Co-produced by No Limits and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), Light and Shadow on Strings features HKCO and visually impaired erhu prodigy Yang Enhua in a collaboration that highlights inclusion. Rupert Woo, Associate Conductor of HKCO and Resident Conductor of The Hong Kong Young Chinese Orchestra, states, “Enhua has mostly performed as a soloist in the past. As a flagship Chinese orchestra, HKCO is pleased to offer Enhua a professional platform to push his own boundaries through performing with professional musicians.” Under Woo’s programme planning, the concert begins with Yang’s solo performances, followed by chamber works, including a huqin quartet and string quintets, and culminates in a soul-stirring ethnic orchestral piece performed by the ensemble. This ground-breaking concert unfolds layer by layer, weaving serenity with intensity. It is not merely a showcase of talent with different abilities. Yang’s nuanced emotions and technical mastery are also highlighted, breaking the audience’s preconceived notions of the visually impaired while conveying the spirit of diversity and inclusion.

Yang excels at expressing rich emotions through storytelling with his bow. The first three solo pieces presented are all deeply humane in spirit. One is his newly composed “Dishui Nanyin”, a narrative of his own life story that also demonstrates his commitment to both preserving and innovating traditional quyi culture. The next work is “Farewell”, the masterpiece by erhu master Sun Wenming, who is also visually impaired. Composed in the spring of 1957, the piece showcases Sun’s ingenious use of the thicker inner string’s powerful volume to evoke the deep, rich tones of a smaller ensemble, while the thinner, softer outer string produces a more delicate sound reminiscent of the faint and ethereal timbre of the gaohu, creating a striking contrast. This is followed by an adaptation of “Reflection of the Moon on the Water,” by folk artist Hua Yanjun (Abing), arguably the most beloved erhu piece, characterised by deeply moving, melancholic sentiment. Hua, who lost his sight and became a street performer, remained steadfast in his belief in light and hope; despite enduring humiliation and hardship, the piece stands as a powerful reflection of his inner world.

For the second part, Woo selected pieces Yang had never performed, including a quartet and several quintets performed with the HKCO Chamber Ensemble. It opens with Cantonese master Lui Man Shing’s “Autumn Moon on a Placid Lake”, a quintet that blends movement and stillness to create a serene and beautiful atmosphere; the image of an autumn moon over a calm lake, in particular, evokes a sense of transcendent contemplation. The erhu quartet “Ru-Meng-Ling” (Like a Dream) was composed based on the poetic imagery of the poem Like a Dream: Last Night, Sparse Rain and Fierce Wind by female Song Dynasty poet Li Qingzhao. Performed with a gaohu, a zhonghu and two erhu, the piece is composed in the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale, with each part featuring its own interpretations of the theme, resulting in a richly textured, profound ensemble piece embodying the essence of traditional Chinese aesthetics. “Three Variations on Yangguan”, originally a guqin piece, was composed based on Wang Wei’s farewell poem Seeing Off Yuan Er to a Mission in Anxi, and was also known as “Song of Wei City”. The poem describes the deep, heartfelt emotions of parting with a friend. The theme is played three times, thus the title “Three Variations”. This string quintet adaptation enriches the theme through the interplay of instruments, fully expressing the sorrow of parting. The mood then shifts to the high-spirited finale, “A Joyful Evening”. The erhu, yangqin and pipa showcase innovative techniques—striking soundboards, extended glissandos, harmonics and percussive taps on resonators—creating a lively and jubilant soundscape.

In the final part, Woo leads the HKCO Chamber Ensemble in performing Tam Yat-sing’s “Eternal Night”, the “Audience Favourite” from the 2023 “Music from the Heart” concert. The piece evokes darkness and solitude, inviting the audience to imagine and empathise with visually impaired people. This is followed by “Seeking”, in which the music strikes a delicate balance between tranquillity and conflict, guiding listeners in search of an ideal realm. The finale, “Luminous Sound Journey”, is a new work by the talented local composer Luk Wai-chun, co-commissioned by No Limits and HKCO. It draws inspiration from how visually impaired people experience sound and light. Luk was the arranger and conductor for pianist Connie Wong’s acclaimed 2023 concert A Wonderful Journey with No Limits. For this work, he visited people with visual impairments to better understand how they perceive the world. He learned that for them, sound is not just information—it’s their “light” and “map”. He was particularly struck by how they embrace the world through their ears when travelling, depicting exotic locales through soundscapes. Breaking from tradition, the composition draws from the everyday sounds of streets in Hong Kong, inviting the audience to imagine musical notes as “light” and to embark on a wondrous journey of “seeing” the world through their ears. As light and shadow intertwine on stage, the world premiere of this piece tugs at the heartstrings and brings the concert to its climactic close.

Words of the Blind is an original work composed in the style of Dishui Nanyin by Yang Enhua. Based on the artist’s real-life experience of practising the erhu in a public park, it tells the story of a visually impaired performer who is mistaken for a beggar by passers-by. Given money and spoken to condescendingly, the musician engages in a street debate.

