The Classical Singers presents with Duo Ping Ting its first full-length concert, “Heaven + earth, beauty + love – once more”, on Saturday 2nd September 2017 at 7.45pm at Asia Society, Admiralty, Hong Kong. In this concert, the group will be in 4-, 6- and 8-voice formations presenting a beautiful selection of songs by a range of composers including Saint-Saëns, Ešenvalds, Stroope, Lauridsen, and Elder, while the Ping & Ting Piano Duo will perform Brahms’ Liebeslieder waltzes Op.52a.

The programme reflects the group’s love of sublime and beautiful music in a chamber setting, and its vision to share good music, whether classical, romantic or contemporary. The concert starts with a contrast (“heaven + earth”) between Camille Saint-Saëns’ Ave Verum and his Calme des nuits, and a second contrast between the O Salutaris Hostia and Only in sleep by Ēriks Ešenvalds. We find things we recognise in the style of these composers whether they were crafting sacred or secular vocal music.

In the second part of the concert, we are delighted that the wonderful twin-sister piano duo of Lok-ping and Lok-ting Chau will join us and perform the four-hand rendition of Johannes Brahms’ Liebesliederwalzer, Op.52a, one of the two original versions of the piece by the composer. Let the piano do the “singing” and get you mind dancing!

We return to singing in Part 3 of the concert, presenting some of the best loved songs that bring to mind the “beauty + love” theme, with pieces by contemporary American composers including Randall Stroope’s I am not yours, Daniel Elder’s Ballade to the moon, Morten Lauridsen’s Dirait-on and others. The reference to “moons and stars” continues with a brilliant arrangement of “Twinkle, twinkle little star” and some improvisations may happen here …

Here’s a full PDF version of our 2017 summer concert invite.

Here’s the post-concert short report.