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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present "The Zheng Music of Zhejiang and Mongolia" next month, the closing concert of the "Chinese Regional Zheng Music Series".
The performance will be held at 8pm on Thursday, March 9, at the Cultural Activities Hall of Sha Tin Town Hall and on Friday, March 10, at the Theatre of the Hong Kong City Hall.
Zheng recitalists Fan Shang'e, Luo Xiaoci, Narengerile and Yaru will play a showcase of Zhejiang and Mongolia zheng works, including "The Butterfly Lovers", "Lin Chong's Nocturnal Escape", "High Mountain and Flowing Water", "Song of the General", "Variations on Aduqin Asil", "Ga Da Mei Lin Song of Remembrance" and "The Eight Sounds".
The ancient Chinese musical instrument, guzheng, or zheng for short, dates back as early as the fifth Century BC, the Warring States Period of China. It was popular in the State of Qin (or Shaanxi Province of today), and therefore was also known as Qinzheng. Later, with the passage of time, the introduction of zheng spread further east as well as to the south, and merged with the indigenous music, opera and narrative singing, as a result of which different schools of zheng musicwere formed, the Zhejiang zheng being one of the main schools in Chinese zheng music.
An ancient folk instrument widely popular in the Xilin Gol Meng and Yikezhao Meng of Inner Mongolia, yataga is highly expressive. Its structure, tuning, and performance styles are all different from the Han zheng. Yataga is always performed to accompany Mongolian songs, or for a minstrel to accompany his own singing. Though its performance styles have been derived from folksongs, it is also influenced by other Mongolian instruments. Gradually it has formed its own characteristics.
Tickets priced at $120 for Sha Tin Town Hall and $90 and $150 for City Hall and are now available at URBTIX outlets, while senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients may have 50% off (limited quotas for students and CSSA recipients on a first-come, first-served basis). A 10% discount applies to Friends of LCSD performing venues.
Also, an exhibition, Arts of Zheng —Zhejiang & Mongolia, will be held from February 10 to March 10 at the foyer, 2/F, Low Block, Hong Kong City Hall and Foyer, G/F, Sha Tin Town Hall. Admission is free.
For enquiries about the programmes and the exhibition, call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp. Ticketing enquiries and reservations can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Tickets can also be booked online at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Friday, February 3, 2006
Issued at HKT 10:01
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