Italian Baroque
Appreciation Talk with Live Choral Music

【Programme Notice】

The programme originally scheduled on 4, 11 & 12 December 2020 at Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum has been rescheduled at the same venue with details as follows:

14 April 2021 (Wed) 1^st Talk: Where it All Started

21 April 2021 (Wed) 2^nd Talk: Among Italian City-States

28 April 2021 (Wed) 3^rd Talk: Reaching High and Far

7:30pm Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Tickets for the rescheduled performances available from 17 March onwards at URBTIX.  Please visit our website for details:

https://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1046.html

Ticket holder(s) may present the original ticket(s) (with stubs) of 4, 11 & 12 December 2020 for admission to the talks re-scheduled on 14, 21 & 28 April 2021 at the same venue respectively.  Ticket holders who cannot attend the re-scheduled talks and wish for refund must keep the original ticket(s) intact (with stubs) for necessary arrangement.  Please refer to the ticket refund announcement for details of the refund arrangement and the opening hours of the box office:

https://ticket.urbtix.hk/internet/en_US/newsDetail/173276

Refund Period: 4 March (Thu) – 28 April 2021 (Wed)

Refund Location: Box Office, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

For enquiries, please email cp2@lcsd.gov.hk or call 2268 7321 during office hours.

(Conducted in Cantonese)

The Baroque era (1600s-1750s) is a splendid time in the European art history with many legendary painter.  There is also a substantial development in vocal music, starting first in Italy in the 17th century.

This lecture series consists of 3 episodes.  Radio broadcaster and music educator Calvin Lai will guide the audience about the origin, development and propagation of vocal music in Italian Baroque era with live music demonstration by SingFest Choral Academy.

1^st Talk: Where it All Started

Compared with the music style of the Renaissance period before it, the Baroque style was geared even more for sheer musical effect, and its format became increasingly and stunningly flamboyant.  Now why was such a music style, which had attracted a huge following, considered less than perfect at a later age, so much so that it was dubbed the “misshapen pearl”?

In the first talk, we will trace the origin of Baroque music, with our focus on two epoch-making composers – Claudio Monteverdi who put new energy into opera as a genre, and Giovanni Gabrieli who excelled at the use of space and contrast.

2^nd Talk: Among Italian City-States

The Italian peninsula was yet to be unified at the time of the Baroque era.  City-states like Venice, Florence, Naples, etc. attracted talents each in its own way, as a result of which there were high mobility and confluence among the talents.

In the second talk, we will talk about the remarkable composers from the various city-states and the characteristics of their works, with special focus on Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, composer of Stabat Mater, a genius of great talent and influence who unfortunately died young.

3^rd Talk: Reaching High and Far

During the Baroque era, Italian style music was immensely popular and had far-reaching influence in Europe: French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier, who was active in Paris during the reign of Louis XIV, had studied in Rome; important German composer Heinrich Schütz had studied in Venice; Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas were not lacking in Italian sentiments; and George Frideric Handel gained popularity in England with his Italian operas.

In this third talk, we will focus on the propagation and changes of the Italian style in Europe at the time and how it transformed into the Baroque style that we are familiar with today.

Each lecture will run for about 1 hour 30 minutes.

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The presenter reserves the right to change the programmes and substitute speaker / demonstrators.

Actively participates in music education and community outreach as a broadcaster, speaker, tutor, and writer, Calvin Lai has gained a wealth of experience in producing and presenting fine music and educational programmes to a wide audience.  Lai also honed his skills and served as a technical score advisor for filming classical music performances.  He is a co-author of 《筆愛音樂》, a collection of articles about classical music and related stories, published in 2007.  Calvin Lai completed his undergraduate studies in music at the Hong Kong Baptist University and obtained a Master’s degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dominic Lam is currently a part-time lecturer of the Hong Kong Baptist University where he also conducts the HKBU Choir, and concurrently conducts the SingFest Choral Academy.  As a conductor-pianist of The Hong Kong Children's Choir, he has toured to various places in Europe, Australia and among others, with the choir.  In 2018 & 2019, Lam was an invited tutor of the Boswil International Summer Choral Academy.  He prepared the children's choir for renowned conductor Lan Shui in contemporary opera production Madame White Snake written by Pulitzer Prize winner Zhou Long, as part of the 2019 Hong Kong Arts Festival. Lam holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Westminster Choir College, USA.

SingFest | Director: Patrick Chiu

Education is at the heart of SingFest.  Since its establishment in 2012, SingFest has launched a series of choral-related education programmes for professional musicians, school teachers, university and secondary students, as well as music enthusiasts, under the guidance of world-class maestros.  SingFest staged her first “choral theatre” production in 2016, combining vocal solo and choral music, as well as physical movement and theatrical elements.  Proactive in promoting choral music with the high-quality performances, SingFest strives to pursue not only the finest artistic standard in music, but also a broader theatrical context.  We believe innovation is the key to keep classical choral arts relevant to our time, and continue to inspire humanity through the beauty of music with its exciting programmes.

Demonstration

SingFest Choral Academy

Soloists & Ensemble

Law Tsz-ying (Soprano)

Karis Ho (Mezzo-soprano)

Chung Wing-sum (Soprano)

Jason Lee (Counter-tenor)

Carmel Tse (Tenor)

Dennis Lau (Tenor)

Dominic Lam (Baritone)

Linus Fung (Bass)

(Information provided by the artists.)

Italian Baroque
Appreciation Talk with Live Choral Music

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

14, 21 & 28.4.2021
(7:30pm, 3 lectures)

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

$60

BUY NOW

DATE

14, 21 & 28.4.2021
(7:30pm, 3 lectures)

VENUE

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

PRICE

$60

BUY NOW

Tickets available from 17 March at URBTIX outlets, on Internet, mobile app and credit card telephone booking.

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and the minder, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first come, first served basis).

“Italian Baroque – Appreciation Talk with Live Choral Music Lecture Demonstration” Package Discount

10% off for each purchase of standard tickets of 2 different lectures; 15% off for all 3 lectures.

Group Booking Discount

10% off for each purchase of 4 - 9 standard tickets, 15% off for 10 - 19 standard tickets, 20% off for 20 or more standard tickets.

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discount offers. 

Programme Enquiries: 2268 7321

Ticketing Enquiries: 3761 6661

Credit Card Telephone Booking: 2111 5999

Internet Booking：www.urbtix.hk