How to enjoy classical music? Add art. Concert explores new ways to make the genre accessible to young people
- On August 6 and 7, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta presents a concert programme in which the audience will be shown artworks as the music is played
- The art is intended to evoke new feelings among concertgoers about the music being played in the programme, part of a series to make classical music accessible
Synaesthesia is a brain condition that allows a person to see musical notes – but even without it, the eyes and the ears can work together to produce a deeper appreciation of music.
“For some people, music is just a mess of sound,” says Yip. “We want to include different kinds of music in our programme to let people know that if you have to have some kind of image in your head when you’re appreciating music, that’s fine.”
There will be regular concertgoers who would much rather sit down quietly and enjoy the music, but Yip says it is different for the younger generations who have grown up with smartphones.
She believes many young people would not have the patience needed to sit through a two-hour concert if there was nothing visually stimulating to go with the music.