Danse Macabre
Halloween 2010 Concert Photos

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Last night was absolutely fantastic, I just wanted to say it again... the orchestra never sounded better. The strings were incredibly big and warm, everything was executed beautifully, great program choice (including the encore, that really tied a bow on it)... can’t wait to see you again.. thanks for sharing with me. love, m.

I always look forward to spending Halloween weekend at One World. It gets better and better every year. I love how you get the audience actively involved. Please do more. The “moment” was the church scene in Faust. I never heard your fabulous orchestra pulling all the stops with opera singers, chorus, and St. Ann’s organ. We were all at the edge of our pews — bewitched and dazzled.

Thank you very much for supporting St. Ann’s the last three years. What you said about St. Ann’s and what St. Ann’s means to One World and its community was nicest thing that anyone has said.

Thank you very much for such a fun evening. I have been voting for Danse Macabre the last two years when the audience could vote for the Halloween programs. I was so glad that you finally performed it, and you made up for the delay by performing it again as an encore! I never heard it with so much fire and vigor. I also enjoyed Faust. All the forces came together to create such dark hypnotic music. The chorus sounded like there were 100 singers instead of 12.

What will you do next year? How about Bach/Stokowski’s Toccata and Fugue and Orff’s Carmina Burana!

Happy Halloween! I enjoyed Friday’s so much that I had to come back. It was interesting that both nights, not only you conducted differently but your “pre-concert” talk Faust was very different. But the constant was we had a great time and were all inspired by the sounds created by your musicians.

The concert was fabulous. I love Danse Macabre. The guy who sang as Satan was awesome — he was my favorite. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back for one of your other concerts and actually stay and visit with you.

My favorite part of the Halloween was the encore of Danse Macabre. I liked the way you completely trusted the orchestra and did not conduct them and allowed the players to listen and still play beautifully together. It was magical.

The only disappointment was not having Death of Valentin be part of the Faust selections. Your chorus sounded great and would have been a nice addition to the Halloween program.

It was bold all night! I never saw an orchestra perform a difficult opera with such passion and polish with costumes and masks. I never saw a conductor dare the audience to leave nor did I ever see a conductor perform an opera with an entire symphony orchestra from memory before. You didn’t take any prisoners and we ended up appreciating and inspired by the music and its message.

I contributed towards your Community Music and believe what you are doing. Keep up the good work and don’t be afraid to be bolder.

Maestro Hong responds:

Thank you so much for joining us both nights. Thank you for noticing some of the details during both concerts. Masks may pose some challenges due to limitations on vision but more importantly breathing.

If a conductor performs from memory, the credit should go to the musicians. Like in all relationships, it’s about trust — I trusted our musicians that they can make music on their own, which is the most ideal situation in any working environment.

Thank you very much for your continued support and contribution.


Friday, October 29, 2010
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
Brooklyn Heights

Sunday, October 31, 2010
Church of the Holy Apostles
Manhattan