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Press Release
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Chinese Flute Virtuosi
in Concert
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Soundscapes of China with richly diverse sights, scenes and emotions:
Chinese Flute Virtuosi in Concert
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In China, the stirring, lilting, scenic sounds of the dizi have been a subject of poetry and prose down the ages. The instrument has become part of the literati tradition, and a fabric of everyday life for the Chinese. The rich vocabulary to describe the notes coming from the bamboo flute is a testimony to its importance in Chinese literature. But a thousand words may not be as effective as listening to the sound of dizi playing itself. This concert series may be your passport to an ethereal world long enjoyed by the Chinese scholars, so don't miss out!
The occasion is graced by four maestri in dizi music. Their virtuosity would tell you why for thousands of years, the intellectuals and men of letters fell so deeply in love with it.
Li Zhen, who hails from Mongolia, will be performing Memories of the Grassland, The Skylark and The Unhappy Newly Wed. His notes are broad, expansive sounds of the Mongolian grassland and deserts. Yu Xunfa, who is an active performer in Shanghai and an exponent of the Northern and Southern Schools, will be performing Converging. In it, he will demonstrate some of the latest techniques in performance. Zhang Weiliang from Beijing will be performing his own composition, Weeping for the Flowers, a piece based on a Suzhou tanci entitled Lin Daiyu Burying Flowers, and work by Maestro Feng Zicun, Congratulations. Sun Yongzhi, who was from Xian and now the Section Leader (Wind) and Dizi Principal of the Orchestra, will be playing the picturesque Spring in the Date Garden and Windy Days. The occasion will be a showcase of the modern and the traditional, and the various techniques by virtuosi from different parts of China.
The different moods are captured vividly in the instrument's expressions. The occasion will be a showcase of the modern and the traditional, and the various techniques by virtuosi from different parts of China. So make it a date, and get ready to be transposed to an idyllic land of sounds!
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Highlights of the Programme
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The Unhappy Newly Wed - the 'Butterfly Lovers' in the Dizi Repertoire
The dizi concerto, The Unhappy Newly Wed, was composed by Li Zhen, Nan Weide and Wei Jia in 1979. It was selected as the compulsory piece at the 3rd Taipei City Chinese Music Competition in 1994. Li himself was invited to be on the adjudicating panel and gave a demonstration performance on the occasion. Li's CD release, The Unhappy Newly Wed, won the Best Solo Performance Award at the Taiwan Golden Melody Awards (Non-pop Music Category).
The music was inspired by a folk tale popular in the northwestern part of China, often sung in the vernacular duet form called 'Er-ren-tai'. Originally composed as a symphony for dizi and western orchestra, it was soon commended as "another symphonic tour de force in Chinese music after the success of The Butterfly Lovers Concerto". It is included in the syllabus for tertiary institutions of music in China, and enjoys widespread popularity in China and overseas.
The music opens with a short introduction with tragic overtones, which is followed by four sections: 1. The Newly Wed: It describes the joy of a young couple just married and their love for their land, as they look forward to a future when they can live happily and free. The many emotional nuances are delicately conveyed - the joy that is mingled with pain, the delight after many sufferings, and the hope despite the withering scene. 2. The Tearful Parting: The weeping tone of the er-ren-tai music is highlighted by the dizi played in the lower registers, accompanied by the overwhelming orchestral tutti. It depicts the oppressive state for peasants living close to the earth - the heavy land tax levied by the Imperial Court, the natural disasters, a bush fire that engulfs the mountains, and a draught that dries up the soil... The predicaments drive the young couple into a destitute state, and they are forced into the painful decision that the husband will have to go west to seek his chances. A heartbreaking strain overhangs the entire section. 3. The Seeing Off: The newly wed take reluctant leave of each other as the wife walks a long way with the husband. They vent their anger at the oppressors and cry bitterly over their predicament. The emotional outpouring shows a complexity of mood. 4. Hopes for the Future: The love theme of the newly wed re-emerges, led by the dreamy, caressing dizi and accompanied by the mounting sanguinity of the orchestral tutti. In their suffering, the people are still filled with hopes for freedom, happiness and the good life.
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Know your Chinese
music
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Dizi and Xiao
Among the many types of wind instruments in Chinese music, the most popularly known may be the dizi and the xiao. Yet they are the most confusing for many because of their variety in sizes and similarity in form. They can be as thin as one's small finger, or as thick as one's arm and as long as 3 metres. The modern version of the dizi and the xiao are both made of bamboo. The distinguishing feature is that the dizi is the transverse flute, and the xiao is end-blown. But confusion arose when the Cantonese described them otherwise. That was due to the southerners' reference to the northern version of dizi as 'transverse flute', and what they called 'the end-blown flute' was actually the dadi, a version that has no membrane hole.
