Charles Kwong Requiem Part II Kyrie

A dialogue between life and death, Charles Kwong’s Requiem is a fictional rite of passage for the dead and the living, with texts by writer and storyteller Yuen Che Hung and performances featuring local musicians. Transforming Tai Kwun into a transitional place between existence and transcendence, the work ventures into our inner worlds manifested through funeral ceremonies as we face mortality.

Requiem is commissioned by Tai Kwun Contemporary and produced by PROJECT21st. The work consists of videos and live performances that take place from November 2020 to March 2021.

Concept and Music: Charles Kwong
Text and Narration: Yuen Che Hung
Qin: KAISAN Percussion: Ho Yi On
Cello: Chor Kai Hei
Trumpet: Edwin Wong
Video: Ziv Chun
English Translation: May Huang
Producer: Sharon Chan

Date: 22.11.2020 (Sun)
Time: 5:30pm-6:30pm 
 

Performers:
Text and Narration: Yuen Che Hung
Trumpet: Edwin Wong
Horn: Wilson Chau
Saxophone: Charles Ng
Percussion: Ho Yi On, Karen Yu

Supported by

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Charles Kwong's creative output ranges from orchestral and choral music to works written for all types of chamber ensembles and solo performers. In recent years his music has been internationally featured in numerous festivals in Japan, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Korea and Hong Kong. Kwong is appointed Artist Associate of Hong Kong Sinfonietta in the 2020-2021 season. In early 2020 he also took up a four-month residency with the City of Zurich Artist-in-Residence Programme for International Artists in association with Zurich University of the Arts.

Kwong’s compositional explorations stretch beyond the paradigms of concert hall music, resulting in numerous site-specific works, sound installations and cross-disciplinary collaborations that highlight the experiential dimension of music. Kwong was the curator and composer of “Our Audible City” (2018-2019), a project in collaboration with Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, soundpocket and visual artist Frank Tang. For the project Kwong created a series of site-specific compositions titled “Atlas”, tailored for non-concert-hall spaces in Hong Kong.

For the Tai Kwun Contemporary residency, Charles Kwong will work on Requiem, an extension of his research and exploration in site-specific music. The project transforms Tai Kwun into a fictional village where fictional rituals for the dead are composed and performed.