LCSD Launches 'Music at Heart' Lecture Series on Classical Music, Starting from October 7

LCSD to launch classical music lecture series "Music at Heart"

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the classical music lecture series "Music at Heart". The eight-lecture series will be held on Wednesdays starting from October 7 at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum (HKSM), with music educator Calvin Lai as the curator and speaker. Structured around eight distinct themes, the series takes listening as its point of departure, weaving together the anecdotes, life journeys and inner worlds of classical music masters through a curated collection of audio and video recordings, allowing audiences to discover how these timeless masterpieces continue to resonate across generations.

A brief introduction of each lecture is as follows:

Episode 1: Untamed Spirits

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Date: October 7 (Wednesday)

From how Mozart transformed wrong notes and missed beats into creative comedic elements, to Liszt competing against fellow pianists on stage, and Berlioz elevating his infatuation into a tempestuous masterpiece, this lecture offers a closer look into the untamed passion and carefree sides of these masters.

Episode 2: Inner Storms

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Date: October 14 (Wednesday)

By presenting the sensitive and complex inner worlds of Schumann, Mahler and Scriabin through their music, this lecture explores how these three great masters transformed unease and struggles into immortal works.

Episode 3: Stage Mishaps and Controversies

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Date: October 21 (Wednesday)

Featuring historic and astonishing moments surrounding the performances of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Bernstein and Glenn Gould - ranging from performance mistakes and audience tumult to artistic disagreements with performers - this lecture offers a rare glimpse into how these great musicians confronted and responded to both applause and boos.

Episode 4: Secrets in the Score

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Date: October 28 (Wednesday)

By decoding the secret language embedded within the musical scores of composers such as Bach, Elgar, Schumann, Brahms and Dietrich, this lecture invites audiences to uncover the underlying stories of friendship, personal mottoes and steadfast faith.

Episode 5: Echoes of Adversity

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Date: November 4 (Wednesday)

Featuring the music written by composers such as Haydn, Beethoven and Messiaen while facing various forms of adversity, this lecture invites audiences to listen to how these masters preserve dignity, kindle hope and offer solace to the spirit.

Episode 6: Musical Love Letters

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Date: November 11 (Wednesday)

Featuring the romantic masterpieces of Schumann, Wagner, Mahler and Elgar, this lecture invites audiences to savour how music speaks on behalf of lovers, expressing the deepest emotions that words cannot convey.

Episode 7: The Art of Humour

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Date: November 18 (Wednesday)

Featuring the works of Haydn, Saint-Saëns, Prokofiev and Richard Strauss, this lecture explores musical elements such as sudden outbursts, lumbering and comical melodies as well as unexpected twists, uncovering the masters' mischievous ingenuity that evokes a knowing smile or even a touch of playful mockery and sarcasm.

Episode 8: Modern Musical Imagination

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Date: November 25 (Wednesday)

Drawing from the avant-garde works of composers such as Scriabin, Gershwin, Piazzolla, John Cage and Ligeti, this lecture explores the redefinition and transcendence of musical boundaries since the 20th century, expanding the horizons of imagination to the boundless possibilities of sound and music.

Calvin Lai is a classical music broadcaster, producer and educator. Formerly a presenter and producer at RTHK Radio 4, he has frequently been invited to host music appreciation programmes for various organisations including the LCSD, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He has lectured at Hong Kong Baptist University's Academy of Music and the University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education, and actively promotes music accessibility for grassroots students.

All lectures will be conducted in Cantonese and will start at 7.30pm at the Lecture Hall of the HKSM. Each lecture will run for about one hour and 30 minutes. Tickets 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 and discount schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1995.html.

The poster of the classical music lecture series "Music at Heart," Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects case of non-registered precious metals and stones dealer carrying out specified transactions

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 20) detected a case involving a local company that conducted transactions of gold, silver and jewellery containing precious metals and stones valued at over HK$120,000, without registration under the Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Regulatory Regime. An investigation is ongoing.

According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), unless exempted, any person who is seeking to carry on a business of dealing in precious metals and stones and engage in any transaction(s) (whether making or receiving a payment) with a total value at or above HK$120,000 in Hong Kong is required to register with Hong Kong Customs. Any dealer, other than a registrant, who claims to be a registrant, claims to be authorised to carry out, or carries out any cash or non-cash transaction(s) with a total value at or above HK$120,000 is liable to a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

Customs reminds dealers in precious metals and stones that they must obtain the relevant registration before they can carry out any cash or non-cash transaction(s) with a total value at or above HK$120,000.

For the forms, procedures and guidelines to submit applications for registration, please visit the website for Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Registration System (www.drs.customs.gov.hk) or Customs' webpage (www.customs.gov.hk/en/service-enforcement-information/anti-money-laundering/supervision-of-dealers-in-precious-metals-and-ston/index.html).

Members of the public may report any suspected transactions involving precious metals and stones with a total value at or above HK$120,000 conducted without the required registration 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).

Hong Kong Customs, Photo source: reference image