Pitch perfect

Versatile instrument

The harmonica is commonly seen as a component of jazz, blues and folk music ensembles. The kind usually played in jazz concerts is a diatonic harmonica, as harmonicists find it more compatible with the genre. However, the chromatic harmonica has proved to adapt itself to a greater range of music genres, including classical music.

At an upcoming concert, "Hooked on Harmonica", Lee will showcase the instrument's versatility as he performs with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. A concert with a full orchestra and harmonica as the lead instrument is indeed rare. Lee will be performing Michael Spivakovsky's Harmonica Concerto, the first major concerto composed for the harmonica and an orchestra, penned in 1951 for famed harmonicist Tommy Reilly.

Lee says that the piece is quite demanding of the performer as it requires many different harmonica techniques to be executed well.

"Perhaps it is because Spivakovsky wasn't just a harmonica player, so he wasn't limited by the constraints of the instrument. He was adventurous in composing the work and incorporated elements that he believed can be played on the harmonica," he says.

Despite being a difficult piece, it has come to be regarded as a groundbreaking work that helped advance the harmonica's progression as a classical music instrument, as most harmonica compositions before that were either solo or small-scale pieces.

To ensure that the harmonica truly shines at the show, Lee will perform with a double resonance harmonica, an instrument he has developed with one of his harmonica teachers.

"From a performance aspect, we felt that there is a need to increase the volume and timbre of the harmonica. I wanted a harmonica that won't become lost or muffled when I'm performing with other instruments or an orchestra," he says.