SCHEDULE: 12 SEP 2017/8 PM
VENUE: Mozart Concert Hall Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre
PROGRAMME
First Half
W. A. Mozart: Violin Concerto No.5 in A major KV 219 (Turkish)
Violin / He Ziyu
W. A. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.24 in c minor KV 491
Piano / Mao FUJITA
Second Half
Ye Xiaogang：The Macau BrideSuite No.2
Return to Sea
First Encounter
The First Glance
Ye Xiaogang: The Macau BrideSuite No.1
Barra Docks
Ye Xiaogang: The Macau BrideSuite No.3
Fatima ＜Additional excerpt＞
Ye Xiaogang：The Macau BrideSuite No.2
Gentle Moments
The Captains Mansion
Featuring/ Macao Orchestra
Lu Jia, Conductor
About Macao Orchestra
Where East Meets West, Past Connects with Present
Formed in 1983, the Macao Orchestra is now a distinguished orchestra of Asia. In 2001, the Orchestra was extended into an orchestra with double winds; today, it has developed into a medium-sized orchestra of around 60 outstanding musicians from more than ten countries and regions. In 2008, Maestro Lu Jia commenced his tenure as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra, initiating the convention of "Concert Seasons" and in each season 70 different concerts would be held, presenting to the public, comprehensively and systematically, classics from both Western and Chinese.
The Orchestra collaborates regularly with numerous internationally renowned musicians, conductors and ensembles including Pláciado Domingo, Krystian Zimerman, Stephen Kovacevich, Boris Berezovsky, Fou Ts'ong, Lang Lang, Ning Feng, Jian Wang, Tan Dun, the Teatro Regio Torino, the English National Ballet,the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Latvian National Opera, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the Korean Chamber Orchestra, etc. In addition, the Macao Orchestra has regularly been invited to perform in Chinese Mainland and overseas, participating in the 2015 Austria Bruckner Festival as China's representative and attending the music festival "La Folle Journee au Japon" in Japan 2016. In 2017, the Orchestra also participated in the "Belt and Road" International Music Season in Shenzhen, leaving its footprints in at least 30 cities across China as well as Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, the U.S.A., Japan and Korea, etc. The refined quality of the Orchestra is unanimously acclaimed, testifying to Macao Orchestra's significance as a symbol of Macao's prosperity as an international cultural city.
Lu Jia
Music Director and Principal Conductor
Maestro Lu Jia has risen to international acclaim with his expertise and soul-touching interpretation of symphonies and operas for decades. Lu is now the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra, while also serving as Artistic Director of the Music at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) and the Principal Conductor of the China NCPA Orchestra.
The music career of Maestro Lu Jia inherits the excellent artistic traditions of the East and West. In 1990, 26-year-old Lu began to serve as music director of the Teatro Comunale Giusseppe Verdi di Trieste, where he became the first Asian conductor to serve as director of a national opera house in Italy. Later, he was appointed as the music director and principal conductor of Opernhaus Dortmund in Germany, l'orchestra di Toscana in Italy, l'orchestra international d'Italia, l'orchestra di Roma, the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden.
In 2006, the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano conferred a medal to Maestro Lu as recognition for his significant contribution to music for many years.
Over the past decades, he has been a guest conductor with many world leading orchestras and opera houses, leading thousands of operas and concerts and releasing dozens of records. Lu has cooperated with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, La Scala in Milan, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Lyon National Orchestra in France, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Britain, Oslo Philharmonic in Norway, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. In 2013, he conducted a concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at the Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts, which received emthusiastic acclaims from the audience.
Since his tenure as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Orchestra in 2008, Maestro Lu Jia has propelled the orchestra to notable new heights with meticulous training, refined arrangement of programme repertoires and strict selection of guest artists in cooperation. He has for many times led the orchestra on tour in Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, plus regular concerts in China's major cultural capitals such as Beijing and Shanghai to expand Macao's cultural influence and lift the orchestra's reputation in the world. He hopes to further serve the community and continue to lead the orchestra as the cultural ambassador of Macao, enabling the world to recognise Macao's charisma in art and culture whilst promoting Macao's cultural image to the world.
He Ziyu
The 18-year-old Chinese young violinist He Ziyu has recently attracted international attention within the shortest time. This April, he made his debut in the Vienna Musikverein as one of the youngest invited soloists ever by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. And in July, he performed with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra in Vladivostok.
