Classical Opera Music Drew Finale Curtains at 42nd Hong Kong Arts Festival
HONG KONG, March 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ICBC (Asia) supported Hong Kong's artistic vision with exclusive sponsorship of the Finale Performance of the Hong Kong Arts Festival two years in a row. The Savonlinna Opera Festival brought to Hong Kong audiences the impressive Gala Concert performance sponsored by ICBC (Asia) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on 22 March 2014, closing this year's Arts Festival with a perfect chapter.
As the final highlight of the 42nd Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Gala Concert performed by the Savonlinna Opera Festival Choir celebrated the bicentennial anniversaries of Wagner and Verdi, two masters of opera. The music ensemble boasted an impressive troupe, with world-class vocalists and the Hong Kong Philharmonic joining the Finnish choir in presenting a breathtaking showcase of operatic music. An echo of last year's similarly engaging Hong Kong Arts Festival Finale also supported by ICBC (Asia), Saturday night's performance won a standing ovation from stunned spectators.
"ICBC (Asia) is honoured to be exclusively sponsoring the finale performance of the Hong Kong Arts Festival for two consecutive years," said ICBC (Asia) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chen Aiping at the pre-event cocktail reception. "The Savonlinna Opera Festival is Finland's famed attraction with more than 100 years of legacy. In a similar vein, ICBC will advance into the future with Hong Kong as we celebrate ICBC's 30th anniversary and its 20th anniversary in the territory this year. We are extremely pleased to be able to contribute to promoting arts and culture in Hong Kong. This is a testimony to ICBC (Asia)'s commitment to innovation, excellence and contribution to the local community."
"This year's Hong Kong Arts Festival Finale, a tribute to Wagner and Verdi, presented by the Savonlinna Opera Festival comprises of over 100 outstanding performers coming from Finland and other European countries. It conveys the Festival's theme, "Heroes", to inspire everyone to take great leaps and achieve their dreams," commented Hong Kong Arts Festival Chairman Ronald Arculli. "The Hong Kong Arts Festival is glad to have the support of ICBC (Asia) again this year in putting together this meaningful Gala Concert to encourage local diversity, and help showcase the vitality and charm of Hong Kong to the world."
A major cultural event, the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival attracts performances by international and local artists to offer a broad spectrum of opera, music, theatre, dance and multi-media performance around the city. For opera and classical music enthusiasts, the impeccable German-Italian music selection brought by the ICBC (Asia)-sponsored Gala Concert was an unforgettable experience. The concert programme comprised of timeless excerpts from Tristan und Isolde, Rienzi, and Tannhauser, Wagner's exemplary works as well as Verdi's lyrical masterpiece Aida, fronted by maestro Jari Hamalainen.
The Savonlinna Opera Festival Gala was named one of the five best classical and opera festivals by The Guardian. Its Gala Concert proved a grand epilogue to another year's successful Hong Kong Arts Festival.
