you, / but have the grace to live / where the present is, / accepting with an open heart / the music that is given you now: / a final delectation, new to all ears.” David Clarke - A City Passing PROGRAMME Chan Hing-yan Prologue: Mist over the Carp Gate Phoebus Lee The Drifting City in Billows Under the Stars the Slumbering Dragon Chan Hing-yan Eileen Chang's Tram Daniel Lo Hong Kong in Her Nightly Gown Chan Hing-yan Tram Images 1950 Phoebus Lee Through the Ladder Street Chan Hing-yan The Fiery Years: Hail, the Steeds of Legend! Lilian Lee's Tram Daniel Lo Café CAN DO Charles Kwong The fin de siècle Songs I. Knowledge of the Night II. A Song by Those Remained III. To Mourn What Is Past and Gone Chan Hing-yan Yasi's Tram The Ineffable Future Lau Yee-cheung's Tram Epilogue: A City Passing! CAST & MUSICIANS Music Director / Composer Chan Hing-yan Composers Charles Kwong, Daniel Lo, Phoebus Lee Conductor Lio Kuokman Director Helen Lai Literary Adviser Liu Wai-tong Repetiteur Nina Yip Soloists Louise Kwong (soprano), Albert Lim (baritone) Vocal Ensemble Law Tsz Ying (soprano), Kenix Tsang (soprano), Dominique Chan (mezzo soprano), Felix Suen (tenor), Alvance Sim (baritone), Sammy Chien(baritone) With an ensemble featuring musicians and members from the Cantoría Hong Kong, Chinese Music Virtuosi, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble and Yip's Children’s Choir PRODUCTION Commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival An in-depth interview with Hong Kong Odyssey's composers published in FestMag