The phenomenal success of Western classical music in China has gotten a lot of attention, but it's been a bit harder for Westerners to experience exactly what it is the Chinese are getting to hear. This release gives an idea, albeit from the still somewhat anomalous city of Hong Kong. It's a double-disc set of classical greatest hits, similar in concept to any number of Western releases, but intriguingly different in the execution. Start with the blue denim cover design, which is explained in the booklet (in Chinese and English): the
Hong Kong Sinfonietta, the reader learns "aspires to the 'jeans spirit,'" of accessibility to all. The booklet goes on to stress the use of famous Romantic themes in commercials and ringtones. It is thus a pleasure to discover that, except for an opening Hooked on Classics-style Favourite Tunes Medley by Ng Cheuk-yin, the pieces, or at least individual movements, are presented more or less whole. The medley is the only work by a Chinese composer; the rest of the pieces range from the moderately familiar (
Elgar's Salut d'amour, Op. 12) to orchestral standards (Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, first movement) to the totally overplayed in the West but maybe not in China (Pachelbel's Canon in D major, transcribed for orchestra by parties unknown).
Hong Kong Sinfonietta conductor Yip Wing-Sie makes an enthusiastic ambassador even if some of her interpretations (the Beethoven especially) qualify as extremely restrained by Western standards. The orchestra is technically fine and does well in pieces featuring pure melody in the strings; the Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, is exceptionally delicate. The presence of a female conductor, still so rare in the West, is noteworthy in itself, as is the recording: it was apparently done live, but there is not a trace of audience noise. An intriguing collection of classical hits that should serve its intended purpose and will also be of interest to Western observers.