October 23 2009
Headed to Hong Kong
By Jennifer Hoy, violinist
Day 9 of the tour sees us face the most intense period of the trip, with 3 back-to-back performances. In such an environment, the big questions are starting to rear their heads…How many patacas equal a ringgit? Why does a suitcase of dirty clothes weigh more than a suitcase of clean clothes? And, most importantly, when can I get my instrument???
After squeezing in one last egg tart & coffee pit stop in Macao, we departed for Hong Kong on board a high-speed ferry service. The mode of transport provided a perfect introduction to this magnificent harbour city for a first-time visitor like me!
Heading out to explore during the few free hours in the afternoon of a concert day always feels a little unnatural, however as my instrument is, like most, included in our freight pack, it means that my preparation is done at the venue once we arrive for the balance rehearsal. So – off to Soho I went, to discover just a small part of what is obviously a friendly, fun and exciting city. Locals seem to thrive on assisting visitors to make the most of their stay, and it didn’t take me long to feel right at home ducking up and down laneways, negotiating the hilly footpaths and riding the escalator up Shelley Street.
After facing a tight time frame with freight and set-up prior to our Macao concert it was a great relief to arrive at the Hong Kong City Hall and have more time to prepare and rehearse. We had met our soloist for the Hong Kong concert, Rachel Cheung, the previous day in Macao, but now had an opportunity to work on Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with her in more detail. The venue proved challenging in terms of balance and clarity, at the same time assisting us to make a huge (and wonderful!) sound. The time we spent refining these things in this work definitely paid off in the other works on the program. TV cameramen buzzed around finalising their camera positions for the delayed broadcast to be shown on Hong Kong TV and balances were done for the radio crew with the concert being aired live on Radio 4 in Hong Kong (the main classical music radio station).
Mr Ashkenazy seemed, as always, raring to go, enthusiastic to deliver another performance to an excited audience. Rachel Cheung proved to be a home-town favourite, receiving a warm ovation from the capacity crowd following her assured performance of such a challenging work. Equally the orchestra enjoyed the chance to perform this rich score. Our performance of the Prokofiev 5th Symphony showed the benefit of having a few performances “under our belt” – textures and colours were vibrant and the lyrical moments seemed influenced by the Rachmaninov works on the program. I find it fascinating that each performance of this repertoire on tour has its own character – influenced by the different character of each city, audience and hall. Maybe even the food has a part to play!
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