Monday, February 11, 2008

A gondolier, a TV star and Quasimodo

The concerts at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra went beautifully.  I don't think I could have asked for anything more or better.  Everything went in perfect harmony, and Gerard and I were extremely pleased at the turnout, the performance and the audience reaction.  We were told that Hong Kong audiences were generally reserved; if that was reserved, then I wonder what rowdy and crazy are, because the audiences that came to see us were not at all holding back in their appreciation.  And we appreciate them for it.

I personally appreciated the three young men who volunteered to sing A Whole New World with me... on Saturday night we had a gondolier from the Venetian (Macau)... on Sunday afternoon a TV star named Wong Cho Lam ran from his balcony seat down to the stage to sing... and finally, my friend Ariel Reonal (currently playing Quasimodo in the Golden Mickeys show in Hong Kong Disneyland) came up on stage as well.  I didn't have one bad Aladdin for the three shows, and I thank them profusely for being a part of my concert.  (The girls backstage were especially thrilled at Cho Lam's participation... he's apparently a huge TV star here in Hong Kong.  I was made aware of this by another audience member who shouted "He's a star here!"  The rest of the patrons then agreed.  It was a cool deal therefore!!!  Wow!!!)

All in all, the shows went very well here, leaving Gerard and me on cloud 9 after each performance.  Hopefully we get the chance to come back here to perform with the Philharmonic once again.  We had such a fantastic time.

28 comments:

Girlie Rodis said...

Bravo!

arkitekfhc . said...

Friends emailed me their rave reviews of your sold out concerts. They even went to see it twice. They loved the orchestration and acoustics. Congratulations to you and Ger.

augustine73 . said...

heard twas really a very good concert!!! congrats! come and visit toronto.. and hopefully a concert with Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra!

bing ♥ said...

here's Lea meeting fans at the backstage door: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SZAgrep5ac

Ronald Manaron said...

Congratulations on your success, Lea!!

sees pop said...

Congratulations on the success of your HK concerts!!!! So proud of you!!!

Jojo Terencio said...

congrats, lea! by the way, will your concert in May here in manila push thru? thanks

Rod Bonachita said...

OMG....thanks for sharing this clip....looks worse than the backstage door mob in NYC! Lea, you're a saint for responding to the fans that want to meet you. Hopefully it will be less chaotic when you visit us in California!

Guy Gustafson said...

After reading this and fans talking about the concerts, my latest goal/dream is to some day see you in concert with Gerard conducting a full orchestra. I'd also love to hear you sing a repertoire that includes so many Disney songs! Very happy to hear that Gerard & you enjoyed it so much! I'm looking forward to two of your Hawaiian concerts.

Chino Hernandez said...

Congratulations.

jhunnelle sebastian said...

congrats!

yammie tolentino said...

Congratulations!

Since you brought up the subject of Aladdin, I was wondering if you've seen Nick Pitera's take on A Whole New World. It's good and hilarious at the same time. Here's the link:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=t9-CS2v8wcc

anne mendoza said...

Congratulations! We're so proud of you!

Rika Mimula said...

Well...I don't know what I can say after the concert, its really perfect. I've seen your concert on Saturday and you said that if you have a dream, don't care what other people's saying. Yes, you're right. I have a dream, not just dream, it's my target and I will think back what you said if there are some difficulties. Thank you very much, Lea.
Your experiences can inspire the teenagers, thank you.
Finally, Gerard's Nike shoes looked cool! HAHA=]

JANE AREJOLA said...

Congratulations Lea for conquering HK...galing mo talaga! Wished I was there...
God Bless.:)

tin samson said...

wow congrats! :) it would've been great to have watched that concert. i didn't know you had three shows. i thought two lang.

Wong Melody said...

Congratulations!!!
I watched your concert at 3:00 on Sunday. It was such an unforgettable and funny memory that Cho Lam ran from the balcony to the stage! :) Lea, you're humorous and great, I can see the characters of the song when you're singing! Bravo!!

I wish I can watch your Cinderella, will it be playing in Hong Kong???

Desiree Ho said...

