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Musician plays it by ear
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CHINESE cellist Wang Jian has always adhered to the principle, “pleasant to hear,” when evaluating a piece of music and it’s hard to argue.
Wang will be performing with South Korean pianist Kim Sunwook and German violinist Jumi Kang at Shanghai Concert Hall tomorrow night.
They will play Beethoven’s “Ghost” and Tchaikovsky’s “Piano Trio in A Minor.”
Wang says he does not have a strong preference for any particular composer as they all have their strengths, but if pushed to name a favorite piece, he singles out Rachmaninoff’s “Symphony No. 2.”
“If I could only bring one piece to an uninhabited island, I would definitely take that with me,” he says. “It is so beautiful.”
Wang isn’t shy in admitting he is more of a traditionalist when it comes to music. The cellist believes beautiful melodies bring out emotions in listeners and are far superior to some of the innovative music made by contemporary musicians who focus more on technique.
“I can hardly accept works after Schoenberg. He led music to a dead-end path,” Wang says. “Even though Schoenberg questioned his innovation in his late years, the disastrous chain reaction in music had already started.”
He says there are a number of barons in the field who manipulate prizes, sponsorships and academic recognition to uphold compositions based on technique while ignoring talents who create beautiful music.
“They are just like gangs,” Wang says, “forcing the young talents to compromise. What they see as innovation, I see as cultural degradation.”
Beautiful melodies that touch the soul stand the test of time. This is why compositions from 100 or 200 years ago are still popular among today’s audiences and musicians.
“Musicians can choose not to play the ‘bad music’ and audiences can choose not to listen to it,” Wang says. “However, the market still needs new good works so we can not stick strictly to all the old stuff. It is time for a change.”
Though classical music started relatively late in Asia including China, Wang sees great potential in terms of both the market and the talent pool.
“There are a number of young talents rising who just need time to be recognized,” Wang says.
He says the Internet age has leveled the playing field and it no longer matters where a musician is from as they can all be technically very accomplished. But he says in “today’s global village, there is room for personalities.”
Date: May 23, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan’an Rd E.
Tickets: 80-480 yuan
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