There are other structural differences: the dizi has six finger holes evenly distributed on the pipe, with another hole that can be optionally covered by a membrane to give the characteristic rattling effect, and a blow hole at one end. The traditional xiao has five finger holes in front, and another hole at the back. This design allows the player to hold the pipe firmly when blowing airstreams into it. The membrane hole on the dizi gives it a clearer, more uplifting timbre and louder volume, while the xiao with no membrane hole produces a softer, therefore more lyrical and emotional timbre.
The many variants of the dizi category include the bangdi, which is commonly used to accompany the Clapper Opera (bangzixi, hence the name) in northern China, and the qudi, an accompanying instrument for Kunqu that is popular south of the Yangtze River. The bangdi is shorter than the qudi, and is therefore half an octave higher and has a resonant, shriller quality; the qudi is comparatively more rounded and mellow in tone. There are newly developed versions in the flute family, such as the 11-hole xindi ('new flute'), the keyed zhudi ('bamboo flute') etc.. But they are yet to be widely accepted. Furthermore, the configuration of Chinese orchestras today requires an even wider variety of the flute family, which is expanded to include the xiaodi ('small flute'), which has a higher range than the bangdi, the xindi, which has a lower range than the qudi, and the dadi, which does not have a membrane hole. What is called the 'haidi' is actually out of the 'dizi' family, but is another name for the loud, blaring suona in northern music. The modern xiao has also a revised format, with seven front holes and one back hole.
The dizi and the xiao in a modern Chinese orchestra are made of bamboo, and are therefore subject to contraction or expansion according to temperature changes. This is especially marked on cold, winter days when they are taken in and out of the element. It makes tuning difficult, and the instrument, particularly the membrane, to be vulnerable. That is why the player often puts his instruments in a case to prevent their reaction to temperature changes.
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| Programme |
5.8.2005
Ensemble Prelude (from the dance drama Dagger Society) Shang Yi
Dizi Concerto
Memories of the Grassland Wang Ruilin, Fan Jun and Li Zhen
The Skylark Romanian Folk Melody
Dizi: Li Zhen
Dizi Concerto Four Movements: Northern Shaanxi Cheng Dazhao
Dizi: Sun Yongzhi
Dizi and Orchestra Converging Yu Xunfa and Qu Chunquan
Dizi: Yu Xunfa
Bass Dizi and Orchestra Weeping for the Flowers Zhang Weiliang
Xiao, Dizi and Orchestra A Green Symphony Zhang Weiliang
Xiao, Dizi: Zhang Weiliang
Dizi Quartet and Ensemble Happy Reunion Folk Music of Shanxi
Arr. by Zhou Chenglong, based on the solo arrangement by
Feng Zicun and Fang Kun
Dizi: Yu Xunfa, Li Zhen, Zhang Weiliang, Sun Yongzhi
6.8.2005
Ensemble Prelude (from the dance drama Dagger Society) Shang Yi
Dizi Concerto The Unhappy Newly Wed Li Zhen et al
Dizi: Li Zhen
Dizi Concerto Spring in the Date Garden Gao Ming Arr. by Li Zhiqun
Dizi: Sun Yongzhi
Dadi and Koto Windy Days Chan Ming-chi
Dizi: Sun Yongzhi Koto: Luo Jing
Dizi and Orchestra Converging Yu Xunfa and Qu Chunquan
Dizi: Yu Xunfa
Xiao, Dizi and Orchestra A Green Symphony Zhang Weiliang
Dizi: Zhang Weiliang
Bangdi and Orchestra Congratulations Arr. by Feng Zicun Accompaniment Orch. by Rui Xue
Dizi: Zhang Weiliang
Dizi Quartet and Ensemble Happy Reunion Folk Music of Shanxi
Arr. by Zhou Chenglong, based on the solo arrangement by
Feng Zicun and Fang Kun
Dizi: Yu Xunfa, Li Zhen, Zhang Weiliang, Sun Yongzhi
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Co-presented by
in Conjunction with
Supported by
Exhibition and Demonstration Performance Supported by :
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| Date:
5-6.8.2005
Time: 8:00 pm |
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Venue:
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall |
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5-6.8.2005
$180, 150, 120, 100
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Yan Huichang
Conductor |
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National Class One Conductor. As a conductor who has worked with all professional Chinese orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, Yan has won the acclaim of the music circles in China and abroad for his artistic and conducting talents.
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Under his baton, and in collaboration with the famous composer Zhao Jiping, the Symphony Orchestra section of the China National Symphony Orchestra made the soundtrack recordings for such award-winning films as Raise the Red Lantern, Ballad of the Yellow River, and Five Girls and a Rope.
