The 32nd Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), will offer two Chinese traditional music concerts in October. The seven movements of the symphonic suite Cantonese Rhyme along the Silk Road will take the audience on a journey through the magnificent Maritime Silk Road while Chinese suona legend Guo Yazhi will present the concert Nostalgic Lane, taking audience on a music journey to appreciate suona and Chinese music from a whole new perspective. Interested music aficionados are advised to purchase tickets as soon as possible.
The large-scale symphonic suite Cantonese Rhyme along the Silk Road will be presented by the Guangdong National Orchestra on 14 October (Sunday), at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. The seven movements, namely “Setting Out”, “Sea Ritual”, “Voyage”, “Foreign Lands”, “Homesickness”, “Returning” and “New Dreams”, tell the story of a sailing voyage, taking the audience on a journey through the magnificent Maritime Silk Road. Among these movements, the movement “Foreign Lands” recreates the lively scenes of trading and exchanging between the fleets and the local population when they passed by different countries, thereby establishing maritime trade routes and commercial pathways, cultural bridges between the East and the West as well as links of human communication. The movement “Homesickness” adopts the core elements of some Guangdong folk songs, such as Rainy Day, The Shining Moon and Guangdong music Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon, creating a hazy impression of homesickness. The movement “New Dreams” looks forward to the future with a majestic musical mood, imbuing the ancient Maritime Silk Road with new vitality.
The Chinese music concert Nostalgic Lane by the Macao Chinese Orchestra will be held on 19 October (Friday), at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. The Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Chinese Orchestra, Liu Sha, will join hands with Chinese suona legend Guo Yazhi to lead the audience to appreciate this instrumentand Chinese music from a whole new perspective. Graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, traditional Chinese musician Guo Yazhi has built a solid foundation in traditional music and excels at various wind instruments especially the suona. He significantly contributed to the history of the suona with his invention of the “Flexible Core of Suona”, thus greatly broadening the expression of the traditional instrument in suona performance. At the age of 45, he studied jazz at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the United States and obtained the Artist Diploma. He considers that traditional music and jazz are similar as both of them emphasise individuality and improvisation. Moreover, he has always strived to explore the integration of different types of music and enhance the expressive force of traditional wind music in order to make it more internationalised. In Nostalgic Lane, expatriate Guo Yazhi will return to Macao and debut his suona concerto All About Hometown and Guo Yazhi and World Music in Macao, excellent concertos not to be missed.
In order to create a festive atmosphere, IC has launched a prize game on the MIMF website. All are welcome to participate and stand a chance to win fabulous prizes in a lucky draw. In conjunction with the opening performance, the two acts opera L'Elisir d'Amore, IC has specially invited the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) to create the special mocktail “L'Elisir d'Amore”, which is available for sale at IFT’s Educational Restaurant from today to 31 October.
For more information about the 32nd MIMF programmes, ticket purchase and other discounts, please visit the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699 during office hours. 24-hour ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.