While expecting the ongoing Beijing Music Festival to come to
another climax with the Berlin Philharmonic's concerts on Friday
and Saturday, music lovers in China's capital will not forget Edo
de Waart, the Dutch conductor who set the festival off to a good
start.
His baton steered the China Philharmonic Orchestra to give Sarah
Chang strong support and an energetic rendition of Mahler's
Symphony No 1 on October 15.
De Waart has proven that he is an orchestra builder.
Director Acclaimed
In fact, he has already demonstrated his ability to set an
orchestra onto a fast developmental track with Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO), after he took the position as
artistic director and chief conductor in September 2004.
Stepping down from the position at Sydney Symphony Orchestra, de
Waart had signed a five-year contract with the Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2004/05 season. He has established
his own goal to bring the ensemble to become the foremost orchestra
in Asia as well as to enhance classical music in Hong Kong the
financial, business shopping and dining hub.
During his first year of tenure, the Hong Kong orchestra's
performance has enjoyed increasingly enthusiastic critical
acclaim.
"In the few months since Edo de Waart took over the Hong Kong
Philharmonic Orchestra, he has transformed it, and their
performance now sounds like that of a world-class orchestra. This
is truly a miracle," Hong Kong-based critic Leo Lee wrote in a
review published in the February 2005 issue of Ya Zhou Zhou
Kan (Asiaweek).
A feedback evaluation report offered by the orchestra indicates
that 63 percent of the audience "noticed wonderful improvement in
Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra," a view that echoes the positive
feedback gained from music critics and professionals since last
September.
"Since de Waart took the baton, we have really witnessed a
blossoming of this orchestra into the fine ensemble that we heard
from the concerts," said Joseph Wong, the marketing manager of
HKPO, who accompanied de Waart to Beijing.
"The orchestra has come a long way in a very short time under
his leadership, and the future looks extremely bright."
According to Wong, the subscription of the 2005/06 season has
achieved an increase of 73 percent from the previous season's
subscriber numbers.
The surge reflects a renewal of audience confidence in the
orchestra under the leadership of de Waart since season 2004/05, as
well as the successful refinement of programming that strikes a
subtle balance between artistic excellence and audience
building.
"This is the result of a number of factors, the most palpable
being the 'Edo Effect'," said Timothy Calnin, chief executive of
HKPO. "Since his arrival at the beginning of season 04/05, Edo has
led what can only be described as the renaissance of the orchestra.
There's no doubt that the audience can hear the difference, and
they're inspired to come back next season."
The conductor himself stresses the "craftsmanship" and
"fundamental work" during an exclusive interview with China
Daily early this month after his rehearsal with the China
Philharmonic Orchestra.
"Each orchestra member is the craftsman of music," he said.
"First, they should work hard on the techniques, which is the basic
factor that influences the musical expression and performance."
Coming from a country where soccer enjoys great popularity, de
Waart describes his relationship with the orchestra like that
between the coach and the team.
"I have worked with many young and rising orchestras and for
these orchestras, working on the fundamental things is very
important," the conductor added. "I always start with the basic
sounds, tones and the timbers."
Choosing Programs
Another factor contributing to his success with HKPO is the
program he selects. It offers both artistically challenging
projects, some best-beloved classics and contemporary music and
even Broadway programs.
"There are thousands of hours of great music in the world, but
every season, we have just some 40 to 50 hours, so it's always a
big puzzle for the artistic director to decide the programs. But I
love to make the puzzle and try to present a balanced mixture of
diversity in music," he said.
"Some works are popular among concert-goers, some not so
pleasant to the ears but good to the development of the orchestra,
while others might be controversial. All these must be taken into
consideration. And in short, we are firmly committed to bringing
artistic excellence to the whole community of Hong Kong."
The 2005/06 Season has 23 programs that started on September 15
with Richard Strauss's Elektra. Last season, de Waart for
the first time introduced to the Hong Kong audience the format of
"opera-in-concert" with their sensational concert performance
Salome.
Other highlights for this coming season include the series to
mark the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, and Shostakovich's
100th birthday. The season ends with a three-week Tchaikovsky
festival, a comprehensive look at this romantic giant's late
symphonies and best-loved concertos.
For this season, de Waart gives China's musicians much stage
time. A total of eight soloists, including pianists Li Yundi and
Rachel Cheung, cellists Wang Jian and Qin Liwei, violinists Li
Chuanyun and Lu Siqing and two conductors of Chinese descent are
featured in different series.
"I want to tell the Hong Kong audiences that Chinese artists
have reached true excellence in the classical music arena, that
they are a real force in bringing classical music to further
heights in the decades to come," said the conductor.
On January 26-27, 2006, Hong Kong audiences will be able to
savor for the first time Li Yundi's performance under the baton of
de Waart in Liszt's First Piano Concerto. Li won the top prize at
the 14th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000, Li's first
top award in 15 years.
Multi-award winning cellist Wang Jian returns to fascinate Hong
Kong concert-goers with his rendition of Tchaikovsky's Rococo
Variations on June 30 to July 1, 2006.
The Hong Kong-born pianist Rachel Cheung will play Beethoven's
Fourth Piano Concerto on January 13 and 14.
Apart from the regular concerts, de Waart, an educator with a
true sense of mission, is committed to the orchestra reaching Hong
Kong youth. He said he hopes to do this through joint programs with
the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and in the annual
concerts at university campuses in addition to the season's
program.
"Educational projects are part of my longer-term plan of
audience development in Hong Kong," he said. "Now the local people
favor pop gigs and mass entertainment TV programs. I hope with our
effort, the orchestra could achieve the finest level of performance
to enrich the cultural life of this city, and enhance Hong Kong's
reputation as a cosmopolitan city so that it would be as highly
regarded as a cultural hub as it is a financial, business shopping
and dining hub."
Now, the 64-year-old conductor is enjoying his life and working
in Hong Kong. His whole family moved there last December. His
5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son study at a bilingual school.
A private teacher also comes to his house three times a week to
teach him and his wife Mandarin, and he is learning tai chi.
His only regret is that the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
does not yet have its own place to rehearse and play in. He said he
looks forward to the day when the government of the Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region will increase the annual budget to
build up a home for the orchestra.
(China Daily November 2, 2005)
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