Lea, I went to watch your concert on the ninth, the first night show. Yes I'm Chinese from HK and one of those who cheered without reserve out of my deepest appreciation for finally getting to see you perform live.. after watching/rewatching all(well most) of your youtube clips already. I'm in my last year of secondary, so as soon as school commences on wed the examinations fire away, so you can imagine how (the rest of) my Chinese New year holiday was spent. Originally I was invited to attend a university interview in london on the 7th, and I dreaded I would miss this. Lucky me we successfully got it postponed and GOT tickets. From the moment Gerard came out in his smart suit yet in converses (yes I was one of the ones "up there" but on your side) I knew I was in for one hell of a good show!! (thanks gerard) Can I not only say I was engrossed into your music (and PERFORMANCE) thoroughly, but also felt so deeply about what you had to say with your music. It is seldom that words like that can really impact kids like me(perhaps because they're said a lot by people, but never really in the right context) , and also my parents, of whom my father is not a big supporter of me pursuing P. arts especially dance (yes they're chinese traditional parents, they'd be thrilled if I did medicine, that's where your part comes in :-P nevertheless very awesome parents) . The performance that night is rare of anything close here in Hong Kong, where we're usually, well, overtly commercialised (check out the neon lights). So Thank you lea, for putting your heart, soul and life into your work~ I think that's what makes everything you do really count. I shall boldly speak on behalf of the local audiences that HK will welcome you and Gerard back with the warmest support and most enthusiastic cheer! Do think of us when you are touring around the world~ Incidentally what did you love about HK? Did you get to see/experience much of the city? Do tell us! HK people LOVE to know what others have to say about us and our city (if you haven't noticed we also like gossip mags). Please also continue your thoughtful blogging/and photos! Although this is my first time commenting I have always kept up with this blog. I wish you and your family maan see seng yee (all things go better than intended) and sun tai geen hong (good health). Best of everything in the year of the RAT and many years to come!!! with love, Desiree H

elaine yeung said...

Lea,love you so much! I watched your concert at 8:00 on Sunday. I saw the advertisement on a free newspaper on the 4th Feb and I was so afraid that I couldn't get a ticket because I think it's too late to buy the tickets at that time, luckily, I got the ticket although I were wathcing your back all the night with my sister, but who cares! I just love hearing your song and your voice! It's the best concert that I have ever seen in my life, I knew that you will come to Asia to open a tour-Cinderella, will you come to Hong Kong again? I really want to see you again and your performance. Good luck to you, your 'baby' brother ,your husband of course your lovely daughter.
P.S. Please come to Hong Kong again. And I hope I can meet you in person next time.

Love,Elaine

elaine yeung said...

Lea,love you so much! I watched your concert at 8:00 on Sunday. You looked great! I saw the advertisement on a free newspaper on the 4th Feb and I was so afraid that I couldn't get a ticket because I think it's too late to buy the tickets at that time, luckily, I got the ticket although I were wathcing your back all the night with my sister, but who cares! I just love hearing your song and your voice! It's the best concert that I have ever seen in my life, I knew that you will come to Asia to open a tour-Cinderella, will you come to Hong Kong again? I really want to see you again and your performance. Good luck to you, your 'baby' brother ,your husband of course your lovely daughter.
P.S. Please come to Hong Kong again. And I hope I can meet you in person next time.Wong Cho Lam is a funny guy, I wish I could saw him that day..

Love,Elaine

jeff aguiman said...

Congrats. I'm so happy for you.

Michelle S said...

Kudos to you, Gerard and the HK Philharmonic Orchestra!

Alvin Trono said...

Congratulations! Are you going to post the pics? Sana meron video clips on Youtube! Mwaah!

on on said...

Your voice is so beautiful. The concert was successful also! Bravo!!!
I really love A whole New World which u sung with Wong Cho Lam!!!

Danny Bilo said...

Thanks Lea for the moment... We really had a momentous time to cherish! 'Hope to see you soon in one of your Cinderella acts hopefully in Hong Kong, this time with my daughter and the whole family! Thanks again for sharing your great talent!

dianneLouise ♥ said...

Congratulations :)

Lloyd de Leon said...

Thanks for sharing the stories. I wonder, though, if there's a chance that the show will be aired on philippine tv? If not, pls do share some pics or videos. thanks

lily lily said...

awwww...isn't Wong Cho Lam the kind of short yet cute guy? haha he's really funny! I saw him once in LA and he was very interesting to listen to! I wish I was in HK when you were there...I only go in the summers because I'm in school the rest of the time. That's when the weather in HK is the worst though...It's extremely humid and hot.
haha I think times have changed, and HK audiences are not necessarily that reserved anymore! :D nice to see HK people get excited!