
Daniel Ng
Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier, “Mir ist die Ehre wiederfahren”
Talking about instrumental, our chief listener was also responsible for bringing Edo de Waart to Hong Kong. Edo joined the Hong Kong Philharmonic in the 2004/05 Season as artistic director and chief conductor, and over a period of eight years gradually led the orchestra towards international recognition. For Edo’s inaugural concert, Daniel commissioned Guo Wenjing, “the leading composer of China’s post-Cultural Revolution generation and the most significant homegrown composer who never studied abroad,” to compose a work for soprano and orchestra. Guo responded with a vibrant musical setting of epic poetry by contemporary Chinese poet Xi Chuan; Gustav Mahler could not have done any better.
Guo Wenjing, Journey 2

Octavian
Gustav Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde, “Abschied” (to bar 459) (ending of Cantonese version)
As you might have gathered from Daniel’s reshaping of Tang Dynasty poetry, he was at his absolute best when unpredictable. One such capricious undertaking involved the purchase of the archive and library of the Viennese pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in WW1. Wittgenstein had commissioned the most famous composers of his day, among them Maurice Ravel, Richard Strauss, Sergey Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith, Erich-Wolfgang Korngold among numerous others, to support his special performing abilities. Since Wittgenstein covetously safeguarded “his” commissions, a substantial number of compositions in the archive had not been seen or heard for nearly 80 years. Daniel made it possible — through his generous support of scholarly publications and musical editions — to bring this unique repertory to audiences, scholars and performers worldwide.

Paul Wittgenstein
For Daniel, the act of composition was always a cultural as well as musical activity. As such, he actively supported a number of young composers, and also served on the board of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project. Under Daniel’s guidance and vision, the ensemble explored contemporary musical and cultural crossroads, performed in acclaimed concerts around Asia, Europe and North America — Daniel tried to attend every single performance — and recorded five albums. Of particular interest to Daniel has always been the educational aspect of the Silk Road Project, and he firmly believed in self-motivated learning through the arts.

Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Life goes on, as it must. Hong Kong is going to be a rather boring place without Daniel around, but his ideas about the arts, education and how to bring classical music into the 21st-century and beyond will hopefully continue to reverberate and inspire for decades to come. There can be no doubt that the chief listener has made a real difference in the lives of countless individuals and organizations. With this, it is time to say good-bye, and let Hermann Hesse and Richard Strauss have the final say.
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, “Fühling”