The lyrics unfold in plain, colloquial language, moving from the pity and disdain of the passer-by to the calm, reasoned response of the visually impaired musician, gradually conveying its core message: people with disabilities do not live solely on charity and sympathy. Through diligent practice and artistic expression, they uphold dignity and pursue their passions just like anyone else.

Through this street conversation, the work clarifies the true meaning of inclusion: it is not a condescending gift from mainstream society, but mutual understanding and companionship built on equality and respect. The piece ends with the music resuming and the passer-by leaving in shame, calling on the public to set aside prejudice, practise empathy, and achieve genuine equality and inclusion.

Farewell was composed in the spring of 1957 and fashioned to mimic the sound of a small Cantonese ensemble. Sun Wenming played this piece at the end of the tea house recitals to express his gratitude to the audience, hence the title. The composition is spirited and joyful, expressing genuine and poignant sentiment.

Reflection of the Moon on the Water is an erhu piece by renowned folk musician Hua Yanjun. It features a graceful melody and a profound bleakness, surges with emotion and then returns to stillness as it chases the moon and the clouds, full of longing for the future.

The piece is the most representative work of Hua Yanjun, also known as “Abing”. He lost his eyesight when he was thirty-five (in 1928) and was eventually reduced to becoming a street musician. He experienced great injustice and all the hardship in low life and was much bullied. Reflection of the Moon on the Water is a picture of Hua’s mind, and the composer calls it The Tune of the Heart.

In the summer of 1950, Yang Yinliu and Cao Anhe, two famous musicologists, recorded Hua’s performance of the work. They suggested that the piece be named after the ancient springs at the bottom of Huiquan Mountain in Wuxi. Hua agreed and the work has since been known as Reflection of the Moon on the Water.

This is a famous piece originally written by Lui Man-shing in the early 1930’s. The lyricism and the musicality of the music have made it widely popular. The present arrangement incorporates movement into the quiet mood for an even more poignant aesthetic touch: the scene of a peaceful lake on an autumn evening, with the mirror-like water reflecting the moon, instills tranquility in the heart of the beholder and inspires transcendental thoughts. It was named one of the “20th Century Chinese Music Classics”.

“Last night there was scattered rain but gusty winds,
I slept tight yet woke up with a slight hangover.
I asked the one rolling up the blinds,
who replied, the cherry apple blossoms looked the same.
Alas, don’t you know? Don’t you know?
It should be a scene of plush green and sparse red.”

This is a ci poem by the Song poetess, Li Qingzhao (1084-1155), entitled Ru-Meng-Ling (Lyrics to a Dreamy Chant). The present eponymous work for huqin quartet is inspired by the ambience suggested in the poem. The instruments used are one gaohu, one zhonghu and two erhu.

Written in pentatonic scale typical of Chinese music, each instrumental part would deliver its own interpretation of the theme. The result is an ensemble piece of Chinese classical charm, which is rich in timbre and ethereal in ambience. The work was premiered at the erhu ensemble concert, Yang Xue and "Bows and Strings’ Dance” in 2011.

The music, originally written for Guqin, is based on a work by Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. In the poem, the poet expresses his sorrow at having to depart and leave his friend behind.

In the original, the theme is played in three different ways, hence, it is known as “Three Variations”. Here it is arranged for a quintet and the employment of more musical instruments helps to enhance the sentiment of the original theme.

Developed and introduced by Hu Dengtiao, this string quintet is considered very innovative in Chinese music.

This song was composed in 1980. The melody is played in quick tempo with the introduction played on yangqin in an air of mystery. As the other instruments come into play, the dynamic gradually strengthen. The thematic line in simple rhythm is refined. Amidst the fervent cadence, ingenious playing techniques are employed for erhu, yangqin and pipa, such as extended glissando, harmonic and striking the sound-box and the resonator of the instruments. In boisterous atmosphere the hectic music is brought to a climax.

Eternal Night, or Polar Night, occurs at the Earth’s polar regions during winter as the sun dips below the horizon and becomes invisible for an extended period.

Inspired by this phenomenon, the first sections of this composition imagines people living in a dark, cold, and lonely place, and the negative emotional effects that could result. The final movement draws from the writings of Lu Xun, “give off warmth and light, like fireflies glowing in the darkness, without waiting for a torch to be passed”, perhaps hoping for a sliver of dawn to appear.

The work is the third movement of the dance drama, The Desert Smoke Suite. As the music develops, the mood changes from calm, contrasts, to conflicts, illustrating the tension and undulations one feels in the heart and the perpetual seeking of the ideal world.

Luminous Sound Journey is a Chinese orchestral composition commissioned by No Limits (Hong Kong Arts Festival) and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, written exclusively for this concert.