Ziyu began playing the violin at the age of 5 under the guidance of Prof. Zhang Xiangrong. In 2010, Prof. Paul Roczek discovered his extraordinary talents and invited him to study at University Mozarteum Salzburg, where he has been living since 2011. In addition to his violin studies with Prof. Paul Roczek, he also studies viola with Thomas Riebl.
Ziyu was invited to the opening ceremony of Salzburg Festival in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2012, he won as youngest participant the Szymon Goldberg Award of the Music Academy Meissen. Later in 2013, Ziyu received further international prizes in Kloster Schöntal and the Louis Spohr Competition in Weimar. In 2014, he won the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition representing the country of Austria. A year later, Ziyu won both the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen and 1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians (Group B). In January, 2016, he became the youngest winner ever (with a special prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary work) at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, and also the first prize winner of the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin competition in London and won the second prize at the Leopold Mozart Competition in Augsburg.
Ziyu has leaved his footprints across the world, including Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the U.S.A., and some Asian countries. This year, concert invitations will take him to the Violin Festival in Singapore, to the Summer Festival in Gstaad and to the Konzerthaus in Vienna of which he was chosen as participant in the Great Talents series for the 2017/18 season.
Ziyu currently plays on the Antonio Stradivari "Schneiderhan" – violin from 1715, which was provided to him by the Beare's International Violin Society in London.
Mao Fujita
The 18-year-old Japanese young pianist Mao Fujita is currently studying with Prof. Kazuko Sumi and Prof. Minoru Nojima at the Piano Performance for Talented Student Division of the Tokyo College of Music. Mao Fujita, has been performing internationally and performed with many major symphony orchestras in Japan. One commentator observed "What he does with his hands is technically incredible and possesses an extraordinary musicality".
Mao has won numerous international piano competitions. In 2009, he received Grand Prix at the 19th Japan Classical Music Competition. Also, he represented Japan in "The World Classic 2010" (Taiwan) and won 1st prize in Junior Section. In 2010, Mao won 1st prize in the elementary school division at Tokyo competition of 64th Student Music Concours of Japan. Then he proceeded to win 1st prize nationwide. During the competition, he was also given many awards such as the Nomura Award, the Aiko Iguchi Award, the Incentive Award of Music, and the Yokohama Citizen Prize (Audience Prize).
In 2013, Mao became the first Japanese pianist to win 1st prize at the 5th International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition in Vienna, and also received Wagner & Verdi Award. Later in the same year, Mao performed with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and he gave a solo recital in the prestigious Tsuda Hall. Also in this year, he released his first album MAO FUJITA (NYCC-10001) from Naxos Japan. The album releasing ceremony and the events were held in various major cities in Japan.
In 2015, Mao won 1st prize at 1st Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians Group B. Also, he released his second album YOUNG VIRTUOSO (NYCC-27296) from Naxos Japan.
In 2016, Mao won 1st prize at 20th Hamamatsu International Piano Academy Competition and 3rd prize at the Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Piano Competitions in USA.
Most recently, Mao has also won Concours International De Piano Clara Haskil in Switzerland, and he is the only prize winner of this competition.
Mao has been performing in solo recitals and joint concerts and concerto soloist worldwide. Mao is a frequent guest artist at the Festival Lato z Chopin (the Chopin Summer Festival) in Busko-Zdrój and Kurozweki in Poland, and at the Festival Assisi nel Mondo (the Assisi in the World Festival) in Assisi, Italy, and Festival Next Generation in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. He is expanding his range of activities internationally as a young pianist whose success in future is anticipated.
The Macau Bride
The Macau Bride is a colourful and evocative ballet based on a story from the 17th century in which Chinese sailor Chon Kou and Portuguese captain's daughter Maria do Mar fall in love following a chance encounter in Belém. They set sail for Macau, survive a storm and an attack by pirates, and are finally reunited and married in Macau.
Composer
Prof. Ye Xiaogang is one of the most famous modern composers in China, who is also Member of the Standing Committee of CPPCC National Committee, Vice President of China Federation of Literary Art Circles, President of Chinese Musicians Association, and Vice President of Central Conservatory of Music. Prof. Ye has won numerous awards, including "Five-One Project" Prize, Wenhua Award, Jinzhong Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, among others.
Prof. Ye is a representative of Chinese modern composers. Many of his works reveal his musical skills, his talents, and his techniques for works of various styles. Prof. Ye incorporates China's aesthetic tradition into western composing techniques, contributing a lot to reviving and advancing Chinese music, as well as nurturing musicians of next generation.
