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CCOHK is currently recruiting professional musicians for the following core player positions: Principal Cello / Tutti Violin Applicants must be music graduates with professional orchestral experience To register for an audition please send your CV and a sample video clip of your solo playing by email to info@ccohk.com If successful, an invitation to prepare orchestral excerpts for a live audition will be extended, followed by a trial concert Registration Deadline: N/A About City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Since 1999 City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) has established itself as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians who deliver internationally acclaimed performances and recordings. CCOHK’s annual concert season highlights the performance of small-scale orchestral works in diverse styles, collaborations with world-class artists and newly curated orchestra-theatre programmes for young audiences
Further Enquiries info@ccohk.com

CCOHK is currently recruiting professional musicians for the following core player positions: 香港城巿室樂團現徵聘常任樂師職位: 首席大提琴/合奏小提琴 Applicants must be music graduates with professional orchestral experience 應徵者須持有音樂學位，並具專業樂團經驗 To register for an audition please send your CV and a sample video clip of your solo playing by email to info@ccohk.com If successful, an invitation to prepare orchestral excerpts for a live audition will be extended, followed by a trial concert Registration Deadline: N/A About City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Since 1999 City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) has established itself as one of Asia’s leading chamber orchestras. Members are professional musicians who deliver internationally acclaimed performances and recordings. CCOHK’s annual concert season highlights the performance of small-scale orchestral works in diverse styles, collaborations with world-class artists and newly curated orchestra-theatre programmes for young audiences
Further Enquiries info@ccohk.com

從音樂的享受，觀眾的熱烈反應來看，Galliano和城市室樂團為觀眾帶來難忘的晚上。 國際演藝評論家協會 (香港分會)

Judging from the fervant reactions of the audience, Galliano & CCOHK gave them a unforgettable musical night. Ka-man Choi, IATC

Featuring crossover soloists seems to be a City Chamber Orchestra specialty, and the enthusiastic response to Marsalis's Hong Kong debut should encourage them to stick with it. South China Morning Post

A spirited performance South China Morning Post

第四樂章的演繹頗佳，從觀眾的反應看來大家都喜愛CCOHK的演繹。 洪思行

The fourth movement was performed so well that the audience was clearly impressed by CCOHK Edison Hung

CCOHK not only positions itself as an orchestra, but is capable of successfully collaborating with other talented artists and production crew in theatre to great effect Jane Tang, Hong Kong Economic Journal

CCOHK不以自己樂團自居，反而邀請各方人才參與演出和製作，成績斐然。 信報

Highly spontaneous...an extremely heart-warming and brilliant intrepretation Kelly Chu, Singtao Daily 「弦韻奇葩」– 張永宙 自然流露...感動萬分，是一次出色的演繹 星島日報

自然流露...感動萬分，是一次出色的演繹 星島日報

The strings sounded delicious, with a characteristic mellow English sweetness. South China Morning Post

City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong’s four-item programme – by turns pastiche, inventive, cerebral and jocular – featured the celebrated percussionist and the orchestra. The string players radiated a rare warmth in tone; while the brass made attractive contributions. South China Morning Post

「觀眾反應熱烈証明節目〈法蘭明高‧樂舞經典〉的成功。」

「現在經營樂團殊不容易，要有新意，又要觀眾受落，有時唯有把自己放在第2位。把這種思想和做法放諸生活有時都好work...」 Mr. 雜誌

The overwhelming response from the audience was testament to the success of the whole programme.

Operating an orchestra these days is not an easy task. It is also not easy to come up with brand new ideas that audiences will accept, even if it means collaborations that put the orchestra less in the limelight. This idea and approach sometimes works in our lives... Mr. Magazine 法蘭明高‧樂舞經典 「觀眾反應熱烈証明節目〈法蘭明高‧樂舞經典〉的成功。」

「現在經營樂團殊不容易，要有新意，又要觀眾受落，有時唯有把自己放在第2位。把這種思想和做法放諸生活有時都好work...」 Mr. 雜誌

World-renowned flautist Sir James Galway has been in town on several missions, but found time to pay an unexpected act of respect to the victims of the Lamma ferry disaster.

The Irish legend, along with his flautist wife Lady Jeanne Galway, performed to a packed audience at the City Hall Concert Hall on Friday as they kicked off the concert season of the City Chamber Orchestra.

The concert was part of a week's activities for the septuagenarian maestro, including masterclasses where he shared his expertise with more than 100 local flute players.

The couple made a brief appearance at the pre-concert reception to meet the orchestra's board, including chairman Bryan Carter and his wife Stella, new director of the Academy for Performing Arts Adrian Walter and Hong Kong Philharmonic board member Janice Choi.

The new season will also feature legendary percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, who will perform and record with the City Chamber Orchestra, according to founder and executive director Leanne Nicholls.