In the world of the visually impaired, sound becomes light—illuminating the path and guiding the way. During the creative process, the composer engaged with several visually impaired individuals, listening to their stories and discovering that, for them, travel is an experience embraced through sound, with soundscapes painting the colors of distant lands. Inspired by this, the composer weaves a musical journey that invites both audience and visually impaired travelers to embark on an extraordinary voyage beyond borders.

The piece begins with the familiar soundscape of Hong Kong, then rides the waves across the sea, dives into the depths to dance with dolphins, and gallops across vast grasslands—sound serving as the traveler’s compass. Yet midway, silence suddenly descends. The traveler is lost in darkness, gripped by confusion and anxiety, overwhelmed by fear and longing. Then, sound returns like a beam of light at dawn, rekindling courage and guiding the traveler forward toward a sky ablaze with colors. In its final moments, sound and light swirl like the wind, gently brushing the soul and leading the traveler into an endless horizon.

A selection of solo pieces, chamber ensemble and orchestral works are curated by Rupert Woo to realise one goal. As Associate Conductor of The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Resident Conductor of The Hong Kong Young Chinese Orchestra, Woo hopes to lead the audience on a journey through the world of visually impaired erhu prodigy Yang Enhua. It moves from an experience of Yang’s inner life to his connection with the wider world, and ultimately to true inclusivity for all, including people who are visually impaired and people with different abilities. Through thematically diverse music and various performance approaches, Woo maps out this vision.

Woo has set exceptionally high standards for this Chinese music concert. In particular, he challenged Yang, accustomed to performing solo, to engage in ensemble work. “Enhua can perform solo or with orchestral accompaniment at any time with ease. However, ‘ensemble’ and ‘orchestral’ works are entirely different as both require ‘watching’ the conductor and ‘reading’ the score, plus extensive rehearsal time required as a group. In ensemble music, musicians need to ‘observe’ one another to build rapport. In Enhua’s case, he alternates between leading and accompanying, all these interactions and coordination are significant challenges for him. But being visually impaired actually gives Enhua an advantage—he has incredible focus and leverages his ‘hearing’ in a way that sets him apart.”

Yang reflects, “For me, a solo is an inward journey, using the instrument to build a bridge of empathy between the performer and audience. An ensemble strives for harmony; only through collaboration with rapport can musicians bring high-quality music to the audience. Orchestral playing requires coordination not only with fellow musicians but also synchronisation with the conductor. If a solo performance builds a bridge between self and the audience, an ensemble builds two: one with fellow musicians and another with the audience. Orchestral work, moreover, requires three bridges to connect with the other musicians, with the conductor and with the audience.” Participating in this ground-breaking concert of inclusivity has also helped Yang recognise his value as a visually impaired musician, “to help more people break down barriers, shed labels, re-examine their perceptions of people with visual impairment and rediscover themselves.”

In the subsequent quartets and quintets, Woo selected pieces rich in style and diversity, revealing multiple facets of Yang’s talent. “Take ‘Autumn Moon on a Placid Lake’ as an example. This Cantonese piece allows each musician to shine with elements of improvisation, gradually easing Enhua into the ensemble. ‘Three Variations on Yangguan’ has a slower tempo, allowing him to listen to fellow musicians and build rapport while conveying the piece’s wistful sentiment through erhu. ‘A Joyful Evening’ is a more lighthearted piece which reveals a rarely seen side of his personality and lifts the atmosphere for the audience.”

While Light and Shadow on Strings is an inclusive arts project, Woo refrains from defining the concert too rigidly. He simply hopes the music and its stories will invite the audience to step into the world of the visually impaired and to reflect on mutual inclusion. “For the orchestral segment, we selected ‘Eternal Night’ by Tam Yat-sing. The piece depicts a place without sun where darkness stretches, allowing the audience to feel the weight of solitude.” Is this the type of darkness perceived by the visually impaired? Yet, “This is followed by ‘Seeking’, a movement from a dance drama. It is less driven by the music but more by the story of searching for destiny, expressing the pursuit of an ideal realm. I hope the audience can sense how visually impaired people seek their own direction.”

Beyond the darkness lies brightness. The concert concludes with the newly commissioned work “Luminous Sound Journey” by local composer Luk Wai-chun. During the creative process, Luk met with several people with visually impaired, listened to them share their stories and immersed himself in their experiences to gain a deeper understanding. “My studio is near the Hong Kong Society for the Blind, where I often see visually impaired people pass by. I deliberately stood on that familiar path, closed my eyes and listened carefully to the ambient sounds around me, I tried to identify the distance, direction and pitch of each sound, sensing how sounds help them construct the contours of their world.” He translated these sensations into musical elements, using different instrument placements and tonal variations to “let the audience join their world through the ears.” This piece is like an audio-guided journey from the bustle of the city to the murmur of nature. Luk also uses “light” as a metaphor, “For them, sound is light—illuminating the path ahead and helping them find their direction.”