December 24, 2006, Christmas Eve.
In the spectacular starlit setting of Hong Kong Park's Olympic Square, 300 Hong Kong musicians were brought together for Radio 4's Seasons Greetings in the Park.
Remembering the success of 2005's Messiah in the Park, a growing crowd of enthusiastic listeners queued up outside the square well before admission time to ensure that they could be part of a unique Christmas experience.
For the second year running, Radio 4 invited conductor Johnny Poon to lead a group of 300 musicians, including the world-renowned Chinese violinist Huang Mengla, four distinguished soloists, soprano Yuki Ip, mezzo soprano Carol Lin, tenor Richard Frewer and bass Kwan Kit-ming, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and the Chorus of the Opera Society of Hong Kong, together with a combined chorus comprising the Carmel Pak U Secondary School Choir, Diocesan Girls' School Choir, HKIEd Chorus, The Learners Chorus, Rosaryhill School (Secondary Section) Choir, the Singchronizers and Wah Yan College, the Kowloon Boys' Choir. The programme featured two masterpieces by Antonio Vivaldi.
Everyone knows you can't have a Christmas concert without Christmas carols, and the audience was invited to take part in the concert by joining in Bill Connor's Christmas Medley, an arrangement of traditional carols which was commissioned by Radio 4 for this special event. Handel's Hallelujah Chorus brought the concert to a grand coda with audience rising to their feet in unison. The wonderful event was recorded by RTHK and simulcast on radio, TV and internet.
賴建群
2006年12月24日，聖誕前夕，天氣晴朗。
第四台再次舉辦《聖誕園林音樂會》，無數市民聞訊，齊集香港公園參與。音樂會在傍晚五時舉行，聽眾擠滿了公園的奧林匹克廣場內外，齊以美樂歡渡佳節。
今屆「聖誕園林音樂會」以韋華弟的精彩作品掛帥，有他的C大調雙小號協奏曲選段、「四季」協奏曲以及D大調榮耀頌。現場三百位演出者由指揮潘明倫領導，計有小提琴家黃蒙拉、歌唱家葉葆菁、連皓忻、傅禮誠和關傑明、小號演奏家李安達和馮嘉興、香港城市室樂團、香港歌劇社合唱團及由迦密柏雨中學合唱團、拔萃女書院合唱團、香港教育學院合唱團、學士合唱團、玫瑰崗學校（中學部）合唱團、Singchronizers和九龍華仁書院合唱團組成的聯合合唱團參與演出，除了現場演出，音樂會更透過電台、電視及場外螢幕，傳遍香港每一角落。
聖誕音樂會怎可缺少聖誕詩歌？第四台委約作曲家康納編寫了《聖誕頌歌套曲》，全場聽眾亦可加入和唱。音樂會以韓德爾的「哈利路亞」大合唱總結，聽眾亦按照傳統起立欣賞。隨著煙花綻放，第二屆「聖誕園林音樂會」亦完滿結束。
Words from participants 參與者的感想
"Sharing the birth of Christ in a musical celebration with both my fellow musicians and connoisseurs gave me ecstatic joy and I am only too proud to be involved in two consecutive Christmas Eve concerts. For me, playing the harpsichord in the Hong Kong Park offers a fresh new way of exploring and experiencing music of the past. This is especially true for Vivaldi's Four Seasons, a work inspired by nature and thus the enjoyment of which was greatly enhanced by the woods and the birds. I eagerly look forward to next year's celebration."
- David Chung, harpsichordist
My daughter and I had a wonderful time at the Seasons Greetings in the Park concert on Christmas Eve. We came to enjoy the music and see a colleague perform in the orchestra. Opportunities such as this are a gift to the public, and we were grateful to celebrate the coming of our Saviour in such a charming setting listening to these exceptional musicians and
vocalists. I was particularly moved by the powerful rendition of the Hallelujah chorus. Standing together in honor of the King, one could have closed their eyes and thought they were in heaven.
- Keith Welch, Assistant Principal, International Christian School
"In our age, the thrill of festival is diminishing year by year. The memories of the days where we were touched by “God became a man - the turning point of human history” are fading. At a time when an aptitude for material consumption is at an all time high, affecting everyone in Hong Kong, the spirit of the composer of Gloria and Four Seasons brought our family back to the divinity of our Creator. We felt strongly as a family a sense of anticipation of God's salvation when we sang the Christmas carols at the finale of the concert."
- Joshua Chan, audience
「在平安夜當日，能夠近距離欣賞黃蒙拉的演奏，迎接聖誕節的來臨，實在是一件賞心樂事。而即使未能進入場內的朋友，亦三五成群的聚在一起靜心欣賞場外直播；我真切的感受到—音樂，打破了『地域』的界限。」
— 卓詠雯，現場觀眾
「來自五湖四海的音樂愛好者聚集在香港公園，藉著聽覺和視覺來經歷永恆的《四季》，在鳥語花香的場地內以星光和煙花為燈光，微涼的天氣為空調—彷彿感受到造物主的榮耀和安排。」
— 鄭融婷，合唱團員
RTHK's webcast archive 網上電視重溫：http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/seasonsgreetingsinthepark/20061225.html
RTHK's broadcast archive網上電台重溫：
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/radio4/Seasons_Greetings_in_the_Park/20061224.html
Acknowlegment鳴謝下列機構全力支持：
香港演藝學院 The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
香港浸會大學音樂系 Music Department, Hong Kong Baptist University
