Arts festival highlights classical, modern and cross-over music pieces

By Zhang Qian | October 11, 2016, Tuesday |

Online Edition

THE 18th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will kick off on October 12 with “New Oriental Chinese Music Scene” by Shanghai Chinese Orchestra as its opening performance at Shanghai Grand Theater.

It is the first time for a traditional Chinese music concert program to be chosen for the Festival opening.

The decision was made not only with an intention to present legacies of traditional Chinese arts to the world, but also to encourage local artists’ exploration in interpreting great traditional arts in contemporary way, according to Liu Wenguo, producer of “New Oriental Chines Music Scene,” who used to work as the art director of Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Rather than a simple concert for ear, the “New Oriental Chinese Music Scene” is expected to provide audiences a feast of both audio and visual aesthetics with Chinese features. Calligraphy, Kunqu Opera, Chinese dance and contemporary stage settings will join to help deliver the music related artistic conceptions on stage.

Traditional and new Chinese music pieces are selected for four chapters, illustrating traditional Chinese philosophies on human’s relationship with the universe, their inner world and their lovers as well as displaying the merging of Chinese and Western culture ever since the Silk Road.

Apart from presenting classic pieces by ancient Chinese instruments like guqin, sheng (reed-pipe wind instrument) and bone flute with about a 9,000-year history, the concert will also stage quite a number of cross-over trials. “Flight of the Bumble Bee” will be presented by traditional Chinese quintet for the first time; modern electronic music equipment will join suona in the classic “Bai niao chao feng” (One hundred birds pay homage to the phoenix); and Chinese erhu master Ma Xiaohui will collaborate with Belgium cellist Sebastien Walnier in “Butterfly Lover.”

Though a nationwide trend of combining traditional Chinese music with modern stage presentation in recent years has provoked heated debate in the field, it is still a worthwhile exploration as Luo Xiaoci, president of Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, sees it.

“Music is a part of people’s life style. Though tradition is good, they may not work for most modern people today without revision,” says Luo, “We cannot deny that some traditional pieces may seem tediously long for many young people today, but the melodies can still be attractive with proper adaption and suitable presentation. That is exactly what we are trying to do at the moment.”

Yet Luo emphasized prudency about keeping balance in the innovation, lest reserve the order of host and guest.

“Music is fragile. Only by keeping the root can the innovation be accepted better,” says Luo.

Date: October 12, 7pm

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theater

Address: 300 People’s Ave.

Tickets: 50-680 yuan

Tel: 6272-0455, 6272-0702

Entertainment and Culture

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Arts festival highlights classical, modern and cross-over music pieces

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