The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presented the concert “The Future of Classical Music” on 13 May, at the University Hall of the University of Macao, in which music aficionados and students were directed by the Orchestra’s Assistant Conductor Francis Kan. Numerous students and music lovers attended the concert, thereby sharing a wonderful evening.
OM has always been committed to provide a performance platform and art resources, thereby, offering opportunities and a cooperation space to all music lovers. In the concert, OM presented several musical pieces with a patriotic stance and love for the homeland, such as Vltava from Má Vlast by Bedřich Smetana, Pavane by Gabriel Fauré, Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg and the Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A Major by George Enescu, among others. The concert opened with Má Vlast which depicts country scenery filled with Czech characteristics; followed by the refined chamber music piece Pavane, a piece in which the interaction between the string instruments left the audience enraptured; in turn, Grieg’s Holberg Suite, recreating the classical French baroque style, allowed the audience to feel the intense contrast between splendorous and solemn moments through the quick rhythm of the performance; finally, the Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A Major, brimming with a Romanian nationalist enthusiasm, brought joyful and intense moments to the stage, bringing the concert to a climatic end. In addition to OM, several university and youth orchestras and ensembles participated in this concert. The students expressed that performing with a professional orchestra had been an unforgettable experience and that it was an opportunity for them to improve their musical level and gain practical experience.
OM will present the concert “Music in Library: Happy Reading, Enjoy Music” on Saturday, 27 May, at 5:15pm, at the Taipa Library, in which OM’s cellist Zhang Taiyang and double bassist Chen Chao will share music with the children and music lovers. All interested parties are welcome to attend. For details and enquiries about the programme, please contact OM through tel. no. 2853 0782, during office hours, or visit OM’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/om.
