Strict, conservative definitions of Western classical music would not be sufficient to encapsulate the repertoire in harmonica player Cy Leo’s concert with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Each of the pieces they performed relies heavily on influences from other musical styles. French composer Ravel draws upon Spanish folk traditions, the American Gershwin infuses jazz elements in his compositions, and Canadian Robert Farnon references music of a lighter vein in his work for harmonica.
Hearing their compositions, we experience how these external stimuli can coexist with more traditional forms of music-making. Ravel’s Alborada del Gracioso is somewhat hard to define (some call it The Morning Song of the Jester in English) but it served its purpose in setting the stage for the evening’s eclectic musical mix. The “jester” appears midway through the piece in the form of a lone bassoon, played by Tommy Liu Tung-bo with some self-indulgent melancholic notes.
A more carefree and speech-like delivery would have better suited a section marked quasi recitative . The seguidilla dance fragments could have been better framed orchestrally as part of the story being told. Leo then introduced us to Robert Farnon and his Prelude and Dance , which offers a range of effects wrapped in a work of great emotional depth.
The soloist leveraged these technical moments in a way that never seemed forced, unfolding the narrative seamlessly and drawing us into phrasal contours of beauty and meaning. .