Hong Kong Customs and Travel Industry Authority conduct enforcement operation against unlicensed travel agent
Hong Kong Customs and the Travel Industry Authority (TIA) conducted a joint enforcement operation on May 27 against an unlicensed travel agent. Customs officers arrested a 62-year-old male proprietor of the agent who was suspected of providing a travel agent service on which a false trade description was applied, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). Additionally, he was also suspected of carrying on a travel agent business without a licence, in contravention of the Travel Industry Ordinance, and the TIA is conducting follow-up investigations into the matter.
Customs and the TIA earlier received information that the travel agent, claiming to possess a travel agent licence, provided tour services to customers but in fact the agent did not hold a valid travel agent licence.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to purchase services from reputable shops. Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied or offered to be supplied to a consumer commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).
LCSD to present classical music lecture series "Paganini 24 Caprices" and "Romantic Piano Concertos"
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present two classical music lecture series from May to July, hosted by seasoned music practitioner Jimmy Shiu. Through appreciating the "24 Caprices" for solo violin by early Romantic period musician and Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, alongside a selection of Romantic piano concertos, the lectures will explore the pursuit of virtuosity among musicians and the musical ingenuity embedded in these works.
The first series, "Paganini 24 Caprices", comprises four lectures. In addition to an overview of Paganini's life and musical style, the series will delve into his virtuosic masterpiece, "24 Caprices" - a work revered as a cornerstone of the violin repertoire and regarded as a precursor to 19th-century Romanticism. Each lecture will examine the technical demands of individual caprices, with violinist Wang Liang to present live demonstrations of the complete set. Excerpts will be performed at varied tempos and with different interpretive approaches, offering audiences deeper insights into the musical imagination contained in the entire work.
The second series, "Romantic Piano Concertos", consists of six lectures. Beyond examining the Romantic musicians' pursuit of virtuosity in piano concertos, the series will guide audiences to appreciate representative works composed between 1810 and 1940. It will also provide an overview of the development of the piano concerto, its general framework and new features introduced during the Romantic period, while also touching upon the development of the piano, orchestra and concert hall in the 19th century, and the rise of piano virtuosi as public figures.
Details of each lecture are as follows:
Classical Music Lecture Series 1: "Paganini 24 Caprices"
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Lecture 1
Date: May 20 (Wednesday)
Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 1 - 6
Lecture 2
Date: May 27 (Wednesday)
Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 7 - 12
Lecture 3
Date: June 3 (Wednesday)
Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 13 - 18
Lecture 4
Date: June 10 (Wednesday)
Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 19 - 24
Classical Music Lecture Series 2: "Romantic Piano Concertos"
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Lecture 1: Introduction and the Early Romantics
Date: June 17 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, 'Emperor'" and Mendelssohn's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor"
Lecture 2: Two Charismatic Pianists
Date: June 24 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Chopin's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor" and Liszt's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat"
Lecture 3: The Two A minor Concertos
Date: July 8 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Schumann's "Piano Concerto in A minor" and Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A minor"
Lecture 4: Two Symphonic Concertos
Date: July 15 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Brahms' "Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor" and "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat"
Lecture 5: Bravura East and West!
Date: July 22 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor" and Saint-Saens' "Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor"
Lecture 6: Romantic of the 20th Century
Date: July 29 (Wednesday)
Compositions: Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor" and "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini"
Shiu graduated from the Hong Kong Baptist College, where he majored in Composition. He then pursued further studies at the University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom, where he earned a double Master's degree in Composition and Vocal Performance. He has been invited to give lectures and serve as master of ceremonies at concerts, and is also an arranger and choral conductor. Shiu has published several works related to music appreciation, and recently served as the writer of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's 50th anniversary publication.
Wang is currently the second associate concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He has served as soloist and leader at the Young Musicians European Orchestra's summer festival in Italy and Music in the Summer Air in Shanghai. He currently teaches at both the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Hong Kong Baptist University, and serves as visiting professor at Shenyang Conservatory of Music.
All lectures will be conducted in Cantonese and will start at 7.30pm at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum. Each lecture will run for about one hour and 30 minutes. Tickets of "Paganini 24 Caprices" priced at $120, and "Romantic Piano Concertos" priced at $80 (for each lecture, with free seating), are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1950.html.
Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
