Rajasthani music is well-known for its emotive and rousing style, as well as rhythmic complexity and speed. This concert will embark on a rapturous journey in praise of life, love and peace. Fronted by the Artistic Director Rahis Bharti, Dhoad Gypsies performs a diverse repertoire of Rajasthani folk music on traditional Indian music instruments like tabla, dholak and harmonium, together with the spectacle of a traditional Rajasthani dancer and stunts by a fakir, making the performance a truly unforgettable experience.

It is like velvet to your ears: the smooth, vibrant and colorful sounds of Adam Hall and the Velvet Players capture the spirit of American jazz in the 1950s. Their repertoire of swinging jazz, rocking rhythm ’n’ blues and good ol’ boogie woogie evokes artists like James Brown, Ray Charles and Harry Connick Jr. Their authentic sound is informed by years of study in Boston as well as national tours with legendary rhythm ’n’ blues artists. This performance explores the melodies and toe-tapping rhythms of jazz, blues and rumba styles using well-known tunes and original works. The smooth and soulful sounds made famous by Afro-American jazz groups will take students back to a very special period in history.

The students will enjoy a live performance with Jazz and Blue music. The programme will be one and a half hours, including performance and Q & A session. The performance will be conducted in English with interpretation in Cantonese.

“Love in the City II”

Fleeting dreams of romantic rendezvous, “Love in the City II” that takes your heart away!

Led by Resident Conductor, Chew Hee-chiat, the artists of the Orchestra will set the stage for “Love in the City II”, a musical enactment of a love story with some of the best known love songs of this and other parts of the world. “Love in the City II” would touch you with love story and romantic music.

“The Story of Carmen” is based on the French Opera Carmen, with music by Georges Bizet (1838 -75) and libretto by H. Meilhac and L. Halevy after the original short story by Prosper Merimee (1803-1870).

The production will take the form of a series of scenes carefully selected and adapted in order to reduce the total performance time from two-and-a-half hours to approximately 70 minutes. The scenes will be linked together with brief narratives spoken in the local dialect by an actor in the guise of the original author, Merimee, who will present the powerful story as a succinct and cohesive work of art. The script of the narrative will be specially written for this production by Prof. Lo Kingman, who is director of the entire project.

There will be 12 musical numbers comprising the most famous and effective pages of the opera. The scenes will be fully staged with costumes and scenery specially designed in a style that emphasizes simplicity, refinement and dramatic appeal.

Each performance consists of twelve musical numbers:

．Prelude
．Habanera: Love is a rebellious bird
．Duet: Mother’s blessing
．Seguidilla: Temptation and escape
．Gypsy Song
．Toreador Song
．Smugglers’ Quintet
．Flower Song
．La Liberte
．Micaela’s aria
．The Fight
．The murder

The above numbers are linked by a narrator telling the story from the view-point of the original author, Prosper Merimee.

Renowned Cantonese Opera artist Sun Kim-long has been an educator of Cantonese Opera for years, promoting Cantonese Opera in schools. The artist has designed a Cantonese Opera education programme centred round the Cantonese Opera classic, The Impeachment of Yan Song. The programme aims to enhance the students’ ability to appreciate Cantonese Opera and to stimulate their interest in the art form. The programme includes pre-performance demonstration workshop and performance cum post-performance discussion.

Programme Content

Knowing that Prince Anxi has long planned a rebellion, the imperial court sends spies Zhou Hualong and Jiang Liuyun to infiltrate Anxi’s mansion. Being jealous of the highly regarded Jiang Liuyun, eunuch Bala inveigles Jiang to enter the forbidden Baihua Pavilion.

Baihua Pavilion is the place where Prince Anxi’s daughter, Princess Baihua, practices fencing. It is strictly forbidden to men, and trespassers will be punished and beheaded. However, when Baihua catches sight of Jiang, she is captivated by his talent and graceful bearing, and gives him her sword as a pledge of marriage.

When Prince Anxi finally revolts, Zhou Hualong sends Jiang to pass misinformation to the princess, who unwittingly trusts her lover. Prince Anxi’s army is eventually wiped out by a surprise night attack by Zhou. Princess Baihua is wounded. She breaks through the siege, but Prince Anxi and Bala are captured. Realising he has been complicit in double crossing Baihua, Jiang feels deeply remorseful for his foolishness.

Zhou aims to execute the captured prince in front of his camp. To save her father, Princess Baihua surrenders her army, on condition that Jiang be killed for betraying her trust. Jiang is willing to die to prove his innocence. When he is about to cut his throat with the princess’s sword, Zhou intervenes, and all misunderstandings are cleared.