The opening concert will be best remembered by Galway's third encore, when he played Danny Boy in memory of the ferry victims. You could have heard a pin drop during this heartfelt performance. Oliver Chou, South China Morning Post

read online: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1057131/flautist-james-galway-pays-tribute-lamma-ferry-collision-victims

Flamenco Classico is an imaginative collaboration between the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and choreographer Nina Corti. Led by two outstanding flamenco dancers from Spain, Rosana Romero and Adrian Santana, the show was rapturously received by a packed house.
Musically, the most unusual item was the Quintet No 4 in D Major and G.448 Fandango by 18th century Italian composer Luigi Boccherini. The only piece to showcase the guitar, the closing fandango was distinguished by a thrilling virtuoso castanet performance by Romero.
This was followed by two of the best-known Spanish (or Spanish-influenced) compositions of all time. The first, Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo was performed with elan by the orchestra and showed off the dancers' classic flamenco skills, with their tapping feet, claps and snapping fingers enhancing the score.
The second, Bizet's Carmen was presented in the form of Russian composer Rodion Schedrin's 1967 Carmen Suite, created as a ballet for his wife the great Maya Plisetskaya. Schedrin's inclusion of other Bizet music and extensive use of instruments like the marimba and vibraphone resulted in the work being banned by the conservative Soviet authorities. Daring in its time, it today sounds dated and the instrumentation works against the music - the vibraphone is not ideal for expressing sexual passion or homicidal jealousy.
Corti gets full marks for ambition in staging Carmen as a two-hander and sensibly opts for an impressionistic approach. This produces some exceptional moments, notably a smouldering habanera, while Carmen's murder was so dramatic the small girl in front of me flung herself into her mother's lap in terror, a tribute to the performers' power.
However, a cast of two is too restrictive - the succession of she-loves-me, she-loves-me not duets becomes repetitive and confusion creeps in with Santana portraying both Don José and Escamillo. And while flamenco is an ideal emotional match for the story, the dance vocabulary is limiting in this context.
Any quibbles about music or choreography were overcome by the spectacular performances of Romero and Santana, whose technical brilliance was equalled by the intensity of their interpretation. A dazzling encore of pure flamenco sent the audience home happy. Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post read online: http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/1142729/dazzling-evening-flamenco-city-hall

The surprise was the chamber orchestra, who with a relatively small number of players delivered nuanced and powerful impact in support of the speakers and chorus. Alan Yu, Bachtrack

“The orchestra and the narrators were excellent...The two percussionists in the orchestra were perhaps the most entertaining as they ran around the xylophones, timpani, drums and bells” Hong Kong Economic Journal

“City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong was totally buoyed up. The string section was given the full rein to the perfect match of the woodwind section” Ta Kung Pao

Sir James Galway is undoubtedly one of the most famous flautists in the world. Since leaving the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and starting his solo career in 1975, Galway has accumulated a discography of over 65 CDs that goes far beyond classical music and into popular and soundtrack music. And with over 30 million of his albums sold, it’s no wonder that City Hall was packed for the first of two concerts with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong.
Mozart dominated the evening that opened with the Flute Concerto No 2 in D, K.314. Unlike his first concerto, the second was an adaptation of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto. Galway, doubling as the conductor, set a tempo that was a tad slow, thus failing to give the first movement the kick it ought to have. This, however, was beautifully offset by the awe-inspiring cadenza at the end. The second and third movements found a more suitable pace, with the orchestra also sounding more confident. Throughout, Galway played with a clear golden tone that shaped the most pleasing phrases. Mozart’s Symphony No 29 in A, K201, one of his better known early symphonies, followed. In the first two movements, Galway took an expansive view that slightly bordered lethargic. Despite this, the CCOHK responded most eloquently, with humour in the Minuet and with panache in the finale.
Arranged by David Overton especially for Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway, The Magic Flutes opened the second half. The three-movement suite consists of snippets of Mozart melodies expertly and amusingly woven together, was delightfully played. Augmenting a rather short second half were a series of encores that included Mozart’s Ronda alla turca (for two flutes), two Irish traditional – Brian Boru’s March and Danny Boy/Londonderry Air; and Bach’s Badinerie (Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor final movement).

Overall, the performance was very well received and showed Galway’s technical brilliance and superb showmanship remained impeccable. Satoshi Kyo, TimeOut read online:  http://www.timeout.com.hk/music/features/53894/james-galway-live-in-hong-kong.html

What a lovely disc this is! This is a collection of three English recorderconcertos by Malcolm Arnold, Gordon Jacob, and Richard Harvey. The recorders are accompanied by a delicate orchestra, consisting of strings, flutes, clarinets, harp, celesta, and percussion. Harvey's concerto is a most enjoyable discovery, and so there's really nothing to do but to go out and purchase this CD! Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare

Performed by the incomparable instrumental soloist Michala Petri and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong under the direction of conductor Jean Thorel, these varied pieces demonstrate the range of once-maligned woodwind. From the dramatic opening of Harvey's Concerto Incantanto through the pastoral meanderings of Jacob's Suite for Recorder and Strings, this is the music of European myth and history. Recommended. Chris Morgan, Scene

Petri’s crystal clear virtuosity finds an ideal partner in perfectly balanced, idiomatic and sensitive accompaniments of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong conducted by Jean Thorel. A highly recommended CD that will not only delight recorder fans, but will also appeal to a wide audience! Klassik Heute

