The time Jiang Zemin outsang Pavarotti in Italian recalled in Hong Kong impresario’s book
- Incident on Three Tenors tour among anecdotes in Hong Kong impresario and ex-Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra manager John Duffus’ memoir
Scotsman John Duffus arrived in Hong Kong in 1979, eager to start his new role with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
When the first-class honours music graduate joined as general manager, the Phil had been a full-time professional orchestra for just five years and was nothing like the musical powerhouse it is today.
“Little did I know that I was the fifth general manager in just five years – an indication, if I needed one, that I was to find a raft of major problems,” says Duffus from the Thai capital, Bangkok, where he has been based since 2001.
Duffus left the orchestra in 1986 to become one of Hong Kong’s most successful impresarios, in which role he brought an impressive, “who’s who” line-up of performers from both classical music and pop music to the region. He also witnessed plenty of backstage drama involving some of the biggest names in the business.
Some of these stories appear in Duffus’ new memoir, Backstage in Hong Kong: A Life with the Philharmonic, Broadway Musicals and Classical Superstars, released this month by Hong Kong publishing house Blacksmith Books.
