Four Seasons: A Journey of 1725-2025

 

INTRODUCTION

Internationally acclaimed violinist Ruda Lee is bringing together nine talented string virtuosi for a concert at the Main Hall of the Shaw Auditorium. The captivating program features the timeless beauty of the "Four Seasons," composed by Antonio Vivaldi (1725) and Astor Piazzolla (1965), alongside contemporary interpretations (2025) by Ruda Lee and ANIMA Ensemble. This concert spans 250 years of classical music evolution, infusing unique flavors of the seasons into the experience and promising to resonate powerfully with our audience.

 

PROGRAM

 

I. AUTUMN: Joy of the Harvest, Autumn Gatherings, Celebrations 

 - Antonio Vivaldi | L'autunno

    I. Allegro 

 - Astor Piazzolla | Otoño Porteño (Autumn in Buenos Aires) 

 - Antonio Vivaldi | L'autunno

    III. Allegro 

 

II. WINTER: Biting Chill of Winter, Icy Winds, Frozen Ponds, Cozy Indoor

 - Antonio Vivaldi | L'inverno

    I. Allegro non molto 

 - Astor Piazzolla | Invierno Porteno (Winter in Buenos Aires)

 - Antonio Vivaldi | L'inverno

    II. Largo 

 

III. SPRING: Wakening of Nature, Birdsong, Blooming Flowers

 - Astor Piazzolla | Primavera Portena (Spring Season) 

 - Antonio Vivaldi | La primavera

   I. Allegro 

 

 IV. SUMMER: Heat, Thunderstorms, Summer Festivities

- Antonio Vivaldi | L'estate

   I. Allegro non molto

- Astor Piazzolla | Verano Porteño (Summer in Buenos Aires) 

- Antonio Vivaldi | L'estate

  III. Presto 

 

Program duration is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, with a 10-minute intermission.

 

PERFORMERS

Solo Violin: Ruda Lee

Members of ANIMA Ensemble:
Violin I: Nina Wong Sin I (Concertmaster) 
Violin II: Sharon Chan
Violin III: Aaron Chan
Violin IV: Xixi Chen
Viola I: Hyunjae Bae
Viola II: Martin Kuo Tzu Ming
Cello I: Jia Nan (Principal Cello)
Cello II: Pun Chak Yin
Contrabass: Evette Chiu

 

Ruda Lee

Internationally acclaimed violinist Ruda Lee made her concerto debut at the age of 6 where she was the youngest winner of the World Symphony Orchestra Competition. Born in Seoul, South Korea, her stage-career started with great success of receiving the first and grand prizes in Korean Chamber Ensemble Competition, Music Journal Competition, Strad Magazine Award, Music Education Newspaper Competition, Korea Mozart Competition, Young Soloist Competition amongst others. Ruda’s first composition won the Seoul President’s Award when she was 12. Having won the first prize of the American Protégé International Competition in 2014, she made her winner recital at Carnegie Hall Weill hall. Ruda has performed at prestigious concert venues including the J.F.Kennedy Center Honors Gala 2015 in Washington D.C. where she performed with Yo Yo Ma and Pamela Frank having President Obama as an audience which was nationally televised in the United States.  

 

Awarded a full scholarship from Yale University School of Music, Ruda has served as a co-concertmaster of Yale Philharmonia and on tour with Maestro John Adams at the Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York. She has performed under the baton of greatest conductors; Valery Gergiev, Krzysztof Penderecki, Peter Oundjian, Andris Nelsons, also worked with greatest violinists such as Kyung-Wha Chung, Joseph Silverstein, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Igor Ozim, Syoko Aki, Cho-Liang Lin. As an active soloist and a chamber music player, Ruda has been invited to perform at the world renowned music festivals including Tanglewood, Kronberg, Norfolk, Banff, Great Mountain (PyeongChang), Tongyeong, Taipei and Hong Kong Chamber Music Festival where she played alongside legendary artists as Lynn Harrel, Pinchas Zukerman, Emerson, Brentano, Orion and Tokyo String Quartet, amongst others.  

 

Recent concerts in Hong Kong were featured as a soloist of Arvo Pärt's Fratres with Hong Kong String Ensemble, also Sarasate's two masterpieces with the HKYSO at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. As a versatile artist, Ruda was invited to the 51st Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2023, also performing every year at Beare's Premiere Music Festival (previously Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival), organized by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong. Aside from giving her regular recitals, Ruda newly launched the performing arts organization <Virtuoso Fiesta> whose mission is to share the finest chamber music repertoire using 21st century's innovative concepts, advancing the aesthetic appreciation of classical music for the benefit of the Hong Kong community and the world. 

 

ANIMA Ensemble 

ANIMA Ensemble, established in 2023, is the brainchild of conductor Vivian Ip and violinist Nina Wong Sin I, with Vivian assuming the role of Artistic Director.

Recognizing sound as the primordial language, musicians bear the weighty responsibility of translating and transmitting its message. "ANIMA" symbolizes the perpetuation and evolution of artistic concepts in music, spanning from antiquity to the present. The ensemble is committed to presenting unconventional contemporary chamber operas, musicals, and chamber music, thereby enriching the audience's inner spiritual realm through a diverse tapestry of intellectual and emotional stimuli.

 

ONLINE REGISTRATION

https://www.eventbrite.hk/e/four-seasons-a-journey-of-1725-2025-tickets…

 

REMARKS 

• Free admission.
• Online registration is required.
• Free-seating on first-come-first-served basis.
• Please arrive at the venue 15 minutes before the showtime.
• Children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.

 

ADMISSION RULES 

• No food or drink is allowed.
• Unauthorized photo-taking, audio or video recording is strictly prohibited.
• Late-comers will be admitted only if there is a suitable break in the performance.
• The organizer reserves the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists and/or vary advertised programs, seating arrangement and audience capacity.