The two-day outdoor concert series “Classics Reimagined: Golden Hour Harmonies” was presented by the Sands China Performing Arts Programme at the Macau Cultural Centre Plaza in Nape over the weekend.
The first concert was by the family quartet the “Janoska Ensemble”, which marked their return to Macau after performing at The Parisian Theatre in Cotai last year, again bringing with them their signature “Janoska Style”, according to information about the event provided by Sands China on Sunday.
The ensemble comprises brothers Ondrej, Roman and František Janoska from Bratislava, along with their Constance-born brother-in-law Julius Darvas. Both Ondrej and Roman are on violin, while František and Darvas play piano and double bass respectively. The concert, entitled “Highlights from Janoska Ensemble 10 Years Concert” and held on Saturday, also had Arpád (Luis) Janoska, the eldest of the four Janoska brothers, as a guest performer.
The following day also saw a masterclass at the plaza with the ensemble, which offered useful and insightful tips and advice to young musicians from Hong Kong and Macau. It was Macau’s first ever outdoor masterclass open for public viewing, the Sands statement added,
The masterclass was followed by the Gordon Lee Harmonica Concert and Niu Niu “Lifetime” Piano Recital.
The concert saw famous pianist Niu Niu (the stage name of Zhang Shengliang) from Xiamen, as he delivered his first solo concert in Macau. The 27-year-old made his recital debut at just aged six and has various achievements such as being the youngest pianist ever signed to an international classical label (EMI) at the age of just nine, while his career also features many milestones.
Meanwhile, harmonicist Gordon Lee (李俊樂) was the winner of the 2017 “World Harmonica Festival” in Germany, among other awards, and has performed as a recording artist and solo guest performer with Hong Kong superstars. He has also performed solo and in orchestras. The statement said that Lee is “recognised as one of the foremost harmonicists in the world”.
The two-day event was presented by the Sands China Performing Arts Programme for the dual celebrations, the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) as well as Macau’s designation as a Culture City of Asia 2025. The plaza, the statement added, is one of the integrated resort operator’s community revitalisation areas.
A masterclass delivered by the Jánoska Ensemble takes place on Sunday at the Macau Cultural Centre Plaza in Nape as part of Sands China’s “Classics Reimagined: Golden Hour Harmonies”. – Photos: Rui Pastorin
