NEW TAKE ON TRADITIONAL SOUNDS
From an instrument called the suona, to a music form called shui qiang, the Shanghai Concert Hall is ready to stage a series of performances. Zhang Kun reports.
The sound of the suona (the traditional Chinese double-reed woodwind) typically reminds people in China about weddings, festivals and life in the countryside, but Hu Chenyun, a young musician in Shanghai, wants to play it at a rock show.
And, on Friday, the Chinese wind instrumentalist will do just that as he plays Dashing Along the Silk Road at the Shanghai Concert Hall at this year’s first SCH Music Infiniti Series concert.
Explaining what the Infiniti series is, Fang Jing, the general manager of SCH, says: “We launched the series in 2016 to promote creativity and crossover exploration in contemporary music.
“While the SCH is widely recognized as a venue for classical music — presenting masters’ works — it is also our mission and responsibility, as an established music hall, to encourage local artists and promote new compositions.”
Over the past two years, six concerts have been held as part of the series, covering Chinese folk operas, electronic music, jazz, pingtan (an age-old type of storytelling and ballad singing) and new media performances.
Speaking about the musicians’ response, Fang says: “Artists were ready to jump out of their comfort zones, break existing boundaries, and explore new territories with us.
“This year, again, we will premiere three productions, thanks to the courage of the artists.
“I am grateful for the trust they have in us, believing that we will enable them to achieve something that is otherwise impossible.”
Giving details about his upcoming show, Hu, 41 and an award-winning suona player with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, says he invited rock and electronic musicians to join him, and they created compositions and new arrangements.
“We didn’t want to use the suona as part of the rock band, so we decided to use it as the lead vocal.
“I had great fun creating new compositions and new arrangements with the suona.
“I didn’t want to simply add some electronic sound to well-known classical pieces, which would be easy, but less exciting.”
The suona has been played in China for more than 1,500 years. And the instrument is best known for its loud and high-pitched sounds, especially at festival celebrations and ceremonies such as weddings and funerals.
The most celebrated suona piece is Bai Niao Chao Feng (Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix), which imitates Hu Chenyun, Chinese musician and suona performer the sounds of different birds singing, showing the full potential of the instrument.
“It (Bai Niao Chao Feng) is such a festive piece that contemporary musicians often can’t help but wonder if there is anything beyond this,” says Hu.
Discussing the instrument, Hu says the sound that most people in China are familiar with is that of a soprano suona, but in fact the suona family consists of a series of instruments of different tones.
Hu also says that despite its long history in China, the suona originated somewhere outside.
“It traveled along the Silk Road into China,” he says, adding that he has heard different music styles and performances on instruments related to the suona in the Middle East and India.
“The music is so rich and colorful, sometimes gentle and lyrical ... completely different from what you would expect,” he says.
Separately, Hu says he wants to create a piece of music from the Silk Road.
“There, you will hear melodies rooted in or related to different parts of China, from the west to the east, till it comes to a climax when the journey ends in Shanghai.”
In 2016, Hu did his first collaboration involving modern electronic music when the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra produced the New Oriental concert.
One of the programs in the concert featured Hu with his suona battling modern electronic instruments.
“It (the piece) was quite successful, and I was encouraged. I thought maybe I could create a full-length concert.”
Meanwhile, the second show in the Music Infiniti series this year will be a music and dance theater production on March 23.
The show called The Tune of Water, featuring a unique music form called shui qiang, will be directed by Peng Zhang, a choreographer and artist from Hunan province.
Speaking about the music, Peng, who used to see people singing and dancing at various ceremonies in the countryside where he was raised, says: “Everybody could sing and dance, like it was a part of our lives.”
And people in the western part of Hunan, belonging to the Tujia and Miao ethnic groups, which he comes from, used to sing at the creeks, believing the flow of water would carry their emotions to the people they missed.
This unique music form is called shui qiang, or “the tune of water”.
Giving details about the music form, Peng says: “Shui qiang (which was recognized as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage in 2006) has existed for hundreds of years. But, it has kept changing and evolving. And I believe it will go on to develop more.
“As an artist I wish to play a part in the evolution process, and bring in new elements.
Peng also wants to replicate the music form in a theater, believing that the singing and dancing will spark connections for contemporary audiences.
According to him: “Today we all live fast lives and hardly ever slow down to listen to each other. So, the show can be an opportunity for people to channel this river that connects them and their loved ones.”
For the show, Peng has music by composer Liu Wen and dancers from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.
The third concert of the 2018 series will be The Trio featuring Chinese pianist Jia Ran, German violinist Daniel Rohn and Armenian saxophonist Hayrapet Arakelyan. The musicians met in Europe and teamed up to form a trio.
For Music Infiniti, they will perform contemporary compositions, works by Stravinsky, as well as new arrangements of George Gershwin’s creations, such as I Got Rhythm and Summertime.