Hong Kong Cultural Centre Venue Partnership Scheme: CCF 2026/ Asia+ Festival 2026/ International Sheng and Reeds Festival 2026: The 50th Orchestral Season Opening Concert: Thousand Reeds, One Universe

About this event

“Thousand Reeds, One Universe” marks the grand opening of the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season and serves as the centrepiece of the 2026 International Sheng and Reeds Festival. This concert takes the ancient and vibrant sounds of reeds as threads weaving a symphonic map transcending geographical boundaries and civilisations. The vibration of the reed is one of the oldest and most universal expressions of breath in the course of music history. From the robust tune-types of Northern Shanxi to the elegant tones of the Tang-dynasty sheng preserved in Japan’s Shosoin Repository, from the graceful melodies of the bamboo lusheng in the mountains of Guizhou and Guangxi to the southern charm of the Thai khaen, and even the fantastical improvisations of the Russian Jew’s harp, this concert presents a panorama of reed instruments across myriad cultures. Through the shared physical principle of vibration through air, different civilisations have developed their own artistic languages rooted in their native soil but resonating with others. In the finale Breathing With The Universe, the conductor invites the audience to join in and hum together, the resultant tranquility infiltrating the orchestral texture. No longer an instrument to be played, the sheng becomes an active medium connecting all who inhale and exhale. One reed, one world. A thousand shengs, one harmonious universe.

「千簧一宇」是樂團五十週年的盛大啟航，更是「國際笙簧節2026」的核心篇章。本場音樂會以「簧」這一古老而充滿生命力的聲響為線索，編織出一幅跨越地域與文明的笙簧樂器交響版圖。 「簧」的振動，是人類音樂史上最為古老最普遍的呼吸表達。從晉北聲腔的剛勁到日本正倉院唐笙的古雅，從黔桂山間蘆笙的婉轉到泰國笙的南傳風情，乃至俄羅斯口弦的奇幻即興，音樂會將完整呈現笙簧樂器的譜系展陳。在這裡，不同的文明在共同的物理振動中，孕育出源自各自土地又彼此呼應的藝術詞彙。 音樂會在《寰宇同息》末段，指揮將會引領觀眾，以未經擴聲的哼鳴滲入樂團織體——笙不再是「被演奏的對象」，而成為聯結所有呼吸的媒介。 一簧一世界，千笙共宇和。