HONG KONG: The sudden cooling of the weather could not cool down the enthusiasm of about 20,000 spectators Friday night.

They were treated to an exciting repertoire of favorite works performed by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO). Many participated in setting a record for the Guinness Book of World Records: the largest gathering of harmonica players ever.

A total of 6,131 people played harmonicas together to perform a 7-minute-25-second melody during the intermission of the concert. The number of participants blew away the previous record of 3,898, achieved in Germany in 2007.

A group of Form 3 students were reluctant to put down their harmonicas even after they set a new Guinness record.

"I could hardly hear my harmonica during the performance, since the chorus around was too loud. However, I am still very proud to be contributing to the new Guinness record," one of them said.

First Prize Laureate of the 5th Prokofiev Conducting Competition, HKPO Assistant Conductor Perry So Pak-hin made his debut appearance in this year's Swire Symphony under the Stars. The HKPO performed a series of musical masterpieces ranging from Viennese classics, Russian romantic pieces, to Chinese miniatures under So's baton. Huang Mengla, featured soloist in the concert, shared the stage with the Orchestra to perform Tzigane ("Gypsy") by Maurice Ravel. Fireworks and stage performances were also integrated in the event.

Swire Symphony under the Stars, the largest symphonic event in Hong Kong, is in its third year. The organizers' aim is to ensure that people in Hong Kong enjoy superlative symphonic music under the stars performed by their own orchestras, as do audiences in other cultural capitals.

This event has received tremendous acclaim from the public. Ten thousand free tickets were snatched up in two days. Three thousand tickets distributed online were gone in 10 minutes - fast enough to cause a temporary crash at the online server, according to the organizer.

The al fresco concert held at Happy Valley Racecourse was the debut event of six events sponsored by the Mega Events Fund. The Hong Kong government provided HK$100 million in subsidies for non-profit-making groups to stage arts, cultural and sports events.

(HK Edition 11/14/2009 page1)