The Intimacy of Creativity is a program that brings composers to Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to present and revise new works. This double album celebrates the fifth anniversary of that program and also the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. It sounds like a mishmash, and not all of the works included are part of the Intimacy of Creativity project, but actually this album makes a fine place to start exploring what makes Asia's top symphony orchestra distinctive. ...
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The Intimacy of Creativity is a program that brings composers to Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to present and revise new works. This double album celebrates the fifth anniversary of that program and also the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. It sounds like a mishmash, and not all of the works included are part of the Intimacy of Creativity project, but actually this album makes a fine place to start exploring what makes Asia's top symphony orchestra distinctive. Although Arvo Pärt contributed a brief booklet note for the Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, he was apparently not present as one of the Intimacy of Creativity Group; whether it was his presence or something else, the performance of the Cantus led here by conductor and American-based Chinese composer Bright Sheng is extraordinary: luminous, mystical, broad, and deep. The five Intimacy of Creativity works are not of Chinese origin, but two pieces, including one by Western composer...
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