Hong Kong Watch concert explores music as resistance to oppression

Last Saturday, Hong Kong Watch’s music concert in partnership with pianist Ricker Choi and guest cellist David Wong, saw a full house of over 250 guests.

Award-winning pianist and prolific artist Ricker Choi, who travelled to London from Toronto, and guest cellist David Wong gave an enthralling performance featuring pieces by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Bach, as well as Ricker’s original piano composition “Hong Kong Rhapsody” (香港狂想曲).

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, made opening and closing remarks at the concert. He gave a special thank you to Ricker and David for dedicating their time and talent in support of Hong Kong Watch.

At the end of the evening, Aileen Calverley, co-founder and Chair of Trustees of Hong Kong Watch, presented both musicians with a small gift as a token of appreciation. She mentioned that the idea of inviting Ricker to perform in the UK stemmed from her experience of watching an inspiring performance of his in Canada, noting how the emotional impact of music could transcend national boundaries and bring Hong Kongers in the diaspora together.

The audience heard explanations of how each piece was chosen for the programme: Sharing experiences of oppression from their respective regimes, the chosen composers used music as a tool to stand up against totalitarianism – a practice that dates back to centuries ago and can be found across different countries and cultures.

In the second half of the concert, Ricker performed “Democracy Will Return in Triumph” (民主會戰勝歸來) with his paintings depicting the Tiananmen Square massacre and “Lady Liberty Hong Kong” in the background. This was followed by David’s performance of excerpts from Bach’s Cello Suites, which was accompanied by a video taken during the Umbrella Movement in 2014 to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

Ricker also performed his original composition “Hong Kong Rhapsody” with scenes from Love in the Time of Revolution, a documentary on Hong Kong’s 2019 protests, shown in the background.

At the end of the concert, as Ricker played “Glory to Hong Kong” as a grand finale, all audience members stood up to sing the song the regime had sought to crack down on. Following this profoundly moving moment, the crowd chanted:

“Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”

We give our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Ricker and David for their moving and thoughtful performance, and to our attendees for their fervent support to our sold-out show. We are also very grateful for the time and selfless commitment of our volunteers.

香港監察音樂會呈獻動人演出  反思以音樂對抗極權

上週六，香港監察聯同鋼琴家Ricker Choi和嘉賓大提琴家David Wong舉辦音樂會，超過二百五十名來賓到場支持，全場滿座。

屢獲殊榮的鋼琴家兼多產的藝術家Ricker由多倫多遠赴倫敦，夥拍嘉賓大提琴家David Wong演奏蕭邦、拉赫曼尼諾夫和巴哈的作品、其原創曲目《香港狂想曲》等樂曲，為觀眾獻上扣人心弦的音樂之旅。

香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）在音樂會上致開幕辭和閉幕辭。他特別感謝Ricker和David獻出時間和才華支持香港監察。

當晚音樂會結束時，香港監察共同創辦人兼信託董事會主席Aileen Calverley向兩位音樂家贈送小禮物以表謝意。她提到邀請Ricker來英國演奏的想法源自她在加拿大觀賞Ricker鼓舞人心演出的經歷，指音樂具有跨越國界的感染力，能夠凝聚散居海外各地的香港人。

兩位演奏家向觀眾解釋音樂會的曲目單編排：所選作曲家各自經歷過政權的壓迫，將音樂轉化為對抗獨裁極權的工具。這種做法可以追溯到幾個世紀前，並跨越國家和文化的界限。

Ricker在音樂會下半場演奏《民主會戰勝歸來》，背景同時展出他以「六四」和「香港民主女神像」為主題創作的畫作。隨後，David演奏巴哈的《無伴奏大提琴組曲》選段，並播出2014年雨傘運動期間攝影的短片，以紀念雨傘運動十週年。

Ricker亦演奏原創曲目《香港狂想曲》，背景播出香港2019年抗爭紀錄片《因為愛所以革命》的場景。

在音樂會尾聲，Ricker壓軸演奏《願榮光歸香港》，全場觀眾隨即自動起立，一起合唱這首被政權打壓的歌曲，場面感人至深。琴音剛落，眾人呼喊：

「光復香港，時代革命。」

這場音樂會的門票全數售罄，香港監察衷心感謝Ricker和David動人且發人深省的演出，以及各位來賓的熱烈支持。我們也非常感謝一眾義工無私付出。