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Yan was awarded the "Cultural Medallion (Music)" by the National Arts Council of Singapore in September 2001. Since 2004, he has been a Visiting Professor in many music conservatories. Yan was awarded a Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Chief Executive of HKSAR in 2004 in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Chinese music as well as his efforts in promoting Chinese music.
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Li Zhen
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Li Zhen is a player of the bamboo flute. He was born in Shanxi in China, and went to Inner Mongolia with his family when he was young. He is currently a National Class One Performer receiving the honoured Special Allowance from the State, a member of the Chinese Musicians' Association, a member of the Executive Committee of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society and Vice President of the China Bamboo Flute Society.
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Li's virtuosic performance is the result of years of garnering from folk and ethnic music of China. His dizi music therefore incorporates the features of Mongolian music, the cantabile qualities of its vocal art form as well as the original style of his mentor, Liu Senzhi. He is able to establish himself as an innovative player of the dizi. With more than four decades of experience playing the dizi, Li has also written many pieces to add to the instrument's repertoire, such as Spring in Erdos, Under Daqing Moutain, The Camp Fires of Haote, Memories of the Grassland, A Lyrical Tune of the Grassland, The Unhappy Newly Wed, Pastoral Song, Song of the Fishermen on Dalai Lake, The Yurt Festival etc. (some of these were written with other composers).
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Li is recognized not only for his outstanding achievements in dizi performance and development of the repertoire, but also for his research and development of the instrument. Over the years, Li has given highly successful touring performances in Japan, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan etc..
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Yu Xunfa
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Born on 8 January, 1946 in Shanghai, Yu Xunfa is currently a Class One Performer with the Shanghai National Orchestra, a member of the Chinese Musicians' Association, Director of Performing Arts of the Shanghai Musicians' Association, a CPPCC deputy of Shanghai City, and Head of the Chinese Dizi Culture Research Centre of Shanghai.
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Yu invented the koudi in 1971, and since then has composed and arranged close to two dozen pieces for solo dizi, which include The Moonlit Night on an Autumn Lake, Scenes of Langya, The Scorching Sun, Music Notes etc.. His performance of Zhu Jian'er's composition, Symphonie Nr. 4 for bamboo flute and 22 strings, won the International Music Composition Prize 'Queen Marie Jose' of Switzerland in the autumn of 1990. It was the first ever, in the history of the Swiss competition, to be won by a Chinese.
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Yu has toured more than thirty countries and regions in Europe, Asia, America, Australia and Africa since the early 1970's. He was the recipient of the First Shanghai Culture and the Arts Award and the Shanghai Baogang Beaux-Arts Award. In recognition of his contribution to Chinese music, the State Council of China presented to him a Life Achievement Award and the honoured Lifelong Special Allowance from the State.
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Zhang Weiliang
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Zhang Weiliang was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1957. He is at present a professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Instrumental Music of the China Conservatory of Music, the Concertmaster of the Huaxia Chamber Orchestra and Vice President of the Wind Music Research Society of the Chinese Musicians' Association.
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Among his mentors were such famous virtuosi as Feng Zicun, Liu Guanle, Zhao Songting, Wang Tiechui etc.. He studied composition techniques with the famous composer, Wang Ming, between 1983 and 1985. He won many major awards with his solo performance of Spring in Taihu Lake, Going Up-river during the Qingming Festival, Southern Tunes etc..
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Zhang has performed on many major occasions in China, and has given highly acclaimed performances in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Austria, France and the United Kingdom. He played solo in the soundtrack recording of such Chinese films and television series as Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, The Dream of the Red Chamber, Wang Zhaojun, Zhuge Liang and The Founding of the People's Republic.
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Sun Yongzhi
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Currently the Section Leader (Wind) cum Dizi Principal of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Sun Yongzhi graduated from the Xi'an Conservatory of Music in 1982 with distinction. He was a protege of dizi maestro Zhao Songting. Before coming to Hong Kong, he was the Head of the Centre for Teaching and Research at the Chinese Music Department (Wind Section) of the Conservatory.
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Apart from teaching, Sun is also an active performer on the stage. He has recorded for many films and television and cut cassette tape recordings and CDs. He published a number of articles, including The Northern and Southern Styles of the Dizi, On the Intonation of the Dizi and graded teaching materials for dizi examinations (Vol.1-8).
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Sun is a member of the Chinese Musicians' Association (Shaanxi Chapter), Association of Chinese Orchestral Music, Guest Instructor in dizi at the Xi¡¦an Conservatory of Music and the Malaysian Institute of Art, and Instructor at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
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