Don't miss out on seeing this world premiere exclusively in Hong Kong
Coinciding with The Dragon Boat Festival that takes place on May 30 across the city, Performances of Hong Kong presents the world premiere of The Beat of the Dragon Boat, as part of its family series.
The details
Taking place in the Jockey Club Auditorium at the Asia Society Hong Kong Center in Admiralty, The Beat of the Dragon Boat is an original sextet especially commissioned for both Chinese and western instruments.
The work combines lyrical chamber music and bilingual narration – English and Cantonese, as it describes the origin of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival by telling the legend of the Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan through words and music. The composition features six talented local musicians playing Chinese traditional instruments (sheng, suona) alongside western classical instruments (viola, double bass, harp) and percussion.
The Beat of the Dragon Boat is the second collaboration between composer Alexis Alrich and author Christina Matula-Häkli, the same pair who created the popular Shadow in the Moon, which told the story of the mid-Autumn Festival.
Performances
There will be two performances narrated by local celebrity Gregory Rivers (河國榮) on 28 May (Sunday) at 3pm and 5pm.
The Beat of the Dragon Boat, The Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong, 2103 9511