“This is one of the best CDs of recorder music that I have ever heard. Michala Petri…has given a superb performance. Jean Thorel at the helm of the City Chamber Orchestra has contributed a sympathetic accompaniment to these three concertos. This is an enjoyable CD that is well played and features a diverse programme.The presentation of the disc is impressive: it looks and feels good. The sound quality is excellent.”  MusicWeb International

記得月前在香港大會堂聽罷城市室樂團的卡爾．詹金斯（Karl Jenkins）《安魂曲》音樂會，步出會堂時，同行的一位樂評朋友向筆者說：今晚 「城室」 的演出，實在是水準之作。筆者微笑着回應： 「今晚是 『城室』 的超水準之作，而整個音樂會是一項偉大的成就。」

這場水平極高、印象難忘的音樂會，可從樂曲、樂團、合唱團及指揮這四方面評論。

為安魂曲加入新元素
先談樂曲。必須明白，安魂曲這個樂種彷彿距離我們很遠，不再屬於現代。試想，這個年頭還有人願意以這個古老的樂種表述情懷嗎？詹金斯（生於一九四四年）是一位有心人，銳意恢復創作安魂曲及其他傳統的宗教合唱。他甚至為安魂曲加入新元素，使傳統的安魂曲添上另一種姿采。

詹金斯在他的安魂曲裡一方面保留傳統的體裁，例如 「進堂詠」、 「忿怒日」、 「審判」等，一方面別出機杼，在傳統曲式裡加插五首俳句。認識日本文學的樂迷當必知道，俳句作為日本的國粹之一，是一種獨特的文體，每首三行，而每行的音節依次是五、七、五。大體而言，俳句所用的文字，極為簡練，大多透過四季轉變、山川河嶽、花草樹木等自然景象，以輕柔淡致的筆觸，表達人生哲理。詹金斯為了切合安魂曲的主題，特意選了五首關乎死亡的俳句。不過，必須說明，這五首俳句雖然以死亡為主題，但文句總是輕觸而止，絕不凝重。而這正是俳句的特色。

融不同體裁探索死亡

大家可能納罕，為什麼詹金斯要為安魂曲加上俳句？筆者估計，死亡既然是人類共通的課題，作曲家於是從西方及東方各取一個有代表性的體裁，一起探索死亡的共相（universality）。不過，唯一美中不足之處，是場刊裡這五首俳句的英譯與中譯，都沒有遵守 「五、七、五」的格式。詹金斯為了凸顯俳句的東方美，特意安排尺八的獨奏，事實證明，張幸雄的尺八吹奏，確實為整套安魂曲營造濃濃的東方樂意。順帶一提，樂迷如果有興趣進一步認識尺八這件樂器，可翻閱黃大同主編的《尺八古琴考》（上海音樂學院，二○○五），書內上半部收錄多篇有關中、日尺八的文章，倒可一讀。

作曲家親自指揮己作

為這個安魂曲音樂會擔任指揮的，正好是作曲家詹金斯本人。由他帶領樂團及合唱團演繹自己的作品，當然倍感稱心。只見樂團在他指揮下，演奏極佳，弦樂部的演出，尤其精彩，輕重恰宜。

負責音樂會聲樂部分的是 Die Konzertisten 合唱團。相對於本地的其他老牌合唱團，這個成立於二○○八年的新組合，一直表現穩健，水平很高。過去兩三年，筆者在不同場合聽過這個合唱團演唱，都留下良好印象。他們今次唱安魂曲，亦有上佳表現。
整體而言，這個音樂會無論在歌曲、演唱、演奏及指揮方面，都令人難忘。盼望 「城室」在今後的音樂會裡常有佳作，精彩不絕。

法國「香頌」源遠流長

喜歡聲樂表演的觀眾，想必注意到 「城室」稍後在四月下旬，與法國著名歌唱家木蘭（Mouron）合力為 「法國五月」呈獻法國聲樂的珍寶─ 「香頌」（Chansons）。 「香頌」這個中文的音譯雖然很典雅，但實在不明所指。Chansons一詞，原文本來是泛指歌曲。例如中世紀時代，法國文學有一種 Chanson de geste 的文體，把一首史詩式的詩歌分成若干段落，然後以短短的樂句吟唱。著名的《羅蘭之歌》（Chanson de Roland）就是最顯著的例子。

扼要而言，Chansons 是指法國十四至十六世紀的詩歌，是一種文學與音樂的混合體。由早期的鼻祖Machaut，一直至後來的Lassus，以至今天 Trent、Brel、Ferret 等作曲家， 「香頌」屢有演化，但無論是複調或單調，這種樂曲

具有很大的魅力。木蘭是當今法國擅唱 「香頌」的名家。由她演唱精選的二十首 「香頌」應該深慶得人。衷心期盼，木蘭在老拍檔瑞特以及 「城室」的伴奏下，為樂迷展現Chansons的妙韻。 嘉嫻，大公報