bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Christopher Halls

In chamber music, I thee wed.
As the Verona Quartet’s violist Abigail Rojansky pointed out in her preface to the group’s Hong Kong debut, string quartets are often compared to marriages because of the intimacy of group dynamics.
The 10-year-old ensemble has been winning awards and getting rave reviews for daring to transcend categories and for telling engaging “stories” about music – classical and contemporary. The name is a tribute to William Shakespeare rather than to the Italian city.
In “Ravishing Ravel”, a programme co-presented by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong and the French May Arts Festival, this special union of musicians from four different countries shone brightly.

Bliss – marital or otherwise – had no place in the opening work, Bela Bartók’s Quartet No 3 in C-sharp minor. Chilling intensity was the order of the day.
Verona’s rendition of the Hungarian’s radical sound exploration was goosebumps-inducing, as were the cool wafts emanating from the concert hall’s air-con system that caused shivers and a few sneezes in the audience.
‘Painfully unimpressive’ visuals distract from HK Phil’s tech-led concerts
The bleakness of the Moderato first section was wonderfully captured. Violinists Jonathan Ong (from Singapore) and Dorothy Ro (from Canada) wove dexterously about the meandering textures with refined wistfulness.
When extended technique came to the fore in the second Allegro section, the precisely executed chords and accents both impressed and startled.
Unanimous glissandi (sliding) and the fabulous control of the sul ponticello (the icy effect of playing on or near the bridge) were almost uncanny in their synergy. Likewise, the collective vibrancy of sound from all four musicians ensured the ensuing Hungarian folk romp was a no-holds-barred affair of the highest calibre.

Next came Ravel’s only contribution to the genre, which was dedicated to Fauré and hugely admired by Debussy. The quartet’s affinity with the Frenchman’s tonal palette was as plain as day. The playing of his String Quartet in F major was homogeneous from top to tail.
The shimmering and swelling between Ong and the American violist Rojansky was always suave in the lyrical Allegro Moderato.
The quick Assez vif movement was nothing short of a masterclass in pizzicato, with varying shades and colours in its execution. It was sometimes poised and purposeful, other times percussive – though far removed from the so-called Bartok’s Pizz, which demands such forceful plucking that the string rebounds off the fingerboard.
Costumes can’t mask musical wobbles in chamber orchestra’s Haydn showcase
Ro’s rich and fulminant second violin sound was a perfect match with Rojansky’s viola in the muted and rhapsodic Très lent movement.
British cellist Jonathan Dormand’s sound projection did waver in its focus, but it was possibly due to his positioning on stage.
Laser-precise accents, atmospheric use of tremolo and seamless transitions marked the exciting Vif et agité finale.

Beethoven’s monumental “middle-period” String Quartet No 7 in F major followed the break.
Clearly as pleased as Punch with the abundance of cello melodies in the Razumovsky (dedicated to the arts patron and Russian ambassador to Vienna during the 18th and 19th centuries), Dormand proceeded to relish the long cello theme that sets the vast Allegro in motion with reverence. Ong’s fine musicality was omnipresent and the strong, earthy inner voices from Ro and Rojansky also impressed.
But even the best of marriages have their ups and downs. In the highly energetic Scherzando that followed, excitement occasionally turned frantic and things didn’t always sit tight between Ong and Ro. Similarly, the train teetered on the brink of derailment towards the end of the Allegro finale.
Classical pianist Chiyan Wong on his jazz-tinged album ‘Swing!’ on Apple
All was well in the slow, funeral-like Adagio, with lovely singing from the viola and cello and heartfelt lyricism from both violinists.
To conclude an evening of intense and emotional chamber music, Peter Myers’ arrangement of some Duke Ellington proved spot on as an encore.
It was a rhythmic jive par excellence that brought the house down.
“Ravishing Ravel”, The Verona Quartet, Hong Kong City Hall, Concert Hall. Reviewed: May 22.


Hong Kong’s new culture minister must get her priorities right

Hong Kong Fringe Club revives Fringe Festival to foster East-meets-West cultural exchange

Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, December 15-21

‘Bold’ idea floated to use Hong Kong’s Kai Tak cruise terminal for arts events

Performing arts in Hong Kong

The Verona Quartet bring the house down in Hong Kong debut as part of Le French May, with stellar Beethoven, Ravel and Bartók renditions

The Verona Quartet performing on May 22, 2023 at the Hong Kong City Hall. The concert, part of the French May festival, was presented by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong. The programme featured works by Bartók, Ravel and Beethoven. Photo: Kenny Cheung / PPHK)

Verona Quartet members (from left) Jonathan Ong, Dorothy Ro, Abigail Rojansky, and Jonathan Dormand backstage before their performance at Hong Kong City Hall, on May 22, 2023. Photo: Kenny Cheung / PPHK

The Verona Quartet performing at the Hong Kong City Hall. The concert, part of the French May festival, featured works by Bartók, Ravel and Beethoven. Photo: Kenny Cheung / PPHK

The Verona Quartet have won various awards and gained rave reviews over the last 10 years, and they didn’t disappoint the Hong Kong audience. Photo: Kenny Cheung / PPHK

Hong Kong schools have a bullying problem. Cast of Heathers, a musical based on the 1988 cult film, hope to get audiences talking about it

Cast members in rehearsal for Heathers, a Hong Kong musical based on the 1988 film, hope its plot about school bullies and youth suicide will get audience members talking about both issues. Photo: Pratap Risal

Hong Kong musical “Heathers” is based on the 1988 film of the same name, starring Winona Ryder (left). Photo: New World Pictures

The three Heathers (from left): Mara Williams, who plays Heather Duke; Yilou Gimenez (Heather Chandler) and Majken Krigsman (Heather McNamara). Photo: Amusix Productions

Stephanie McNicol plays Veronica Sawyer (right) and Cesar Rocher plays Jason Dean in the musical “Heathers”. Photo: Amusix Productions 

Majken Krigsman, who plays Heather McNamara, during rehearsals for “Heathers”. Photo: Pratap Risal

Guitarist Zaide Sani during rehearsals for “Heathers”. Photo: Pratap Risal

‘Music, it’s nurturing for our souls’: soprano Diana Damrau promises ‘a goose bump evening’ for Hong Kong concertgoers

Soprano Diana Damrau sings at an event in 2021. The German singer will give a concert of operatic arias in Hong Kong as part of an Asian tour. Photo: Getty Images

How to get laughs in Hong Kong: veteran comedian Steven Lee talks about living with disability, building audiences and dealing with ‘internet mobs who hurt free speech’

Comedian Steven Lee performs at the Upper House in Admiralty. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Chinese comedian Li Haoshi is being investigated by Beijing city police after making a joke about the People’s Liberation Army. Photo: Weibo

Comedian Vivek Mahbubani has said Hong Kong’s comedy scene is starting to change. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

Culture

Music

The award-winning string quartet from four different countries performed their first Hong Kong programme, ‘Ravishing Ravel’, as part of the French May Festival
Despite a couple of erratic moments, impressive synergy between members and seamless transitions made for an atmospheric performance par excellence


The award-winning Verona Quartet brought the house down in their Hong Kong debut, with a chamber music masterclass full of intensity, impressive synergy and refined individual performances.


An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | The Verona Quartet bring the house down in Hong Kong debut as part of Le French May, with stellar Beethoven, Ravel and Bartók renditions